Food for peace
“Do you know how to select a ripe avocado?” I was asked this in the supermarket last week, by a bemused-looking man staring at a pile of them. I had gone to select one of the smooth-skinned avocados as a treat for myself, instead of the smaller, wrinkled ones that are so popular here. We struck up a conversation as I showed him how to test for fullness and helped him choose one that would ripen by the next day. Walking away, I remembered a story told by one of my friends of when her family had first arrived in Canada, and they’d gone shopping. Their host family had praised broccoli, so my friend bought a head and carefully prepared it, stripping off the “leaves” and peeling the stem... and she wondered why everyone was excited about the pale green, slightly woody, not especially flavoured centre. For myself, I remember when I was gifted my first zucchini — a monster that probably weighed 5kg — and I brought it home with no idea of what to do with this giant. (Note: it is best not eaten raw!)
Trying unfamiliar food is a great adventure. I’ve made the happy discovery that the same dish can exist in several countries, with different names. For instance, choka, a dish made with eggplant and a popular item in Trinidadian cooking, is almost the same as ajvar which is popular in Serbian cooking. We’ve all got some form of dumpling, with similar seasoning but different means of cooking — deep-fried, boiled, steamed... Sadly, there are some people who flatly refuse to try new foods, or who are so tied to their own culture that they consider other foods inappropriate or unappealing. I once was talking about ajvar to a Trinidadian friend, and their comment was, “Why don’t you just call it choka like a normal person?”
Although ingredients may be common across cuisines, how they’re used can be very different. In Indian cooking, mint is used in savoury dishes as a chutney. In other styles, it’s used with meat and yet again in sweets. So this one Indian friend was taken aback at mint chocolate, which she called “chocolate chutney” (and which we decided was a great name for a band!). Similarly, chocolate, the star of desserts, forms an excellent mole sauce, and works well with duck and with some shellfish. (Yes, tested recipes available!). Or how about fruit with meat and vegetables, as featured in Moroccan, Spanish and some Asian recipes?
I’ve mentioned before that I collect cookbooks, especially Caribbean ones. My latest is a facsimile of a housewife’s book from 1911 Trinidad, and I dove into it with enthusiasm to see how foods were prepared. I giggled a bit at some of the directions (“add a penny of beef”... “use a half-penny worth of butter”, etc) and I was pleased to find some early versions of some still-popular dishes (stewed chicken for one) but the written comments from the lady, who was newly arrived from England, proved most enlightening. She mentioned adapting her recipes to the ingredients available, and suggesting substitutes for items that were hard to find. Another of my books talked about the adaptations made to traditional Indian dishes by the people who were imported into the island. Those marvellous, adaptable ingredients, tied to necessity, availability and creativity made for a variety of impressive dishes.
Food is one of those great things that we all share in common. (Music, art, drama, fashion, families... a long list!) We grow up with certain familiar foods and meals, some of them come to represent home, comfort, family, safety, childhood, etc. One day, if we’re lucky and adventurous, we encounter foods from other countries in their authentic state. That day, two things happen — you learn a new way to prepare an ingredient and you learn a new ingredient. You will, incidentally, also make a new friend.
Trying unfamiliar food is a great adventure. I’ve made the happy discovery that the same dish can exist in several countries, with different names. For instance, choka, a dish made with eggplant and a popular item in Trinidadian cooking, is almost the same as ajvar which is popular in Serbian cooking. We’ve all got some form of dumpling, with similar seasoning but different means of cooking — deep-fried, boiled, steamed... Sadly, there are some people who flatly refuse to try new foods, or who are so tied to their own culture that they consider other foods inappropriate or unappealing. I once was talking about ajvar to a Trinidadian friend, and their comment was, “Why don’t you just call it choka like a normal person?”
Although ingredients may be common across cuisines, how they’re used can be very different. In Indian cooking, mint is used in savoury dishes as a chutney. In other styles, it’s used with meat and yet again in sweets. So this one Indian friend was taken aback at mint chocolate, which she called “chocolate chutney” (and which we decided was a great name for a band!). Similarly, chocolate, the star of desserts, forms an excellent mole sauce, and works well with duck and with some shellfish. (Yes, tested recipes available!). Or how about fruit with meat and vegetables, as featured in Moroccan, Spanish and some Asian recipes?
I’ve mentioned before that I collect cookbooks, especially Caribbean ones. My latest is a facsimile of a housewife’s book from 1911 Trinidad, and I dove into it with enthusiasm to see how foods were prepared. I giggled a bit at some of the directions (“add a penny of beef”... “use a half-penny worth of butter”, etc) and I was pleased to find some early versions of some still-popular dishes (stewed chicken for one) but the written comments from the lady, who was newly arrived from England, proved most enlightening. She mentioned adapting her recipes to the ingredients available, and suggesting substitutes for items that were hard to find. Another of my books talked about the adaptations made to traditional Indian dishes by the people who were imported into the island. Those marvellous, adaptable ingredients, tied to necessity, availability and creativity made for a variety of impressive dishes.
Food is one of those great things that we all share in common. (Music, art, drama, fashion, families... a long list!) We grow up with certain familiar foods and meals, some of them come to represent home, comfort, family, safety, childhood, etc. One day, if we’re lucky and adventurous, we encounter foods from other countries in their authentic state. That day, two things happen — you learn a new way to prepare an ingredient and you learn a new ingredient. You will, incidentally, also make a new friend.
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