20 great dishes

8/10/2019 20 Great Dishes

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SHOULD

DEFINITELY

EAT BEFORE

YOU DIE

20 GREAT

DISHES FROM

AROUND THE

WORLD

Mimi Sheraton

20 GREAT

DISHES FROM

AROUND THE

WORLD

SHOULD

DEFINITELY

EAT BEFORE

YOU DIE

THAT YOU MAY HAVE

NEVER HEARD OF BUT

EXCERP

TEDFR

OM1,000F

OODS

TOE

ATBEFO

REYOUD

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20 GREATDISHESFROMAROUNDTHE

WORLDTHATYOUMAYHAVENEVERHEARDOFBUTSHOULDDEFINITELYEATBEFORE

YOUDIE

Excerpted from 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die

MIMISHERATONWITHKELLYALEXANDER

WORKMAN PUBLISHING, NEW YORK


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Contents

Introduction

Irish and Welsh

Colcannon and Champ

French

Pigeons en Crapaudine

Belgian and Dutch

Hutspot metKlapstuk, or Hochepot

Italian

Buccellato

SpanishHuevos Estrellados

German

Baumkuchen

Danish

Krydret And med Fldepeberrodssauce

Hungarian

Hideg Meggyleves


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Jewish

Noant

Turkish

erkez Tavu!u

American

Poke

Maque Choux

BrazilianVatap

Haitian

Diri ak Djon-Djon

Mozambican

Piri-Piri Shrimp

Chinese

Chiu Chow Oyster Omelet

Japanese

Kasutera

Vietnamese

Cha Ca La Vong and Ca Chien

Indian


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Bhel Puri

Australian

Pie Floater


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INTRODUCTION

During the six decades I have been writing about food, I have gone in search of the

worlds most outstanding dishes, ingredients, restaurants, farms, shops, and markets, and

met with more chefs, home cooks, and food craftsmen and producers than I can count.

Along the way, I have found food to be a ready introduction to other cultures. Following

is a selection of entries from my book 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die that

represents dishes from the world over that you may not know but should definitely try.

The world of food has never been as exciting as it is now, as I hope the choices for

the book as a whole indicate. I strove for a collection that includes not only the

pleasurablethough that was my primary purposebut also the unusual (the uninitiated

might even say bizarre). The aim was to curate a sort of jigsaw puzzle that gives a

picture of what the world eats. Quests for various ingredients and dishes have taken me

to corners of the world that I would not have ventured into otherwise, and has taught me

much about social customs and attitudes, introducing me to a wide variety of new foods.

I hope to share a little of what I learned with you here. Bon apptit!

MIMISHERATON


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IRISHandWELSH

WHERE THE DARK ARTS MEET COMFORT

Colcannon and ChampIrish, Welsh

There is a wistful Irish folk song, Colcannon.

The soul-soothing potato dish colcannon is best described by its simple recipe: Cooked,

chopped cabbage and sliced scallions are folded into a pile of softly mashed potatoes, all

to be mounded in a bowl with a well of hot, melted butter and a haze of black pepper in

the center. To consume it, work your way slowly around the edges of that well, so butter

glosses each forkful of this humble country fare.

Though it brings comfort to any cold night, the dish is traditionally served on AllHallows Eve (Halloween), with coins or charms hidden in it. In Victorian times, the

colcannon itself was the charm: Unmarried girls would hang socks holding a lump of the

stuff on their door handles; the first man to enter was said to be their future husband.

Even more elemental, and much loved in both Ireland and Wales, is champ. For this,

potatoes are mashed with warm, sharply tangy buttermilk just before butter and chopped


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scallions are stirred in.

Either way, a sprinkling of minced parsley adds a dose of welcome freshness.

FURTHERINFORMATIONANDRECIPES:The Country Cooking of Irelandby Colman

Andrews (2009); theguardian.com (search colman andrews colcannon); food52.com(search buttermilk mashed potatoes). TIP: For best results, use old, starchy potatoes.Look for russets, aka Idaho baking potatoes. Kale is often substituted for cabbage for a

lustier result.
http://food52.com/http://theguardian.com/


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FRENCH

A BIRD BY ANY OTHER NAME

Pigeons en CrapaudineFrench

A variation with squabs in green pea puree.

Many gourmands who claim to love squabs balk when told they are eating pigeons.

True, no responsible cook targets the street-smart pigeons of city parks, but the birds are

essentially the same. The real difference is between those farm-raised on corn or other

feed, and those captured in the wild, that forage for anything they can find. Since sellingthe latter is usually illegal, youre unlikely to find them on menus or in markets.

Old-timey French bistros have wonderful ways with these tiny, fine-boned birds and

their dark, moist, and tantalizingly gamy meat. One such preparation, pigeons en

crapaudine, begins with butterflying or spatchcockingdifferent words for the same

technique, in which the tender birds are split and fanned out, their wings tucked behind


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BELGIANandDUTCH

THE COMFORTING SPOILS OF WAR

Hutspot met Klapstuk, or HochepotOne-Pot Winter Stew

Dutch, Belgian

Hochepot morsels cook until soft but not mushy.

