Innholdsfortegnelse for Autumn 2022 i National Geographic Traveller Food

I’m not green-fingered. The only crop I’ve ever harvested has been the elderflowers that grow in my garden (and make a very nice cordial). However, I’ve just learned that the town I live in has an apple named after it — an orangey-red pippin that was, until recently, thought extinct. And, despite my horticultural limitations, I’m quite tempted to try to grow it. I suppose I’m seduced by the idea of uniting a local crop with the specific soil from which it evolved. Just like my elderflowers, this pippin tree would, in its own small way, help keep alive the story of the local landscape. Of course, stories like these are told in other places by other crops, too. Some, like Greek olives, tell tales so old they stretch back…

Recently, while lunching at Trivet restaurant in London, I had the opportunity to try a 1962 Penfolds Kalimna shiraz — not, by any means, the most expensive wine in the famous Australian producer’s range, but certainly one of the oldest (it was first made in 1959). And, while its fruit was faded, it was still showing astonishingly well. So how had these flavours in this particular wine managed to last so long? To be capable of ageing, what wines really need is both concentration and structure — something that grapes like shiraz and cabernet sauvignon have in spades. When great wines are young they can sometimes seem almost out of kilter with pumped-up fruit and over-intrusive tannins. But as they age, the oak and the fruit meld together to create…

With its bohemian clientele, hanging plants and vegan wine list, Bana (above) is a great example of the type of popular vegan cafe found in abundance throughout the city. Here, visitors can feast on bowls of lima beans topped with avocado and harissa, exquisite yellow tomato gazpacho or a beetroot salad with handmade cashew cheese. Elsewhere, the deli at Meshek Barzilay — aplantfilled restaurant in the upmarket neighbourhood of Neve Tzedek — is known for its vegan creations and memorable cocktails, as well as scrumptious pastries and freshly made sandwiches (left). Other must-visits include Herzog, one of Tel Aviv’s oldest vegan establishments, famous for its tempting selection of raw vegan sweets, made without processed sugar. At Green Roll (above), situated near major thoroughfare Allenby Street, Biran Perets and Shiraz Shachar…

Home to Bangkok’s top tourist sights, Bangkok’s historical quarter is a feast for the stomach as well as the eyes. Sandwiched between the Chao Phraya River and the Wat Pho temple complex, the pastel-coloured buildings of Tha Thien have been given a new lease of life by artists, chefs and mixologists. Beat the crowds to the Grand Palace and adjoining Wat Pho. The former, all glittering roofs and golden spires, dates back to 1782 and houses one of Thailand’s most sacred Buddhist icons: the Emerald Buddha. Wat Pho’s drawcard, meanwhile, is a 46-metre-long, gold-plated, reclining Buddha. Cool down with a coconutwater cold brew at Elefin Coffee, a corner cafe that sources its beans from Chiang Rai. Hungry? Tuck into a late breakfast of khao tom, rice soup topped with shrimp…

Belper is back. Home to the second-ever waterpowered cotton mill and the UK’s first gas lighting, this Derwent Valley market town was a star of the Industrial Revolution. And while Belper’s fortunes waned as local manufacturing declined, a strong community spirit and a host of independent businesses have helped put it back on the map. It’s the only place to have won a Great British High Street title twice (in 2014 and 2019), and its food scene has played a major part in that success. “Growing up nearby, I saw Belper develop from forgotten and overlooked to busy and thriving,” says Leo Hill, chef-owner of Arthur’s (arthursbelper.co.uk), the intimate, 24-seater restaurant he opened in 2018. “I love the mix of history, bustle and natural landscapes; it gives us a plethora…

1 CURADO BAR CARDIFF When owners Paul Grimwood and Shumana Palit opened this success story, they took the essence of a tapas bar and added a liberal splash of Welsh hospitality. Curado Bar nails authentic Spanish food, uncovering some of the finest producers across Spain and bringing them to its tables. Must-try: Carrillada de cerdo con sidra — slow-braised Basque pig cheeks with Asturias cider glaze, coriander mojo and fresh pickled apples. curadobar.com 2 BRINDISA LONDON BRIDGE Monika Linton’s Brindisa Group started life as a stall in Borough Market, and has since spawned further offshoots in the capital. The emphasis has always been on traditional Spanish flair, plucking seafood from the nearby Wright Brothers and meat from Billfields. It all results in a serious tapas menu, featuring dishes such as…

