Tasty Travels

One of the responsibilities of traveling is to properly experience local cuisine. I take this responsibility seriously, inasmuch as my budget will permit. In London, it is difficult to determine what is really local cuisine. The British cuisine has been much maligned, and in the past probably for good reason. The traditional English breakfast consists of eggs with white toast, topped with baked beans, a tomato, sausages, bacon---a cholesterol nightmare. Fish and Chips is a grease fest. And what is in a Meat Pie?

During my London visits, I have had more Middle-Eastern food than Traditional British. Part of the reason for that is the area where we have stayed has a lot of Middle-Eastern tourists and residents. The food is tasty and relatively healthful. More British perhaps are the interesting sandwiches available in take-away delis, in such combinations as Egg and Cress, Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato, Chicken with Bacon, Cheddar with a sweet red pickle sauce or caramelized onion. The pubs serve the most traditional food, such things as beef stroganoff, shepherd's pie---great comfort food. Otherwise, the restaurants on the streets are a virtual United Nations of Cuisine. Indian, Lebanese, Italian, Mediterranean, Thai, Chinese---the diner can travel anywhere in the world for dinner.

A mandatory experience for a visit to Britain is partaking of Afternoon Tea. This is designed to bridge the gap between late breakfast and dinner. It is best taken in a classy, refined atmosphere with white tablecloths and attentive waiters. The traditional menu consists of an array of crustless thin-bread “finger” sandwiches with such fillings as smoked salmon, egg and cress, cheese with pickle, ham and cheese. Second course is a tender raisin scone, best eaten with dollops of clotted cream and jam on each flaky bite. The final course is an assortment of fruit tarts, chocolate cake bites, and cream puffs or eclairs. The tea is the anchor for the meal---brewed and kept hot in a small pot and served with generous pours of milk and brown sugar chunks. If you actually need dinner after this repast, it should be heavy on protein and low on carbs.

In the Netherlands, traditional Dutch fare is more easily identifiable. Anything cheesy or baked with fruit is most likely Dutch, such as Appel Tart, or Appelflap, as well as chocolate and interesting anise-flavored candies, almond-rich cookies, Stroopwaffles (a waffle sandwich cookie with a gooey, chewy center). The bread is dark and soft with deep flavor. The surprise for me was Indonesian Fusion---which results from the era when the Dutch colonized Indonesia and imported those rich, spicy flavors into the Dutch/Indonesian Rice Table. Think of this as tapas with an island flair.

The marvel for me was the Dutch coffee and hot chocolate. Another benefit of colonialization, the coffee is reputed to be the best in the world. The several cups I had bore that statement out---how can a coffee be so rich that it has a crema normally only present on an espresso? The hot chocolate is so rich, served with whipped cream and a spoon, that it served as a stand-alone dessert.

As much as I delight in other cuisines, I am happy to return to my kitchen where I can create my own “local” concoctions of the fresh ingredients from my state, flavored and influenced by tastes of far away lands.