Food and travel are inexorably linked. The flavours and dishes you taste are as synonymous of the countries you visit as the very sand between your toes. They tell stories of the climate, the ‘terroir’ and the culture of lands and history of nations is traceable in every ingredient that makes up a recipe. To eat abroad and eat authentically is to experience a country at its heart. What could be a more true way to travel or, indeed, a more enjoyable one?
Recently I’ve been inspired to create a three-course menu of the most memorable and delicious dishes I’ve discovered in my travels around the world. Celebrity Cruises, who won best ocean cruise line this year in the Food and Travel Awards, are running a ‘Taste of Travel’ menu competition and it’s made me think a lot about what courses these might be, about which far flung food memories I most cherish. Luckily, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel and, being the intolerably greedy food blogger that I am, most of my memories are grounded in what I’ve eaten anyway, so a number of options sprung to mind. All dishes were special in their context. Read on and ‘join me for dinner’; I hope they give you a taste of what can be explored there.
Recently I’ve been inspired to create a three-course menu of the most memorable and delicious dishes I’ve discovered in my travels around the world. Celebrity Cruises, who won best ocean cruise line this year in the Food and Travel Awards, are running a ‘Taste of Travel’ menu competition and it’s made me think a lot about what courses these might be, about which far flung food memories I most cherish. Luckily, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel and, being the intolerably greedy food blogger that I am, most of my memories are grounded in what I’ve eaten anyway, so a number of options sprung to mind. All dishes were special in their context. Read on and ‘join me for dinner’; I hope they give you a taste of what can be explored there.
Menu
Entrée: Fried Zucchini Flowers – Rome, Italy
When contemplating which dish from my travels has inspired me enough to begin this menu with immediately my mind was drawn to Rome, Italy’s lively capital. It was in this vibrant city that I discovered one of my favourite ever starters: fiori de zucca ripieni, stuffed zucchini flowers.
In the centre of the metropolis, a mere ten minute walk from the Palazzo Venezia and Roman Forum, is the old Jewish Ghetto dating from 1555. This area is a wonderful juxtaposition of ancient Roman architecture and more modern Jewish structures, with the ruins of the Theatre of Marcellus and the Great Synagogue of Rome standing side by side against the backdrop of the winding river Tiber. The food is no less impressive.
Although you’d be hard pressed to eat badly here, my favourite dish is the stuffed zucchini flowers served by many of these traditional Roman Jewish restaurants. It eats deliciously; crisp batter, melting into an oozing centre of salty anchovy and creamy, rich mozzarella. Alongside a glass of chilled pinot grigio and perhaps a side of fried artichoke (another traditional starter; carciofi alla giudìa), nothing could be nicer to begin my very special menu with.
In the centre of the metropolis, a mere ten minute walk from the Palazzo Venezia and Roman Forum, is the old Jewish Ghetto dating from 1555. This area is a wonderful juxtaposition of ancient Roman architecture and more modern Jewish structures, with the ruins of the Theatre of Marcellus and the Great Synagogue of Rome standing side by side against the backdrop of the winding river Tiber. The food is no less impressive.
Although you’d be hard pressed to eat badly here, my favourite dish is the stuffed zucchini flowers served by many of these traditional Roman Jewish restaurants. It eats deliciously; crisp batter, melting into an oozing centre of salty anchovy and creamy, rich mozzarella. Alongside a glass of chilled pinot grigio and perhaps a side of fried artichoke (another traditional starter; carciofi alla giudìa), nothing could be nicer to begin my very special menu with.
Main Course: Roasted Leg of Lamb – Mallorca, Spain
The next dish on my menu is taken from my travels in Spain, and particularly Mallorca. This balmy, mountainous island is the largest in the chain of Spanish Balearic Islands and has long been a popular summer holiday destination. Whether it is pottering round the picturesque harbour of Palma, soaking up the island’s rich Medieval history, or simply scoffing down tapas dishes in a street side café, it is a great place to spend some time. It is also a great place to eat.