WHO CAROLINA’S FOLLOWING @apuntesyviajes This account promotes everything from tourist attractions to the best places to stay and eat in the city of Valparaíso. @meowmeix Amanda Meixner’s feed is fabulous. It’s a great guide to leading a healthy lifestyle and includes lots of recipes and tips. @andyhearnden Andy is a great chef who, through his videos, proves that cooking delicious food doesn’t need to be too complicated. @imchef7 If you want to understand more about cooking and the science behind it, Chilean chef Heinz Wuth’s feed is a must. What did you eat growing up? My mother always cooked Chilean dishes. One of my favourites is pollo arvejado (pea and chicken stew), often served with rice or fries. Why did you start your blog? When I moved to the US,…

BACKGROUND Originating in Sicily, arancini are said to date back to the 10th century, when the island was under Arab rule (saffron rice balls being part of their cuisine at that time). Others think they came later, though, as arancini recipes first appeared in cookbooks in the 19th century. FILLINGS The classic Sicilian filling is ragu with cheese and peas, but beyond that the possibilities are endless. ’Nduja works well, as does gorgonzola. For a vegetarian alternative, you could try stuffing the arancini with chopped-up aubergine parmigiana. RICE Any type of risotto rice would work, but arborio is the best for arancini — its higher starch content helps bind the grains together to form the perfect sphere. The rice should be cooked up into a thick risotto and cooled a…

TH EEXPERTS Can you recommend a food tour in Montreal? Amie Watson: Montreal is a smorgasbord of cultures and food. My top pick for a guided tour is Round Table Tours (roundtablefoodtours.com) — the Living Table option provides a taste of the city’s community gardens, urban farms and its top sustainability-focused restaurants. Their four-hour Jewish food tour is great, too, and includes stops for bagels, smoked meat, falafel and pastries. For something a bit different, combine food and art by booking Spade & Palacio’s Beyond the Basilica tour (spadeandpalacio.com). It heads from historic Old Montreal to the borough of Plateau Mont-Royal, with a stop at a food court for a South Indian snack. Finally, don’t leave without checking out Jean-Talon Market. The massive open-air space brings together farmers, artisans and…

Dieuveil Malonga may just be Kigali’s most creative chef. At his restaurant, Meza Malonga, in the Rwandan capital, he uses ingredients from cassava leaves to sorghum, and draws on cultures including Bantu and Xhosa for a regularly changing Afro-fusion menu that might include plantain-stuffed ravioli or mango sorbet with potato foam. But this chef’s top priority isn’t simply putting together interesting flavours — it’s to raise the profile of African gastronomy. Malonga’s culinary journey began in the town of Linzolo, just outside Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo. “It starts with my grandmother, who I grew up with from the age of nine,” he says. “She had a restaurant for people travelling from north to south along the road it was on. People were always welcomed in to share…

It wasn’t too long ago that splurging on a Thai meal in Bangkok could only mean dining out on what’s known as Royal Thai cuisine: white-tablecloth affairs serving regal takes on recipes from Central Thailand, with intricately carved vegetables and meticulously balanced flavours, but light on chillies and funky ferments. And while stalwart restaurants such as R-Haan and Saneh Jaan still dish out the classics, the past decade has seen a new crop of chefs study, dissect and reimagine recipes from far beyond the royal kitchens. Take Sorn, a two-Michelin-starred spot that dives deep into long-lost recipes and indigenous ingredients from the south. The signature Surat Thani crab leg with crab roe and chilli paste alone probably explains why its art deco dining room books out months in advance. Sri…

You grew up in the UK, but what’s your connection with Chinese food? Both my parents were born in Hong Kong and they moved to the UK in search of a better life in the 1970s and 1980s. They really wanted us to integrate, but food’s a huge part of Chinese culture. We ran a family takeaway in Northern Ireland, and my parents would take us back to visit Hong Kong at least once if not twice a year. We were very fortunate; our family home was in Tai Mei Tuk in Tai Po, which is right beside the seaside, and seafood is one of my favourite things; that’s where my taste buds were exposed to — and developed by — trying what the Western world would consider unusual. What…

Sweetcorn is a type of maize that’s naturally high in sugar. Unlike other types, which are left longer in the fields to dry out, it’s harvested young. This means it’s juicier when it comes into season, and has a flavour that’s far superior to tinned or frozen corn. Cook the corn when it’s as fresh as possible, as the sugars begin to turn to starch once it’s been picked. Always try to buy fresh corn while still in the husk — choose firm, bright green husks that cling tightly around the corn. If you can see the kernels, they should be smooth and plump, while a white, milk-like liquid coating the sweetcorn is a sign that it’s very fresh. We became aware of the versatility of corn during our first…

