Innholdsfortegnelse for Autumn 2024 i National Geographic Traveller Food

Toyo Odetunde I’m constantly taken aback by West African cuisine. The unifying parallels across borders versus the hyperlocal nuances. The range of ingredients and flavours. It tells us so much about the region’s rich, and sometimes challenging, history. It was a pleasure speaking with those shining a light on it in exciting ways. COVER STORY, P 28 Tom Burson While meandering through Transylvania, I thought: ‘Why aren’t more people here?’ It has untamed nature trails as well as medieval towns and fortified churches. And then there are its culinary traditions, where grandma-style cooking is the norm and filled with laughter and heart. ROMANIA, P 38 Christie Dietz I spent most of my time in Liechtenstein gawping at the beauty of the Rhine Valley and its surrounding alpine peaks. The Kerbers…

I always like to keep a couple of varieties of squash to hand in a shaded corner of the kitchen. They store extremely well and get sweeter and tastier the longer they sit — it’s the ultimate back-up vegetable that can be called to action whenever needed, particularly as it doesn’t take too long to cook. I favour the firm-fleshed varieties, as they tend to have an intense flavour and hold together well. Crown prince, with its silvery skin and bright orange flesh, is my all-time favourite, but the likes of kabocha, delica, honeynut and carnival are also wonderful. Whatever the variety, squash can stand up to strong flavours, whether it be chillies, vinegars, herbs or spices. I prefer to keep the skin on if roasting as it gives lovely…

My dad taught me the earth will give you everything you need. He has such a green thumb and didn’t let us eat any fast food. I was raised on a ranch in Texas and we lived off the land. When it was squash season, for example, we’d have that for four months — squash with soup, squash with chicken, squash with this, squash with that. I was like, ‘I hate squash!’ The same for watermelon season. I hated it then, but now it’s such a gift to eat seasonally. I remember grabbing a carrot out of the ground, dusting it off on my jeans and jumping on the school bus. Growing up, everything was centred around food. It’s a huge part of my [Mexican American] culture. Sopa de fideo [noodles…

Beloved for their crisp, golden exterior and spongy interior, akara bean fritters originate from the Yoruba people, who live largely in Nigeria, Togo and Benin. However, akara are found across the region and beyond, having reached Brazil (where they’re known as acaraje) and the Caribbean (bollitos de carita in Cuba and cala in Aruba) due to the slave trade — and they’ve come to represent West Africa’s resilience and culinary influence. Made from soaked and peeled black-eyed beans that are whipped into a thick batter and fried, akara vary in consistency from fluffy to dense. Today, they’re embellished with onions, peppers, chillies and, sometimes, smoked fish. However, historically, they relied on the earthy flavour of the beans alone. “Beans are essential to West African cuisine,” says Aji Akokomi, founder of…

In 1839, Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington, hosted a sumptuous supper to commemorate his victory over Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815, an annual tradition he’d started in 1820. A surviving menu from this banquet shows that his guests tucked into a lavish multi-course feast, but there’s one glaring omission: the dish to which to the duke lends his name, beef wellington. Also known as boeuf en croûte, a traditional beef wellington is generally accepted to mean a large piece of fillet cloaked in finely chopped mushrooms and shallots (duxelles), which some chefs supplement with goose- or duck-liver pâté, encased in puff pastry. It’s widely claimed to have been a favourite of the Duke of Wellington, therefore taking its name from him, although there’s no solid proof of this. Regardless,…

“WE’RE MOUNTAIN PEOPLE,” LAURA SAYS, BRIGHTLY. “IN WINTER WE SKI, IN SUMMER WE HIKE. WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN THE MOUNTAINS. THEY’RE PART OF LIFE.” Laura’s aunt, Tina, has driven us to a farm shop outside Vaduz, Liechtenstein’s capital. Craggy, lead-grey Alpine peaks and ridges loom before us. Behind them is Austria, and behind me, a mere quarter of a mile away, is Switzerland, its border marked by the Rhine. Across the river, on the far side of the valley against a blue sky streaked with white, wispy clouds, rise the snow-capped Swiss Alps. Strangely, I feel both full of the joys of the great outdoors and oddly claustrophobic. Closer to hand, we’re surrounded by allotments, fields and blossoming trees. The farm shop occupies a white-painted corner of…

