Our study of foods that have inextricable links with their areas of origin bites off more than it can chew perhaps, with a look at a dish that has icon status in a country where the very notion of cuisine began.
The best comfort food in the world is peasant food. A one-pot repast gave imperative fuel for a day of toil, back when hard work was the sole dominion of men. This is the humble origin of cassoulet, a simple national dish of France that many now complicate with myriad modern recipes.
A favorite in Toulouse, the “Pink City” of sausage and Airbus, the farmer dish transforms the humble white haricot into a tour de force. The pioneer “slow food” staple throws some culinary codicils in the mix of course, from duck or goose confit, mutton and sausage, to pork skin. While every grandmother has her own recipe and priceless earthenware pot to cook it in, a veritable Toulouse cassoulet never strays too far from simple peasant roots.
Penang, Malaysia: Char kway teow
By many accounts the most livable city in Asia and certainly a food city of peerless accomplishment, phenomenal Penang is a treasure trove of sensorial pleasures. The island city draws teenage backpackers and geriatric gourmet hunters alike to myriad wet markets and street stalls. With a now legendary food scene, one quintessential dish is near impossible to choose. There is Lor Bak, a deep-fried dish of marinated minced pork in sheets of soybean. Ikan Bakar features whole fish with coconut milk, sambal and spices, roasted over charcoal in a cushy banana leaf bed.
While just about any authentic dish in Penang is memorable, Char kway teow is pervasive and part of the cultural fabric. The flat rice noodle peasant delicacy was a comestible staple for fishermen and farmers until it hit a nerve with the mainstream. The modern breed of char kway teow is a complete meal with the traditional porky noodle base as a delicious vehicle for prawns, Chinese sausage, eggs, chili peppers and crisp lard. Non-pig char kway teow in Muslim Malaysia is prevalent of course.
Kuala Lumpur is well and good but Penang is unforgettable. Discover the best hotel rates in the area.
The state of Puebla and indeed, the capital city of the same name, has a fertile culinary heritage that many surpass in favor of other touristy locales in popular Mexico. Do not overlook Puebla however. Indeed, some of the best cooks in New York City hail from this city of 1.5 million people.
Without a doubt, Mole Poblana, is the defacto food attraction here. Now a world favorite, the saucy dish of cinnamon, chocolate and spices began in Puebla. Popular convention is that mole refers to chicken with chocolate sauce. The term however, denotes the rich, bitter and fiery sauce. Chicken is of course, pollo.
The Caribbean is a hotbed of fusion cuisine, which combines traditions from Africa and India with native staples. The slave and commercial spice trade gave rise to the development of sheer subsistence ingenuity. One of the delectable results is roti, the flatbread first made in India. Popular and available throughout the Caribbean, the best of the best is in Trinidad and the capital city of Guyana, Georgetown.
While on the continent of South America, the cricket and soca vibe of Guyana is decidedly Caribbean. So is the cuisine. A typical Georgetown roti is pastry-like and made with lard, salt butter or margarine. For a transcendental experience, roti zealots fill the hot, flaky pastry with spicy goat curry.
The most popular snack in food-mad Mumbai has a ton of competition. After all, the city with over 20 million people is a place where one can obtain just about any type of victual possible. India, a regional country first and foremost, has several culinary traditions that remain bound by religion, geography and history. Thus, Mumbai is opulent with choice. Why then, rely on a dish for sustenance whose clumsy translation is “water in dough that we fry in oil”? Well, if this list has one common thread, it is simply that people around the world favor simplicity in food.
Puffy panipuri is that, but so much more of course. A crunchy shell explodes with a wonderful center of chili, potato, tamarind and spices and imparts a confluence of flavors as a result. India in one bite. Vast Mumbai has a wealth of panipuri street vendors that one should not overlook when in the Bollywood city and capital of Maharashtra.
Do not deny yourself the once-in-a-lifetime experience that is Mumbai. Hotels abound but for the best deals, look no further than here.
Photo credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
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