A defeated army flees without stopping to rinse out its pots and pans, and from this

understandable instance of poor housekeeping a brand-new dish is born. This is the

origin of hutspot met klapstuk, one of Hollands most comforting winter dishes, a soft,

peppery stew of beef, potatoes, onions, and carrots, slow-simmered in a pot until it

melds into an almost fully disintegrated, cozy mash.

The story has it that when occupying Spanish soldiers were driven out of the

northern Dutch town of Leiden in 1574, they left behind unwashed pots in which the

Dutch found remains of a meat and vegetable stew. History has not recorded who was

the first intrepid taster of those leftovers, but suffice it to say that soon after, local cooks


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ITALIAN

AN ANCIENT ANISE BREAD

BuccellatoItalian (Luccan)

If you visit Lucca without eating buccellato, youll miss out.

Rich and fragrant, satisfying yet light, the anise-flavored sweet bread buccellato has

been a specialty of the Tuscan town of Lucca since almost Roman timesits exquisite

balance no doubt the result of years of cumulative practice in an ancient town that is the

proud birthplace of Giacomo Puccini and home to the elegant San Michele in Foro

church, built between 1100 and 1300.

Luccas bakers, particularly those at the Pasticceria Taddeucci, family owned and

operated since 1881, have had plenty of time to get the formula straight. The long,narrow shop sells all manner of traditional Italian sweets and drinks, including bracing

espresso and fennel-scented biscotti, along with its excellent loaves (filoni) and rings

(ciambelle) of buccellato Lucchese. The bread itself is chewy, with a texture reminiscent

of coffee cake, and perfumed heavily with yeast and anise. Its venerable recipe derives

from buccellatum, the bread of the Roman legions who took over the formerly Etruscan


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region in 180 B.C.(Its been sweetened since those days.)

Classic buccellato is made with only flour, sugar, anise, egg, and yeast, but

variations have sprung up; treccia, also on offer at Taddeucci, includes gratings of

chocolate, raisins, bitter orange peel, and candied fruit. At the little tables outsideoverlooking the piazza, visitors can enjoy either one with their espresso. The rings,

traditionally baked on feast days and holidays, keep well for several days and thus make

great giftsassuming you dont devour them on the plane home. In Italy they are

typically purchased by grandparents in honor of their grandchildrens religious

confirmations. As an extra reward, leftover slices make delicious French toast.

WHERE:In Lucca, Pasticceria Taddeucci, tel 39/0583-494-933; in New York,

Pasticceria Bruno, tel 212-982-5854, pasticceriabruno.com. FURTHER INFORMATION

AND RECIPES: The Italian Country Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper (1999);italianfood.about.com(search buccellato di lucca).
http://italianfood.about.com/http://pasticceriabruno.com/


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SPANISH

YOU CANT MAKE THESEHUEVOSWITHOUT BREAKING A FEW EGGS

Huevos EstrelladosSpanish

A hearty appetizer made of simple ingredients.

Among the many diverting aspects of the sophisticated Madrid restaurant Casa Lucio is

the clientele, a set of smartly dressed and self-assured movers and shakers from the

world of politics and high society. Gathered in the trim, handsome setting, these

fortunate diners sample such dishes as sizzling baby eels in garlic and oil and themassive churrasco, a well-marbled chateaubriand steak that weighs about a pound and

is blood-rare under its crusty charring. The restaurants service is of the ultraprofessional

sort found at world-renowned establishments. But one attraction not to be ignored, as

humble as it sounds, is the stunning appetizer known as huevos estrellados: broken eggs.

The dish arrives at the table heaped high on a huge platter, a mountain of golden


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brown sliced potatoes topped with broken fried eggs. (Straight out of the pan, the eggs

are transferred to the potatoes and then encouraged to break, so the yellow yolks slide

over the hot potatoes.)

When you know it is about to be followed by a gargantuan steak, watching this

hearty appetizer get wolfed down for the first time can be a little shocking. But the

dishs appeal becomes all too easy to understand once you have a taste. Egg yolks

become a supple sauce for the olive oil glossed, well-peppered potatoes, and as a

bonus, the cooked whites add a satiny softness, for an earthy, satisfying experience.

Cured Spanish ham or chorizo often joins the mix as well.

A similar dish, credited to Don Quixotes beloved La Mancha, is known as huevos

estrellados mojete. In this version, eggs and potatoes are slowly cooked together in a

heatproof casserole. If it seems a bit heavy as a first course, try it for brunch or a simple

supper.

Huevos Estrellados Mojete

Serves 6

6 large starchy potatoes, such as russets, peeled and thinly sliced

2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt, plus more to taste

!cup olive oil, preferably Spanish

2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed

!teaspoon Spanish sweet paprika

!teaspoon Spanish hot or smoked paprika (seeNote)8 extra-large eggs

Freshly ground black pepper

1.Toss the potato slices with the salt and place them in a heatproof 2-quart casserole,

preferably earthenware or cast iron. Add the olive oil, garlic, and paprikas.

2.Cook the potatoes slowly over low heat, shaking the casserole back and forth once in

a while so the potatoes soften evenly and turn a bright golden color, about 30 minutes. If

the potatoes tend to stick to the casserole, place a heat diffuser underneath and continue

cooking, adding very little more olive oil only if needed.