Long shadows are cast across Jeonpo-dong’s narrow alleyways as the evening sun dips behind the high-rises of Seomyeon to the west — Busan’s central business district. Having shaken off its industrial roots, the neighbourhood of Jeonpo has undergone a remarkable transformation, blossoming into a lively labyrinth of cool cafes, hip bars and speciality restaurants. During the day, locals fill Jeonpo’s vibrant Cafe Street, catching up with friends in the many coffee shops. But by now, in the evening, young groups are sauntering down its side streets, forming queues at a range of popular establishments, from tapas bars and Japanese noodle counters to Taiwanese hot bun shops. Colourful neon signs pop from the front of little restaurants and bars, advertising their menus in splashy lettering. The air is filled with a…

Using a combination of flavours commonly found in Lithuanian cooking, including smoked fish, hemp seed and beetroot, this dish from Deivydas Praspaliauskas, chef at Amandus restaurant, puts an elevated spin on traditional ingredients. SERVES: 4 TAKES: 1 HR 30 MINS PLUS 24 HRS SOAKING INGREDIENTS 100g sugar100ml beetroot juice100ml white wine vinegar100g shallots, finely chopped10g hemp seeds, to garnish dill, parsley and chives, to garnish bread or crackers, to serve FOR THE CATFISH MOUSSE 500g hot smoked catfish (or smoked halibut or cod), peeled and deboned250g homemade mayonnaise (or good-quality shop-bought)10g madras or masala curry paste50g roasted tomato paste METHOD 1 Boil the sugar, beetroot juice and white wine vinegar in a medium pan for 5 mins, then add the shallots. Bring to the boil, then set aside to cool.…

What’s your connection to the Adriatic Sea? My father was born right on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, less than a mile from it. When he was born, his birthplace was in Italy, but now it’s in the Istria region of Croatia, a town that’s now called Pula. Around 90% of the people in Pula were Italian, so the majority left and people from other parts of what was then Yugoslavia came and populated the area. My mother is from a town near Venice. We also lived in Italy in a town on the Adriatic Sea, so it’s a place that very much connects with me. What areas did you cover and how does the Adriatic coast link them? My interest in the Adriatic starts in Istria, but this…

This is a simple recipe that can be whipped up in a short time. I like to use tart green apples, which balance the sugar nicely, and sprinkle a good teaspoon of cinnamon on top. SERVES: 10-12 TAKES: 1 HR 15 MINS INGREDIENTS 4 tart apples1 small lemon, juiced3 eggs150g caster sugar, plus 2 tsp150g plain flour30g cornflour1 scant tsp baking powder80g unsalted butter, softened1 tsp natural vanilla essence1 tsp ground cinnamon METHOD 1 Heat oven to 180C, fan 160C, gas 4. Line the base and side of a 23cm cake tin with a removable base. 2 Peel and core the apples, then cut them into quarters. Cut each quarter into four or five slices, depending on how big the apple is. Place in a bowl, add the lemon juice…

Jamaicans love to ‘jerk up’ everything and steak is no different. It’s bursting with flavour and the juices make a great sauce for your meal. Leftover jerk seasoning can be stored in a sterilised, airtight container in the fridge for up to three weeks or frozen for up to three months SERVES: 4 TAKES: 20 MINS PLUS 30 MINS MARINATING INGREDIENTS FOR THE JERK SEASONING 4-6 scotch bonnet chillies (adjust to taste)6-8 spring onions, sliced4-6 onions, chopped4-6 garlic cloves, minced2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 2 tsp dried thyme2 tbsp ground allspice2 tbsp dark brown sugar or cane sugar1 tbsp ground cinnamon1 tbsp ground nutmeg1 tbsp ground ginger2-3 tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil2 tbsp soy sauce2 tbsp white vinegar1-2 limes, juiced1 tsp ground cloves1 tsp ground cayenne pepper (optional)1…

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Growing up in London has many perks, but chief among them has to be the ready availability of food from just about anywhere on Earth you can think of. As a child, my Polish family and friends kept me supplied with pierogi and barszcz, while the many Greek Cypriot restaurants and shops nearby meant I never wanted for spanakopita, pitta or taramasalata. Since then, I’ve moved between neighbourhoods where Bangladeshi, Turkish and West African cuisines have been both abundant and accessible. Yet, only in recent years has the latter become prominent on my culinary radar — largely thanks to a new generation of chefs with West African heritage who’ve made it their mission to bring the region’s cuisine to a wider UK audience. While working on this issue — my…

