One for the Road: Where Flavor Was Born

by Kelly Amabile on

The photo on the cover of this travelogue cookbook has my mouth watering! And from what I can tell, the pages in between offer up much more eye candy for hungry travelers who like to cook. Where Flavor Was Born: Recipes and Culinary Travels Along the Indian Ocean Spice Route is a delicious journey that explores the origins of spices from Bali to Zanzibar.

The colorful book is loaded with glossy photos and almost 100 recipes, like this one for Indian Pepper Chicken. Need more tempting? Here are three more freebies that use curry from India, tamarind sauce from Thailand and cloves from Zanzibar. Food writer and TV chef Andreas Viestad (known for his New Scandinavian Cooking show), is the tour guide for this adventure of taste. The book is organized by spice, and includes a glossary for easy reference, which should be helpful when you’re up to your eyeballs in cardamom and coriander in the kitchen!

Holiday readiness: A lesson in sparkling wine from around the globe and calamari

by Jamie Rhein on

I was on the quest for a Christmas present for my dad when I came across this wonderful lesson on sparkling wines and cooking calamari from the Culinary Institute of America. Located in the Hudson Valley in Hyde Park, just outside of Poughkeepsie, New York, this is one of the best cooking schools in the world. I’ve eaten at the American Bounty Restaurant there a couple of times. Bliss.

This video starts out with an in depth, but breezy run through of sparkling wines from around the world that are affordable and popular–perfect to search out for holiday cheer. The range is from Italy to Albuquerque, New Mexico. There’s also a demonstration on how to safely open sparkling wine without putting someone’s eye out or losing all the bubbles. After that, John Fisher, an associate professor at the institute shows the best way to pan fry calamari to go with the sparkling wine. Oh, even more bliss. Here is the recipe for the calamari from the Culinary’s Web site. It doesn’t look that hard to make, and it tastes so good.

Citysearch rates best restaurants and bars of 2007

by Grant Martin on

The annual list of best restaurants and bars was posted by Citysearch a few hours ago, highlighting the new food and drink hotspots in the nation’s top cities.

So get your “Oh, I’ve already been there; I’m way over that” snide statements ready and check out the guides to

Or you can check out the bars on the Citysearch blog here. I did a cursory search through the New York and Chicago bars and restaurants and have to admit that I haven’t been to any of the 40 establishments. Nothing like a hipster best-of website to make you feel like a social invalid.

I’ll be playing dungeons and dragons in my parents basement if you need me.

Where has all the sugar gone?

by Iva Skoch on

Have you noticed that it is virtually impossible to buy chewing gum WITH sugar anywhere in the world anymore? Panama, Italy, Czech Republic, Switzerland…they all sell gum with aspartame or saccharin. Even in Mauritius, one of the world’s top sugar cane growers, I noticed they used artificial sweetener in their gum. Sad, to say the least.

It used to be that sugar-free gum was a US specialty because Americans were obsessed with fitness (like the two extra calories make a difference) and their teeth. Not anymore.

Nowadays, it is virtually impossible to get a piece of gum without aspartame/NutraSweet anywhere in the world. Not because it is so much better for you, but it is so much cheaper to produce. This really blows for me because aspartame gives me an instant headache. Not fun, especially when you travel.

Chatting with the biologist about water bottles (yesterday) brought us to the topic of sugar as well. He feels much more strongly about the use of artificial sugar than drinking water with leeching chemicals. He said:

“If you really want to worry about your health, don’t use anything that has artificial sweetener in it which includes all diet drinks and foods as well as most over the counter medicines. Sugar has been part of man’s existence for thousands of years and until we got modern was never a problem unless we used too much (as we do in the U.S.). I am very afraid of aspartame (NutraSweet) and the neurological damage it does since it is in millions of products used daily. “

Exotic food from around the world

by Grant Martin on

Having traveled pretty extensively over the last few years, I’ve had the opportunity (read: been forced) to taste some truly delicious — and truly disgusting food. My reservations and weak stomach aside, I’ve always at least tried some of the local fare, even if it was called “Birds Nest White Fungus” or involved sauteed reindeer.

Along the way, I had the opportunity to take some shots of the exotic fare and in hindsight I’m glad I suffered through some of the tough dishes. Though they may have not been the most appealing at the time, they are definitely memories that will resound in my mind — and gastrointestinal system — for many years to come.

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