3.When the potatoes are tender, break the eggs over them and sprinkle a little salt and alot of black pepper on top. Cover the casserole and continue cooking the eggs until set,

about 5 minutes.

4.Gently slide the potatoes and eggs onto a heated platter or cut them in portions and

slide them onto individual heated plates. If the egg yolks break, well, so they should to

be truly estrellados.
http://volumes/Aardvark/Users/linh/Documents/QC/01_Active/Samplers/BPS/1000Foods_sampler/BPS-JanFree_1000Foods/ops/xhtml/chapter00.html#note_261


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Note:For a milder result, eliminate the hot or smoked paprika and use a total of 1

teaspoon of sweet paprika.

WHERE:In Madrid, Casa Lucio, tel 34/913-65-32-52, casalucio.es. FURTHER

INFORMATIONANDADDITIONALRECIPE:for a variation with chorizo, tastingtable.com(search huevos estrellados).
http://tastingtable.com/http://casalucio.es/


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GERMAN

A TREE TAKES THE CAKE

BaumkuchenGerman

The tradition of spit cakes goes back centuries.

It takes only a glance at a baumkuchen to understand where this tree cake gets its

name. And after a taste of the gently sweet, almondy, moist, dense, pound cakelike

pastry, youll also know why Germans consider it the king of cakes. Standing from two

to three feet in height, and even taller for exhibition pieces, the narrow cylindrical cake

of stacked, undulating, ridged rings is hollow at the center. Sliced horizontally into

rounds or arcs, it reveals concentric layers of golden brown rings, much like the rings in

a tree trunk.

Those rings are the result of a most unusual baking method. Although the

baumkuchen is said to have originated in nineteenth-century Germany, it belongs to a

much older food category known as spit cakes, a term that might give pause.

Fortunately, spitrefers to a horizontal rotisserie, now powered by gas or electricity, that

turns in front of or over a wood or gas fire. As the spit rotates, the baker ladles over it


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anywhere from ten to forty-five layers of sunny batter with the consistency of a foamy

liquid custard. The batter of eggs, sugar, and either flour or cornstarch is most

traditionally flavored with marzipan, although vanilla, brandy, and spices are often

addedthe latter remaining the closely guarded secret of the individual pastry chef.

To hold and shape the cake, the spit is fitted with a wood or metal cone wrapped in

layers of parchment or aluminum foil, and preheated in the vertical baumkuchen oven

that suggests a big outdoor grill. As each layer bakes, it takes on the toasty finish that

defines the rings. Once all the layers are baked on, the spit is removed and hung on a

rack, where the cake can take from ten to twenty-four hours to cool. It is then slipped off

the spit, stood on end, and glazed with a thin white icing. Nowadays it may be coated

with chocolate, which helps preserve the cake and appeals to popular tastes but does

compromise the cakes delicate flavor.

Although German bakers keep the edges of the cake smooth by holding a wooden

plank against it as it turns to remove drips, in other countries the drips are allowed tobake on and form a crunchy, brambly finish. Such is the case with the Polish s"kacz, the

Lithuanian #akotis, and especially the Swedish spettekaka, so resplendent with lacy

baked-on drips that it resembles a cylinder of golden spun glass.

Oddly enough, baumkuchen is a well-known confection in Japan, where its been

widely available ever since it was introduced there by a German baker in 1919. Known

for centuries in France as gteau la broche, it is still baked by a few artisans there, as

well as in England, where it is called trayne roste. At times, it is part of a Tudor-period

cooking demonstration in the enormous kitchen of Henry VIIIs Hampton Court.

Delicious with coffee and tea, baumkuchen also pairs beautifully with semisweet

white dessert wine.

WHERE:In Berlin, Caf Buchwald, tel 49/30-391-5931, konditorei-buchwald.de; inCologne, Caf Reichard, tel 0221/2-57-85-42, cafe-reichard.de; in Munich, Konditorei

Kreutzkamm, tel 49/89-993-557-0, kreutzkamm.de; in New York and Tokyo, Minamoto

Kitchoan, kitchoan.com; in Denver, Glaze, tel 720-387-7890, glazebaucakes.com; in

Huntington Beach, CA, The Cake Box, tel 714-842-9132, cakeboxpastries.com. RETAIL

ANDMAILORDER:In Chicago, Lutz Caf and Pastry Shop, tel 877-350-7785, chicago-

bakery.com. FURTHER INFORMATIONANDRECIPES:For a home-baked variation, TheGerman Cookbook by Mimi Sheraton (2014); germanculture.com.ua (search

baumkuchen).
http://germanculture.com.ua/http://chicago-bakery.com/http://cakeboxpastries.com/http://glazebaucakes.com/http://kitchoan.com/http://kreutzkamm.de/http://cafe-reichard.de/http://konditorei-buchwald.de/


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DANISH

DUCK DUE FOR A RENAISSANCE

Krydret And med FldepeberrodssauceCorned Duck with Frozen Horseradish Cream

Danish

The recipe for this old-fashioned Danish specialty, a blush-pink salt-pickled duck, ought

to be revived by some ambitious chef seeking a reputation for ingenuity; it has all the

makings of the kind of showy winner that appeals to ordinary diners and food criticsalike.