It was in 2020, with the launch of a Copenhagen pop-up, that Kristian Baumann fully leaned into the gastronomic style he’s become known for. Koan, which has since moved to a permanent location in the city, is where Denmark meets South Korea. Ingredients from the former are incorporated into artfully executed tasting menus influenced by the latter’s street kitchens, temples, royal court cuisine and barbecue culture. “We create flavours that both our Danish and Korean guests will say they don’t know,” says Baumann. “For me, that means we’re creating something that really is unique.” Dishes like white kimchi with aromatic herbs and rose hip oil combine the flavours and culinary principles of these two contrasting cultures, reflecting the chef’s own background and life experience. In the 1970s and ’80s, after…

“Please, have more. You’ve hardly eaten,” says Marilena, as she ladles some extra sarmale cabbage rolls onto my plate. I’ve had three already, and this is after two bowls of chicken soup and a couple of lichiu, sweet-sour, custardy tarts that Marilena Băcişor hands me between courses, just for good measure. Her husband, Alexandru, pours me a fourth shot of his homemade pălincă plum brandy. “I don’t drink,” he jokes, gulping a fourth shot of his own. We clink glasses, and I tuck into the cabbage rolls. I’m not going to disappoint Marilena, who I’ve begun calling ‘bunică’, Romanian for grandma. It’s early afternoon, and Marilena’s garden, in the central Romanian village of Apold, is buzzing. Along with bees that provide honey, there are goats, grapevines and cherry and plum…

Tender beef, chicken liver pâté and crisp pastry is a great combination — though you can swap the pâté for a mushroom version if you prefer. The middle cut of beef fillet is best here. SERVES: 8 TAKES: 1 HR 30  MINS PLUS CHILLING INGREDIENTS 1-1.4kg beef fillet, trimmed50g butter2 shallots, chopped15g dried porcini, soaked in 100ml boiling water2 garlic cloves, grated225g flat mushrooms, finely chopped2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped 170g chicken liver pâté2 x 500g blocks shop-bought or 1kg homemade puff pastryplain flour, for dusting160g Parma ham slices1 medium egg, beaten METHOD 1 Put the beef on a board and season with salt and pepper. Melt half the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat until starting to foam. Put the beef fillet in the…

Serve with apple sauce and a salad SERVES: 6, AS A MAIN TAKES: 45 MINS INGREDIENTS 500g plain flour (or a 50:50 mix with semolina), plus 1 tbsp5 eggs100g very strong cheese such as appenzeller or a mature cheddar, grated rapeseed or sunflower oil, for frying3 small white onions, thinly sliced METHOD 1 Combine the flour, eggs and a pinch of salt in a large bowl and mix to form a smooth, pourable batter. 2 Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Hold a knöpfle press (or a potato ricer or colander) above the pan and ladle the batter into the press in batches, so the noodles drop into the water. 3 Remove the knöpfle with a slotted spoon as soon as they reach the surface (around…

Los Angeles is one of the most exciting places in the world to eat right now. Its Mediterranean climate allows farmers to grow a wide-ranging bounty year-round, encouraging chefs and restaurateurs born in LA to stay put while attracting fresh culinary talent from across the US and beyond. Asian cuisines loom large. The US’s largest population of Koreans is found in Los Angeles County and nearby Orange County, and their culinary hub is LA’s city centre. In Koreatown, Jinsol Gukbap restaurant sells pork soup that simmers for 24 hours before it’s served, while Surawon Tofu House is the place for silken bean curd made from scratch. And Kobawoo House is where you can enjoy a traditional bossam — pork, boiled in spices wrapped in lettuce or cabbage. North of Koreatown,…

In Venice, a popular way to enjoy baccalà (salt cod) is to whip it until it’s creamy and smooth, then spread it on rounds of bread or firm polenta. There’s a bit of a knack to the whipping. I use a small food processor and drizzle in a little oil and milk at a time, stopping regularly to check the consistency. You don’t need to add salt (it will be salty enough), and a low- or no-salt polenta and flavoursome parsley oil balances out the whole thing nicely. The whipped baccalà will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. SERVES: 8 AS AN APPETISER TAKES: 1 HR PLUS 4-6 HRS SOAKING INGREDIENTS 300g baccalà500ml milk1 garlic clove, crushed200ml sunflower oil250g instant polenta2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf…

