The greatest risk, when in search of a Russian meal, is of stumbling into a restaurant of gut-bombs: platters of cream-drenched chicken, iron crocks of cheese-laden something or other, hunks of greasy meat and bowls of doughy dumplings that turn into glue as soon as you digest them. The struggle is real. Which is why it was such a pleasure … Read More
Kurdish Cuisine… With a Side of Guilt
In the half-dozen trips I’ve taken to Kurdistan, not ONCE have we been able to finish the food on our table, whether we’re a party of two or of 8. Part of the charm and tradition of Kurdish hospitality is cooking and serving too much… that way if others drop by, there’s always some to spare. At Shkar Restaurant, a … Read More
Hiwa’s Do-It-Yourself Dolma Recipe
On the road, a home-cooked meal is an absolute luxury: a respite from the impersonal hotels and convivial but antiseptic restaurants that greet us at the end of each day. In Northern Iraq, we were invited (hooray!) to Hiwa’s house for his casual take on a traditional Middle Eastern dish, dolma. Now, I knew dolma only as stuffed grape leaves. But it turns out dolma literally … Read More
Banosh, Ukrainian Mountain Food that Sticks to your Ribs
In the Carpathian mountains and surrounding foothills of Western Ukraine, locals make a porridge to get them through the long, dark winters and sustain them from breakfast to dinner. I, of course, ate this gut-bomb porridge in 90 degree heat with a humidity level that makes even the mosquitos sluggish…. but it’s all in the name of research! For this is true … Read More
Congolese Cuisine: Cassava, Caterpillars and the best Belgian food ever (Seriously.)
Being Franco-Singaporean, I was raised on the best two cuisines in the world, and would be hard pressed to declare Congo a center of culinary delights. But I fully agree with this blog’s proposition: food in far-flung places takes on a special flavor! I have visited the Democratic Republic of Congo frequently since 2002, and each restaurant, hole-in-the-wall, and Congolese … Read More