The dish calls for a whole, trimmed, lean bird of about five poundsa mallard or a

wild duck would do nicely. Heavily salted inside and out, and placed in a glass or

ceramic bowl with bay leaves and crushed peppercorns, the duck ripens for two days in

the refrigerator before being very slowly poached with a large onion, a carrot, a parsnip,

a few sprigs of parsley, and a knob of celeriac. It is done after about two hours, or when

the meat is falling off the bone tender.

Boned and carved into serving pieces overlaid with strips of skin, the duck is topped

with fldepeberrodssauce, a frozen combination of whipped cream and grated fresh

horseradish. That toppingalso popular with boiled beef or poached chickenmelts

down and lends its sweet-hot elegance to the luscious meat. Mashed potatoes make the

best side, along with creamed, nutmeg-scented spinach.

WHERE: In Copenhagen, Schnnemann, tel 45/33-12-07-85,

restaurantschonnemann.dk. MAIL ORDER: For whole duck, DArtagnan, tel 800-327-

8246, dartagnan.com(search rohan duck). FURTHERINFORMATIONANDRECIPES:TheScandinavian Kitchen by Camilla Plum (2011); allrecipes.com (search frozen

horseradish sauce).
http://allrecipes.com/http://dartagnan.com/http://restaurantschonnemann.dk/


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HUNGARIAN

LIFE IS JUST A BOWL OF CHERRIES

Hideg MeggylevesCold Sour Cherry Soup

Hungarian

On a hot summers day, cold cherry soup for lunch.

A special treat during summer in eastern Europe and the Balkans are cold soups made

tangy by hints of lemon juice, acidic fruit, or gritty sour salt. One of the most enticing of

the hot-weather soups is a chilled sour cherry version, traditionally enhanced with

whipped sour cream, sugar, cinnamon, and perhaps cloves. A splash of white wine and

fresh (or jarred, in a pinch) cooked sour cherries contribute to its essential winey flavor


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and deep blushing beauty. The soups success depends on the ripeness of its star

ingredientthe sour cherries that are one of natures oldest triumphs and in season early

to mid-summer.

Cherries, like other stone fruits, are thought by scholars to have originated in Asia

Minor, as well as in the ancient Greek city Kerasounta. There are two main types, sweet

(Prunus avium) and sour (Prunus cerasus), and it is easy to tell the difference: The sour

fruits tend to be heart-shaped, slightly soft, and an orange-kissed flame-red color, while

ripe sweet cherries are rounder, fleshier, and firmer, a dark burgundy-black. The tart and

tangy flavor of the sour fruit carries strong appeal to eastern Europeans and Hungarians

in particular, perhaps because trees bearing the sour morello variety grow there in

abundance.

How sour is sour? Very sour indeed. As Waverley Root wrote in his authoritative

dictionary and visual history Food, when it comes to sour cherries, what the word

means in this case is really acid.WHERE:In Budapest, Gundel, tel 36/1-889-8100, gundel.hu/en. MAILORDER:For

preserved sour cherries, amazon.com (search american spoon fruit sour cherries).

FURTHERINFORMATIONANDRECIPES:George Langs Cuisine of Hungaryby GeorgeLang (1994); The German Cookbook by Mimi Sheraton (2014); saveur.com (search

hungarian chilled cherry soup).
http://saveur.com/http://amazon.com/http://gundel.hu/en


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JEWISH

A SWEET FOR A VERY SPECIAL WEEK

NoantJewish (Ashkenazic)

With so many dietary restrictions in place during the Passover weekinjunctions

against flour, leavening, corn-based products, and moreyou might think an observant

Jew with a sweet tooth would experience withdrawal. But ingenuity thrives on

constraint, and in this case has given us the gift of noant, a chewy Passover indulgencebased on dark honey and walnuts enlivened by lemon juice, spicy ginger, sugar, and

tangy grated orange rind.

Allowed to set for several hours, the mixture becomes a gloriously chewy, tooth-

pulling taffy.


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Noant

Makes about 4 dozen candies

1 cup honey, preferably dark and unfiltered2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

!teaspoon ground ginger

Grated rind of !medium-size orange

1!cups coarsely chopped walnuts

1.Have on hand a platter or cutting board that is 12 to 14 inches long and 6 inches wide.

When the candy is poured onto a board it is easier to cut, but candy poured onto a platter

with a small rim becomes a little thicker.

2.Combine the honey, sugar, lemon juice, and ginger in a heavy, 2-quart saucepan andstir very gently until blended. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly

until the sugar completely dissolves, about 8 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-low

and cook the honey mixture, stirring frequently, until it turns a deep golden brown and

forms a soft ball when a few drops are added to a little ice-cold water, about 15 minutes.

Be careful that the honey mixture does not boil up and overflow the pan. Remove the

pan from the heat immediately and stir in the orange rind and walnuts. Let the honey

mixture cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

3.Meanwhile wet the cutting board or platter with cold water. Pour the honey mixture

onto the board or platter. Using a wetted spatula, spread the honey mixture evenly on the

cutting board or platter. Let it harden to a stiff, taffy-like consistency, 2 to 3 hours. Cut

the candy into 1-inch squares to serve. Stored well wrapped in plastic or wax paper in an

airtight metal container, the candy will keep for several weeks.