OUR PICK SIAN’S KITCHEN: CARIBBEAN COMFORT COOKING Sian Anderson In her second cookbook, DJ, presenter and restaurateur Sian Anderson tells the story of Caribbean culture in the UK through food. Her own culinary tastes were shaped by her British upbringing, as well as her St Lucian and Jamaican heritage and frequent trips to the islands — all of which led her to open Octaves, a modern Caribbean restaurant, in London’s Stoke Newington last year. In Sian’s Kitchen, Anderson calls on famous friends — radio host Julie Adenuga and rappers Big Narstie and Big Zuu — to share their favourite recipes and Caribbean food memories alongside her own. Expect twists on classics, such as jerk steak, as well as traditional favourites including ackee and saltfish, and vegan alternatives like curried jackfruit.…

I’VE BEEN EATING AT… Metropolis London, a new street food court in Vauxhall. There’s sushi, gelato, sandwiches and much more, but the winner for me is the Filipino joint Kusina — their saucy corn ribs and mushroom bao buns are unforgettable. Farida Zeynalova, associate editor I’VE BEEN USING… Allday Goods’ santoku knife. Made of carbon steel, it chops and slices everything from tofu to tomatoes like a dream. It looks good too, with a handle made from 100% recycled plastic, available in a variety of jazzy colours. Nicola Trup, editor I’VE BEEN OBSESSED WITH… Sambal, a chilli paste from Indonesia. There are more than 100 different types and my goal is to try them all. My current favourite is sambal cumi, a blend of bird’s-eye chilli, shallots and salted baby…

If there’s one thing you can be sure of when it comes to wine — something almost everyone agrees on — it’s that reds are the best match for red meat. And while, according to many tastes, this remains true, if you consider yourself an adventurous eater and drinker, it’s good to be aware there are other possibilities. Although ‘red meat’ may be a catch-all term, it’s one that encompasses many different dishes, with factors such as cooking methods and the cut of the meat having a significant impact on pairing decisions. For example, while steak might have you instinctively reaching for a red, steak tartare is one of those dishes that works very well with a sparkling wine — or even a vintage rosé champagne, if you feel like…

A simple recipe with just a few ingredients and a short cooking time, Corina Bozgan’s cold sour cherry soup is the perfect comfort dish on a hot summer’s day. If fresh cherries aren’t in season, you can use frozen or preserved cherries as a replacement. Additionally, if you’d like the soup to be a little sourer, add some lemon slices during the boil. SERVES: 2 TAKES: 1 HR INGREDIENTS 500g sour cherries, pitted40g sugar25g cornstarch or flour125ml double cream5 dried juniper berries5 cloves½ tsp cinnamon powder or1 cinnamon stick fresh mint leaves and double cream, to serve (optional) METHOD 1 Pour 1 litre of water into a large pot and add the cherries, spices and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. 2 Boil for a few…

A pretty market town in an affluent corner of Cheshire, Knutsford is a place of centuries-old listed buildings, interiors shops and fashion boutiques. And while it’s undoubtedly well-heeled, when it comes to food it also has a strong independent streak, the narrow lanes lined with interesting restaurants, cafes and food shops. The town has two main thoroughfares, known locally as ‘Top Street’ and ‘Bottom Street’, linked by a series of passageways. On Princess — i.e. ‘Top’ — Street you’ll find stylish Scandi cafe and homewares store Detaljer (detaljer.co.uk). It serves great coffee brewed using beans from local roaster Kickback, freshly made porridge and pastries, including cardamom and cinnamon buns. On the first Sunday of the month you can also enjoy the Maker’s Market (www.themakersmarket.co.uk) on Princess Street. Prepare to come…

There’s much to be said for cooking older chickens — the ones sometimes called broilers, which have passed their egg-laying prime but are lean and flavoursome. When cooked right, the meat is deliciously tender and packs a tasty punch in dishes like this chicken sugo, which is enjoyed around the Gulf of Trieste. If you can’t find a broiler, use a combination of bone-in thighs and drumsticks; you may need to decrease the cooking time so the meat doesn’t dry out. SERVES: 4-6 TAKES: 2 HRS 15 MINS INGREDIENTS 1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil1 large brown onion, finely chopped2 garlic cloves, crushed1.2kg chicken (preferably a whole chicken), cut into12 pieces2 tsp sweet paprika ½-1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp salt 2 small rosemary sprigs 125ml dry white…