I decided as a child that I was going to be the kid that ate everything. I was really interested in food and wanted to try new things. Once, at a wedding, there was a kids’ table with beige foods like oven chips, fish fingers, onion rings etc. I actively shunned all that. There was a big argument as to whether I could get something from the adult table. I won and I ate poached salmon. That’s how much of a posh ‘gourmando’ I was as a seven-year-old. Delia was a big part of my childhood, and so were the recipes in Good Housekeeping magazine. My mum’s a really good cook, and there was one recipe from there we’d make every week — adish with egg noodles, chicken breast, coconut…

Nightingale’s nests, twisted turbans, lover’s lips… In the UK, we may be most familiar with baklava made in a large circular tray and cut into diamond-shaped pieces, but in Turkey this sticky, sweet pastry comes in a whole variety of forms — often with pleasingly poetic names to match. A syrup-soaked sandwich of tissue-thin yufka pastry and ground nuts, baklava has been the ultimate Turkish festive indulgence for centuries, prepared for all manner of special occasions, from weddings to religious festivals. It’s a descendent of the börek and similarly layered, folded — often savoury — yufka pastries, which have been an essential part of Central Asian Turkic cuisine since at least the 11th century. This culinary tradition is thought to have been combined with the Arab practice of soaking pastries…

SWEET SUCCESS BELMONT ESTATE Jason George takes a cocoa pod and smashes it open against the wall. “Here, try,” he says. I take one of the pulp-covered beans from within and it breaks into bitter fragments in my mouth. “I know it doesn’t look like it,” says Jason, encouragingly, “but this is how chocolate starts.” Jason is a guide at Belmont, a historic estate on the island’s northeastern slopes. It can trace its roots back to the 1600s, when plantations were established during the time of French rule. Throughout its complex and, admittedly, not always glorious history, all manner of crops have been grown here, from coffee to cotton. But these days the estate focuses on cocoa — mostly the prized criollo and trinitario varieties — and nutmeg, Grenada’s signature…

SALAMATI: HAMED’S PERSONAL KITCHEN Hamed Allahyari with Dani Valent Part cookbook, part autobiography, Salamati is a gastronomic walk through the life of Hamed Allahyari, a Persian chef and restaurateur living in Australia. In 2012, following a midnight escape from his native Iran, where he faced religious persecution, the young chef made his way Down Under, where he set to work rebuilding his career, starting as a dishwasher. Today, Hamed heads up his own Melbourne restaurant, SalamaTea, a play on the Persian word ‘salamati’, meaning ‘health’ or ‘cheers’, where he serves traditional Persian dishes with an Aussie twist. Salamati: Hamed’s Personal Kitchen is the culmination of a life spent in kitchens between two cultures. Hamed recalls his childhood, during which he would cook for crowds at the local mosque, with dishes…

SPEAN BRIDGE, SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS • BLACKSHEEPHOTELS.COM Someone in The Whispering Pine Lodge’s kitchen really knows how to cook dal makhani. The black lentils are perfectly soft, the sauce buttery and gently spiced. I can’t stop mopping it up with pieces of fluffy garlic naan. The Scottish Highlands might not be most people’s first port of call for first-class curries, but at The Whispering Pine Lodge, on the banks of Loch Lochy, that’s exactly what you get. The hotel’s Lochside Brasserie — with its vast windows and a terrace overlooking the water — is run by Sinclair Pinto, who oversees all the restaurants at Indian-owned Black Sheep Hotels’ three Highlands properties. Here the chef, who also hails from India, has created a menu combining recipes from his homeland with top Scottish…

I’VE BEEN CHECKING OUT… La Couronne, the oldest inn in France. It dates back to 1345 and is located in Rouen, in the north of the country. The menu is a feast of Norman ingredients — oysters and sole from the English Channel, Normande beef, and apples from local orchards. Angela Locatelli, contributing editor What’s the best sandwich you’ve ever had? MONTE CRISTO I tried this in Woodstock, Vermont — it’s a ham and cheese sandwich, dipped in egg, fried and topped with maple syrup and powdered sugar. Lauren Gamp, art editor KOREAN GANGSTER From Max’s Sandwich Shop in north London, it contains a combination of beef, kimchi, kraut, lettuce and crispy noodles. Sensational. Glen Mutel, editor PO’BOY The iconic New Orleans sandwich, loaded with tomatoes, gherkins, iceberg lettuce, mayo,…