MAIL ORDER: For unfiltered honey, billsbees.com; naturenates.com;carusohoney.com. TIP:Do not make noant on a rainy or very humid day, as it will notharden.
http://carusohoney.com/http://naturenates.com/http://billsbees.com/


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TURKISH

GOING NUTS OVER CHICKEN

erkez Tavu!uChicken in Walnut Sauce

Turkish

Rarely does poultry seem so exotic as it does in this sensuous dish of cold, shredded

breast of chicken sauced with a creamy, thick paste of crushed walnuts and paprika.

Called erkez tavu$u, it is a specialty of Circassia in Anatolia, a region whose womenwere allegedly prized as harem slaves because their thick, arched eyebrows spanned the

bridges of their noses, a mark of beauty in those long-gone harem days.

The chicken breast on the bone is cooked quite simply: poached with pot vegetables

and cooled before being skinned and slivered. Its dressing requires more intricate

preparation, similar to that of the Balkan scordolea. Walnuts, milk-softened white bread

or fresh bread crumbs, salt, pepper, hot paprika, and sometimes a small piece of onion

are ground or pureed until they form a soft, creamy paste that is incorporated with the

chicken. As a fragrant and extra-lustrous finish, additional walnuts are ground with

paprika until they emit a red-tinted oil. Once the chicken is mounded on plates, this

fragrant oil is drizzled over all for a lusciously nutty, creamy, and paprika-spiked first

course.

FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES:A Mediterranean Feast by Clifford A.Wright (1999); The Balkan Cookbookby Vladimir Mirodan (1989); foodandwine.com

(search circassian chicken zoutendijk); nytimes.com (search circassian chicken in

walnut sauce).
http://nytimes.com/http://foodandwine.com/


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AMERICAN

THE HAWAIIAN WAY WITH CEVICHE

PokeAmerican (Hawaiian)

An annual island contest celebrates pokes diversity.

Cool, silky, and steeped in a pungent marinade, poke is inspired by Tahitianpoisson cru.

It is also Hawaiis answer to ceviche, and is just one of the many dishes that testify to

the extent of Hawaiis culinary melting pot, deriving influences from immigrants from

China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Portugal. Rosy ahi tuna is the

preferred fish, but yellowtail, fluke, bass, and snapper are well-regarded stand-ins,

especially with tuna becoming scarce and endangered. (Freshwater fish are to be

avoided in raw dishes, as they can carry parasites, which are killed by cooking.)Pokepronounced POH-keyliterally means to slice or cut into pieces, a simple

description for a bright, piquant, vibrantly-flavored marinated fish salad. Though there is

no one exact formula for the dish, and some say there are as many as two dozen

authentic variations, the most common version contains cubes of raw fish, usually ahi

tuna, mixed with seaweed, sea salt, chiles, sweet Maui onion, and light sesame oil. The


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ruby-red dice shimmers, each piece of fish slickly coated with sweet and tart flavors that

hit the palate all at once. Its a pastel rainbow of a dish that can be served either raw or,

less wonderfully, flash-fried.

Pokes delights are well known on all the islands, and versions of it are served at the

most high-end restaurants. Celebrity chef Alan Wong has a signature version called Poki

Pines: ahi balls encased in wonton wrappers, deep-fried, and served on avocado slices

with wasabi sauce.

WHERE: In Honolulu, Ono Hawaiian Foods, tel 808-737-2275,onohawaiianfoods.com; Sam Choys Seafood Grille, tel 808-422-3002,

samchoysseafoodgrille.com; in Honolulu and Seattle, Sam Choys Poke to the Max

truck, samchoyspoke.com. FURTHERINFORMATIONANDRECIPES:Sam Choys PokebySam Choy (1999); Sam Choys Little Hawaiian Poke Cookbook by Elizabeth Meahl

(2004); Pokeby Sam Choy (2009); saveur.com(search poke); allrecipes.com(search ahi

poke salad; ahi poke basic). TIP:In Hawaii, decent poke can be found in the refrigeratorsection of some takeout food stores, and even gas stations and hardware stores.
http://allrecipes.com/http://saveur.com/http://samchoyspoke.com/http://samchoysseafoodgrille.com/http://onohawaiianfoods.com/


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4 medium-size ears of corn, husked

1. Slowly fry the bacon pieces, if using, in a heavy 2-quart casserole or saucepan

(preferably of enameled cast iron), over moderate heat, until the fat is completely

rendered and they are beginning to turn golden brown.

2.Add the butter and/or oil and heat for about 2 minutes before stirring in the green

pepper and onion. Add more butter or oil if its too dry for sauting. Sprinkle with the

salt and saut over low heat, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft but have not

taken on color.

3.Add the garlic, okra (if using), thyme, and bay leaf. Saut slowly, stirring gently but

almost constantly, until the okra stops stringing (extruding slimy strings), 7 to 8

minutes. If you arent using okra, saut until the garlic softens, about 2 minutes.

4.Crush the tomatoes and strain and reserve their liquid. Add the crushed tomatoes to

the vegetables, along with the Tabasco sauce or chile and several grindings of blackpepper, and simmer slowly until the okra and other vegetables are thoroughly cooked

and the tomatoes have broken down into a light sauce. Add some of the reserved tomato

liquid as needed to keep the mixture from scorching.

