Why it’s on the list: I love food. I especially love ethnic food – anything spicy in particular. I’ve tried lots of things – Indian, Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Portuguese, South African etc – but would love to discover even more types of food!
How/when I’ll judge this task to be completed:When I have eaten food from three different world cuisines – either cultural or national – that I’ve not tried before.
1: Laverbread from Wales
We went to Wales for a week in the summer and I was intrigued by the many mentions of laverbread in the tourist guides; apparently it was a local delicacy that you shouldn’t miss out tasting. We didn’t see any during the week, and on our last day I had a look round the market stalls, but though I found Welsh cakes and other sorts of bread, I never came across laverbread. When I told my mum she burst out laughing because – as I know now – laverbread isn’t a bread at all but a kind of seaweed!
Anyway, we went back to Wales for a few days over Xmas and I spotted laverbread on sale at the fish counter. It didn’t exactly look appetising but I bought a tub – it was only 50p.
Eugh. The smell alone put me off, and I had a little taste but it’s possibly the grossest thing I’ve ever eaten. Fishy snot comes to mind ….. #fail!
2. Fuul and falafel in Egypt
During a week in Egypt we had all sorts of things, including some good stew type dishes, kebabs and a fabulous Bedouin burger, but the local food that sticks in my mind most is fuul and falafel that we had for breakfast some days. Falafel is obviously little balls of chick peas or, more common in Egypt, fava beans. Fuul is a kind of stew made of fava or black beans, onions and spices that goes really well with the falafel. An unusual choice for breakfast, but a very tasty one!
3. Turkish cuisine
During a trip to London Steve and I visited Antalya Restaurant in Russell Square where we had a delicious meal. After a hot mezze starter and some of the best bread I’ve ever tasted, I had a chicken dish called Tavuk Topkapi – half a chicken stuffed with rice, pine nuts and various spices. Absolutely delicious!