The Spanish love their lamb and last time I visited I was taken to a local hang out by our host for some traditional Mallorcan food. There I encountered a dish of cordero asado, slow roasted leg of lamb, cooked slowly in a wood burning oven for 6 hours with rosemary and garlic. Now, this may sound simple however when cooked like this, the meat literally falls off the bone and tastes deliciously, excruciatingly not only of lamb, but of the best lamb you ever tasted. It was served on potatoes that were cooked alongside the meat, roasting in its fat and juices and flavoured with more rosemary and salt. When food tastes as good as this, there is no need for complexity. For this reason, when selecting the main course for my menu this dish was a clear choice.
The Spanish love their lamb and last time I visited I was taken to a local hang out by our host for some traditional Mallorcan food. There I encountered a dish of cordero asado, slow roasted leg of lamb, cooked slowly in a wood burning oven for 6 hours with rosemary and garlic. Now, this may sound simple however when cooked like this, the meat literally falls off the bone and tastes deliciously, excruciatingly not only of lamb, but of the best lamb you ever tasted. It was served on potatoes that were cooked alongside the meat, roasting in its fat and juices and flavoured with more rosemary and salt. When food tastes as good as this, there is no need for complexity. For this reason, when selecting the main course for my menu this dish was a clear choice.
Dessert: Baklava – Istanbul, Turkey
There was only ever one dish to crown my travel menu and finish it with the impact and deliciousness it demands; authentic Turkish baklava. This is made from layers of butter-sodden phyllo pastry layered with nuts, often flavoured further with honey, rose or orange blossom water. There are literally hundreds of varieties: vivid green pistachio ones, ones made from hundreds of hair-like fronds of phyllo, circular rolled ones stuffed with fruit and ground nuts. Picking your baklava from the laden counters of a good baklava store is the work of a most diverting afternoon.
The best baklava I ever had was in Istanbul, the largest and most historically significant city in Turkey. Istanbul coastal position on the historic Silk Road, along which silks and spices have been traded between the East and West for over 2000 years, has made it a buzzing hub for the trade of exotic goods ever since its foundation. This trade continues today in the vast souks that sprawl in its centre. It was within one of these very markets that I tasted the best baklava of my life. It sat in a pool of its own syrup, oozing from its many layered sides and topped with a crisp layer of pastry that crunched upon the bite. The centre was very finely chopped nuts soaked in a honeyed syrup; sweet, but just woody enough from the nuts to stop it being sickly, and with the crisp top giving way to slightly gooey, chewy middle. The memory of this truly great dessert is so vivid that I can almost smell the strong, dark Turkish coffee I drank it with and hear the hubbub of the bartering market crowd around me. A special dish to end a very special menu.
The best baklava I ever had was in Istanbul, the largest and most historically significant city in Turkey. Istanbul coastal position on the historic Silk Road, along which silks and spices have been traded between the East and West for over 2000 years, has made it a buzzing hub for the trade of exotic goods ever since its foundation. This trade continues today in the vast souks that sprawl in its centre. It was within one of these very markets that I tasted the best baklava of my life. It sat in a pool of its own syrup, oozing from its many layered sides and topped with a crisp layer of pastry that crunched upon the bite. The centre was very finely chopped nuts soaked in a honeyed syrup; sweet, but just woody enough from the nuts to stop it being sickly, and with the crisp top giving way to slightly gooey, chewy middle. The memory of this truly great dessert is so vivid that I can almost smell the strong, dark Turkish coffee I drank it with and hear the hubbub of the bartering market crowd around me. A special dish to end a very special menu.
Fin
I hope you enjoyed my menu. I’d like to nominate some other fellow bloggers to put together their own menu and share their food memories. Happy Belly, Matt the List, Wrap Your Lips Around This and FoodGeek Blog; you’re up and I can’t wait to read your ideas.
#TasteofTravel
http://www.celebritycruises.co.uk/life-on-board/dining/taste-of-travel.aspx