5.Cut the kernels off the ears of corn. If you are serving immediately, add the corn to

the vegetables and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently for 10 to 15 minutes.

Adjust the seasonings and remove the bay leaf before serving. If you are going to wait

several hours before serving, do not add the corn. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and

set it aside at room temperature for up to 4 hours. When you are ready to serve, add the

corn and cook gently over low heat. Reheated leftover maque choux is also delicious, as

the softness of the corn and other vegetables lends an extra, soothing richness. Covered

and refrigerated, it will keep for 4 to 5 days.

WHERE:In Houston, Brennans, tel 713-522-9711, brennanshouston.com; in NewOrleans, K-Pauls Louisiana Kitchen, tel 504-596-2530, chefpaul.com/kpaul; in

Colorado Springs, CO, Culpeppers Cajun Kitchen, tel 719-282-8479, culpeppers.net.

FURTHER INFORMATION AND OTHER RECIPES: Chef Paul Prudhommes LouisianaKitchen by Paul Prudhomme (1984); saveur.com (search maque choux and shrimp);

epicurious.com(search corn and tasso maque choux). TIP:To serve maque choux as amain course, add 1 pound of small peeled, deveined shrimp to the vegetable mixture

with the corn kernels, and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes until the shrimp are cooked.
http://epicurious.com/http://saveur.com/http://culpeppers.net/http://chefpaul.com/kpaulhttp://brennanshouston.com/


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BRAZILIAN

ITS JUST DIVINE

VatapBahian Fish Stew

Brazilian

A sunny, fish-based stew from Bahia.

A rainbow of tropical flavors, dazzlingly rich and substantial, vatapis not for the faint

of heart. The stewlike main course, one of the most famous of all Brazilian dishes, is a

combination of fish, shrimp, coconut milk, manioc flour (also known as cassava flour),

dende(palm oil), and cashews, bolstered with white rice.

The bright-yellow dish is a specialty of Bahia, on the countrys northeastern coast,

established around 1500 by Brazils first Portuguese settlers. The citys culture and

cuisine was heavily influenced by the West Africans brought as slaves to work the sugar

and coffee plantations. Reflecting this influence, vatap is a typical filling for Bahias


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HAITIAN

TWICE AS NICE

Diri ak Djon-DjonHaitian

The flavorful Haitian side dish.

An everyday culinary staple the world over, rice can also take on elegant guises, and not

only in the form of Italian risotto or Middle Eastern pilaf. One of the most interesting,

and inexplicably overlooked, is Haitis djon-djon riceriz djon-djonin French and diriak djon-djonin Haitian Creole.

Djon-djon refers to the tiny black mushrooms that are said to grow exclusively in

Haiti, most plentifully in the north; they give riz djon-djon its burnished, silvery-brown

color and its smoky, earthy flavor. Their caps are the only part added to the rice; the

tough but full-flavored stems are simmered separately, and the strained cooking liquid is


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used to cook the rice, adding richness and a deeper patina.

The dish begins with a flavoring base of diced salt pork, fried until crisp and then

added to sauted green peppers, scallions, and garlic. For an extra zap of flavor, many

add tiny dicings of fiery Scotch bonnet peppers. Raw, long-grain white rice is then

stirred in, along with the mushrooms and their cooking liquid, plus seasonings including

thyme and mace. When the rice is tender, it is tossed with a fork and served steaming

hot and fragrant, sometimes as a side dish, but more usually a main course, bolstered

with bits of cooked poultry, meat, or fish.

As Haitian immigrants have settled in various cities of the United States, dried djon-

djon mushrooms can now be found in some stateside groceries. If they cannot, dried

European mushrooms such as porcinis are fair substitutes. But the smoky dicings of salt

pork are nonnegotiable.

MAILORDER:For dried djon-djon mushrooms, Sams Caribbean, tel 877-846-7267,

sams247.com. FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES:Iron Pots and Wooden Spoonsby Jessica B. Harris (1989); A Taste of Haiti by Mirta Yurnet-Thomas and Jay H.

Moscowitz (2004); haitiancooking.com(search black mushroom rice).
http://haitiancooking.com/http://sams247.com/


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MOZAMBICAN

TAKING THE HEAT

Piri-Piri ShrimpMozambican

Sauce is the star of the dish.

Piri-piri is the Swahili word for the red-hot birds-eye chile peppers, the memorable

sauce made from them, and any foods they fire upalthough delectably tender and

buttery, the gently cooked shrimp in this dish are merely an excuse for the searing piri-

piri sauce itself. (Lemon juice stirred into hot melted butter is spooned over the finished

dish to ease the chiles sting, a task also attempted by an accompaniment of white rice,

and lots of it.)

As part of what was once Portuguese-colonized Africa, Mozambiques cuisine

wound up influencing that of other colonies in Brazil and the Caribbean. There, piri-piri


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sauce (also known as peri-peri, pil-pil, or pilli-pilli) appears in varied forms and may

include additional aromatic spices. But in Mozambique, it is virtually the national dish.

