If you think your love of ketchup and peanut butter sandwiches is a bit off , think again. There are some pretty wild and bizarre foods out there that could make you either cringe or be curious .It's amazing what some people around the world eat. Then again our Twinkies and Cheetohs may seem strange to some too.
One of the oddest I've seen is the loofahs on display at Stop & Shop. Westerners use it for a skin slougher ,while some Chinese use it as a vital ingredient in meals. It essentially is a kind of zucchini when it's green (it becomes an exfoliant when it's dried out) and made into a garlicky stir fry.Another Asian plant ,the durian is eaten despite its' disgusting smell.It can either be compared to rotting flesh or dirty socks. Most hotels have banned it from its' kitchens because of the horrendous odor, yet it's popular in home cooking. Even worse is casu marzu from southern Italy. Translated it;'s means rotting cheese and it;s crawling with live fly larvae.These little suckers give the cheese its' unique taste and it is an acquired one.
Many think rattle snake meat is right up there with wacky foods. Yet it could possibly be the tamest compared to what's on plates around the world. Norwegians love their lutefisk, a strange concoction of lye(!!!) and cod. We have the Vikings to thank for the fish soaked in a combination of rainwater and birch ash.It's then reconstituted with a week of several soakings until it's safe to eat again. Lutefisk is usually a Christmas treat but there are lutefisk festivals here in the US as well. Hopefully there are no escamoles festivals in Mexico , celebrating - what else- ant caviar. Yup, they look like cannelini beans but are in fact giant black ant eggs.They have consistency of cottage cheese and supposedly have a nice buttery flavor.
No matter where you go in the world, there's bound to be some wacky food. One foodie's lutefisk is another 's casu marzu. Some are cringe worthy to us. Some have that special yum factor no matter how gross they are to other people around the world..
Showing posts with label lutefisk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lutefisk. Show all posts
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Smorgasbord Revisited
Minnesota has always been known for its' rich Scandinavian heritage. It was here that multitudes of Norwegians and Swedish settled this wilderness.With them came an equally rich culinary history that went by the wayside. However thanks to many loyal chefs , the hearty fish and meat dishes of the past are coming back.
Julia Moskin wrote about the Scandinavian food comeback in today's New York Times Dining section. For a long time newer immigrants stamped their cooking tradition on Minneapolis/St.Paul area. There were more tacos and bao rolls than lutefisk and glug.That's all changing. There's the reappearance of smorgas or open face sandwiches along with the fave kladdkaka or sticky chocolate cake,A new breed of chefs are also coming to the Twin Cities , bringing with them true recipes. One is Swedish American chef Paul Bergelund who cooks with the the three Scandinavian musts, butter bread and fish.Butter is a must in the cooking simply because it was considered gold to the early settlers who came from Norway and Sweden where it was also heavily taxed.
There is also an offshoot to this "Nouvelle Nordic" This involves cooking with the wild rice that is indigenous to northern Minnesota. It was eaten by the local tribes and now is braised in cream to create a luxurious porridge that could be served with either fish or beef. There's also a version of krydderfedt , a traditional Danish spread for toast made from rendered fat of various meats.It's now slathered on pickled lake perch.,Spices such as dill and coriander,long staples in both Scandinavian and Scandanavian American households are being twisted in various recipes to give them fire and kick.
The whole Nordic way of life and philosophy has always been deeply ingrained in Minnesotans. Now the traditional menu is also becoming a strong part of of their lives as well. It defines not only their palate but their sturdiness and steel strong sensibility
Julia Moskin wrote about the Scandinavian food comeback in today's New York Times Dining section. For a long time newer immigrants stamped their cooking tradition on Minneapolis/St.Paul area. There were more tacos and bao rolls than lutefisk and glug.That's all changing. There's the reappearance of smorgas or open face sandwiches along with the fave kladdkaka or sticky chocolate cake,A new breed of chefs are also coming to the Twin Cities , bringing with them true recipes. One is Swedish American chef Paul Bergelund who cooks with the the three Scandinavian musts, butter bread and fish.Butter is a must in the cooking simply because it was considered gold to the early settlers who came from Norway and Sweden where it was also heavily taxed.
There is also an offshoot to this "Nouvelle Nordic" This involves cooking with the wild rice that is indigenous to northern Minnesota. It was eaten by the local tribes and now is braised in cream to create a luxurious porridge that could be served with either fish or beef. There's also a version of krydderfedt , a traditional Danish spread for toast made from rendered fat of various meats.It's now slathered on pickled lake perch.,Spices such as dill and coriander,long staples in both Scandinavian and Scandanavian American households are being twisted in various recipes to give them fire and kick.
The whole Nordic way of life and philosophy has always been deeply ingrained in Minnesotans. Now the traditional menu is also becoming a strong part of of their lives as well. It defines not only their palate but their sturdiness and steel strong sensibility
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Ancestral Foodies
Ever wonder what some of your ancestors ate? Did some dishes make it through the millenniums or fall by the culinary wayside? Did the Age of Exploration or a great migration factor into diets? You many be surprised at how some dishes changed and some stayed the same.
The Romans tended to be the most formal of the ancients . They had a set breakfast, lunch and dinner that most follow today. Breakfast was bread in watered down wine while lunch was something we could easily recognize and eat today - leftovers along with bread fruit and cheese. Supper varied with the classes. The poor would just have fresh vegetables with olive oil. The rich could indulge in all sorts of treats. Up north the Vikings had their own hearty menu. It consisted of whale and horseflesh but also preserved veggies and fruits. The last is an important part of the modern diet, whether it's from Norway Sweden,. Finland, Iceland or Denmark. They evne had a variation of lutefisk, but it invloved the basking or Greenland shark.
Further East the Chinese had the same rice and meat diet that's popular today, They were the first to really cultivate and some of their foods go back to 5500 BCE. The Northern tribes used sorghum and millet as well in their cooking. Meat was added for special occasions. The Chinese have always been associated with tea and no wonder. They were drinking it as early as 3330 BCE. Since meat was a rarity, ancient Chinese cooked with tofu or bean curd - and their dishes were similar to what is served today. There also were fortunate to have a variety of fruits and veggies such as lemons, apricots and cucumbers in their diets.
Our ancestors were foodies in their own right. They passed down some dishes and foods that we still use today. We may live in the modern age but our culinary traditions are rooted firmly in the past.
The Romans tended to be the most formal of the ancients . They had a set breakfast, lunch and dinner that most follow today. Breakfast was bread in watered down wine while lunch was something we could easily recognize and eat today - leftovers along with bread fruit and cheese. Supper varied with the classes. The poor would just have fresh vegetables with olive oil. The rich could indulge in all sorts of treats. Up north the Vikings had their own hearty menu. It consisted of whale and horseflesh but also preserved veggies and fruits. The last is an important part of the modern diet, whether it's from Norway Sweden,. Finland, Iceland or Denmark. They evne had a variation of lutefisk, but it invloved the basking or Greenland shark.
Further East the Chinese had the same rice and meat diet that's popular today, They were the first to really cultivate and some of their foods go back to 5500 BCE. The Northern tribes used sorghum and millet as well in their cooking. Meat was added for special occasions. The Chinese have always been associated with tea and no wonder. They were drinking it as early as 3330 BCE. Since meat was a rarity, ancient Chinese cooked with tofu or bean curd - and their dishes were similar to what is served today. There also were fortunate to have a variety of fruits and veggies such as lemons, apricots and cucumbers in their diets.
Our ancestors were foodies in their own right. They passed down some dishes and foods that we still use today. We may live in the modern age but our culinary traditions are rooted firmly in the past.
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