Used as a marinade or for basting grilled or sauted shrimp, prawns, or chicken, the

sauce begins with the chopped, super-hot chiles (seeds are included for the brave, or

eliminated for the timid), simply pureed with lemon juice, garlic, oil or melted butter,

and parsley. The most demanding cooks will want to prepare their own, but bottled piri-

piri, such as the Nandos brand, holds its own among the hot sauces of the world.

WHERE:In Atlanta, 10 Degrees South, tel 404-705-8870, 10degreessouth.com; inBrooklyn, Madiba, tel 718-855-9190, madibarestaurant.com; in Washington, DC,

Maryland, and Virginia, Nandos Peri-Peri, nandosperiperi.com. MAIL ORDER: Forbottled Piri-Piri sauces, igourmet.com (search peri-peri); southafricanfoodshop.com

(click Shopping, then The Taste of Peri-Peri). FURTHER INFORMATIONANDRECIPES:The Soul of a New Cuisineby Marcus Samuelsson (2006); oprah.com(search shrimp

piri piri); hotsauce.com(search african rhino peri peri); epicurious.com(search prawnsperi peri).
http://epicurious.com/http://hotsauce.com/http://oprah.com/http://southafricanfoodshop.com/http://igourmet.com/http://nandosperiperi.com/http://madibarestaurant.com/http://10degreessouth.com/


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CHINESE

THE ORIGINAL HANGTOWN FRY

Chiu Chow Oyster OmeletChinese (Fukienese)

Vendors cooking up after-hours treats at the Shilin Night Market.

The food of Chiu Chow (also spelled Teochew, and situated in the northeast corner of

Chinas Canton province) makes for a unique and memorable stop in a journey among

Chinas seemingly endless regional cuisines, but its relatively unknown outside the

country. Marked by the mild flavors typical of Canton, it also shows the influence of the

neighboring Fujian region.

One of the most savory Chiu Chow dishes is the oyster omelet, a version of which is

a particular favorite in the night markets of Taipei. The success of the richly filling street

snack depends upon the freshest, tiniest raw oysters, a handful of which are stirred into

beaten eggs, along with a small amount of a binder such as potato, rice, or cornstarch to

create a pancake effect. Green onions are another possible addition.

After being cooked in a hot iron pan greased with either rendered lard or vegetable


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oil, it is flipped once, frittata-style, so both sides take on a lightly golden laciness. The

finishing touch is a pungent, winey aged soy sauce blended with spicy chile sauce and a

tangy splash of lime juice, all to enhance the flavor of the silky, saline oysters.

The most fitting way to wash down an oyster omelet is with a tiny, espresso-size cup

of Chiu Chow iron tea or Kung Fu tea, brewed from aged tea leaves native to Fujian. As

strong in aroma and flavor as its name and gray-black color imply, iron tea has drily

astringent overtones and is always taken as a sort of digestive before or after meals, in

shot-size portions lest it prove too harsh for the stomach.

Given the similarity between the Chiu Chow oyster omelet and San Franciscos

famed Hangtown fry, one cannot help wondering if a cook hailing from Chiu Chow and

working in the gold-mining camps near Placerville, California (nicknamed Hangtown),

did not first present this dish, never mind that the oysters in the Gold Rush version came

to be fried, and that crisp bacon served as a garnish. We may never know for sure, but

the long and influential history of Chinese cuisine in California, and in the AmericanWest in general, would certainly back up such a theory.

WHERE:In Hong Kong, Pak Loh Chiu Chow Restaurant, tel 852/2576-8886,pakloh.com; City Chiu Chow Restaurant, tel 852/2723-6226; in Queens, Main Street

Imperial Taiwanese Gourmet, tel 718-886-8788. FURTHER INFORMATION AND

RECIPES:The Best of Taiwanese Cuisineby Karen Bartell (2002); food52.com(searchtaiwanese oyster omelet); seriouseats.com(search taiwanese oyster omelet).
http://seriouseats.com/http://food52.com/http://pakloh.com/


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JAPANESE

CAKE FOR TEATIME IN JAPAN

KasuteraJapanese

A sunny, spongy cake.

Simplicity is one of the reigning qualities of Japanese cuisineand although kasuterais

a Portuguese import, its no exception. Addictively light, airy, and sweet, the golden

sponge cake is one of those basic and time-honored concoctions of eggs, sugar, flour,

and corn or malt syrup or honey. At its most unadorned, it could pass for a loaf of bread.

For many years it was served plain, but over time its been doctored with favoriteJapanese flavorings, like green tea, or elaborately decorated and garnished. The most

famous kasutera in Nagasaki can be had at Fukusaya, a bakery that has been operating

since 1624 and is thought to have been the first to introduce the cake to the general

public. Its wares, with their caramel-hued crusts and bright-yellow centers, are said to

get their color and richness from very high-quality egg yolks.


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Along with tobacco and gunpowder, the cake first came to the country with the

Portuguese sailors who arrived in the port city of Nagasaki in the 1600s. The original

was in fact much more of a breadpo de Castela, meaning bread from Castileand

Castella is still a widely used name for the cake. The sailors, with some Spaniards

among them, traveled with the sweet bread in part because it could be stored for long

periods of time. It also contained no dairy, which appealed to the Japanese sensibility.

Although the Spanish withdrew from Japan in 1624 and the Portuguese were

banished in 1639, the cake remained, adapted over time to fit the Japanese craving for

what were then novel Western sweets. Today it remains a beloved treat, easily the most

well-known Japanese dessert.

WHERE:In Nagasaki, Fukusaya, tel 81/95-821-2938, castella.co.jp; in Tokyo,Shanghai, Singapore, London, San Francisco, and New York, Minamoto Kitchoan,

kitchoan.com. FURTHERINFORMATIONANDRECIPES:The Sweet Spot: Asian-Inspired

Desserts by Pichet Ong and Genevieve Ko (2007); japanesefood.about.com (searchkasutera recipe);justonecookbook.com(search castellan).
http://justonecookbook.com/http://japanesefood.about.com/http://kitchoan.com/http://castella.co.jp/


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VIETNAMESE

CATFISH GOT YOUR TONGUE?

Cha Ca La Vong and Ca ChienTurmeric Fish and Fried Catfish

Vietnamese

Cha Ca La Vong features turmeric and catfish.

A specialty of Hanoi, cha ca la vong is a pungently glazed fish dish so beloved that it

has a street named after it (Cha Ca Street, or Grilled Fish Street), along which you can

find the restaurant, Cha Ca La Vong, that is credited with its invention. In the widely

copied preparation, fillets of catfish (farmed in the Chau Doc river and thus sweeter and

less muddy tasting than wild catfish) are marinated for up to twelve hours in a heady


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begins with puffs and chips of rice, chickpea, and wheat flours deep-fried to nutty

crispness. Tossed with peanuts, the mix is showered with hot, salty, and sweet

condiments and spices like cayenne, cardamom, cumin, ginger, brown palm sugar,

lemony tamarind, and fresh coriander, all flavors that light up the whole palate with each

bite. Addictively stimulating, bhel puri is one of those foods that cannot be relinquished

until totally consumed. Leftovers are unlikely.

WHERE:In New York, Madras Mahal, tel 212-684-4010, madrasmahalnyc.com;Dawat, tel 212-355-7555, dawatnewyork.com; in Boston, Maharaja, tel 617-547-2757,

maharajaboston.com; in Washington, DC, Masala Art, tel 202-362-4441,

masalaartdc.com; in Chicago, Indian Garden, tel 312-280-4910,

indiangardenchicago.com; in Los Angeles, Mayura, tel 310-559-9644, mayura-indian-

restaurant.com; in Toronto, Udupi Palace, tel 416-405-8189, udupipalace.ca. RETAIL

ANDMAILORDER:In New York, Kalustyans, tel 800-352-2451, kalustyans.com. MAIL

ORDER:For bhel puri, rice flour, chickpea flour, tama-rind concentrate, and puffed rice,iShopIndian, tel 877-786-8876, ishopindian.com; for fresh tamarinds, Melissas

Produce, tel 800-588-0151, melissas.com. FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES:Chaat Cookbook by Tarla Dalal (2000); The Cooking of India by Santha Rama Rau

(1969); vegrecipesofindia.com (search bhel puri); indianfood.about.com (search bhel

puri); sanjeevkapoor.com(search bhel puri).
http://sanjeevkapoor.com/http://indianfood.about.com/http://vegrecipesofindia.com/http://melissas.com/http://ishopindian.com/http://kalustyans.com/http://udupipalace.ca/http://mayura-indian-restaurant.com/http://indiangardenchicago.com/http://masalaartdc.com/http://maharajaboston.com/http://dawatnewyork.com/http://madrasmahalnyc.com/


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AUSTRALIAN

THERES A PIE IN YOUR SOUP

Pie FloaterAustralian

An offbeat delicacy from the city of Adelaide.

If the name doesnt get you, perhaps the dish itself will. A specialty of the city of

Adelaide, a pie floater is exactly thatan upside-down beef-, onion-, carrot-, and gravy-

filled meat pie topped with tomato sauce and set adrift in a bowl of nicely thick green

pea soup. Perhaps the oddest part of the awkward-to-handle inventionshould one use

a fork? a knife? a spoon?is not its admittedly offbeat components but the fact that it

was once popular as a street food, sold from carts.


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1,000 FOODSTOEATBEFOREYOUDIE

Click hereto purchase the full-length version of 1,000 Foods to

Eat Before You Die.
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About the Author

MIMI SHERATON is a journalist, restaurant critic, lecturer, IACP and James Beard

Awardwinning cookbook author, and former restaurant critic for The New York Times.

Of her, M.F.K. Fisher said: I love everything [she] does and says about food.She

lives in New York City.


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Copyright 2014 by Mimi Sheraton

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproducedmechanically, electronically, or by

any other means, including photocopyingwithout written permission of the publisher. Published

simultaneously in Canada by Thomas Allen & Son Limited.

1,000 BEFORE YOU DIE is a registered trademark of Workman Publishing Co., Inc.

1,000 FOODS TO EAT BEFORE YOU DIE is a trademark of Workman Publishing Co., Inc.

20 Great Dishes from Around the World that You May Have Never Heard of but Should Definitely Eat

Before You Diefeatures content previously published 1,000 Foods to Eat Before you Die

Cover design by Lidija Tomas

Photo research by Bobby Walsh, Melissa Lucier, and Jenna Bascom

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