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	<title>Oyster Food and Culture &#187; country</title>
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	<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com</link>
	<description>a place to exchange ideas and learn about culture through food</description>
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		<title>Judging a Nation by its Sausage</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/06/23/judging-a-nation-by-its-sausage/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/06/23/judging-a-nation-by-its-sausage/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:49:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[France]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Germany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Italy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[country]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beef]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[charcuterie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pork]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sausage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wurst]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=8457</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This may be unfair, but I&#8217;ve come to the conclusion that you can tell a lot about a country by their sausage.  For lunches, while traveling, my husband and I have developed a habit of securing some local wine, bread, cheese and sausage that we can nibble at our leisure.  Since we&#8217;ve munched our way through various country&#8217;s sausage, dare I say it, our palates are more refined &#8211; the quality of the sausage has a lot to do with our impression of a place. Maybe its because I&#8217;ve had charcuterie on my mind a lot lately. I think my confidence is growing as I successfully tried my hand at a few cheeses, survived canning and liqueur making, now I consider sausage making is my next frontier.  I&#8217;ve made fresh sausage before, but I&#8217;m thinking of plunging into the stuffed casing variety, and curing it if I can figure out how to do that in our apartment &#8211; not sure yet if there&#8217;s any unforeseen side affects to consider. Before I ventured into the actual production, I thought I&#8217;d first study my subject of charcuterie to determine my options.  If you have the entire world of sausage making in front of [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>26</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Asian Curry &#8211; Japan</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/04/30/asian-curry-japan/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/04/30/asian-curry-japan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:16:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Britain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[country]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[curry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[England]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=8320</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Curry has me in its heady grip, and as I was curious to see its permutations as it made its way around the world.  I touched on some of the varieties that could be found in India, how the English stamped their influence on curries by adding a few of their own, such as Balti, and how the addition of curry powder to a dish does not an authentic curry make.   But stopping here is a bit like a television show cliffhanger, what happens after the hero plunges over the waterfall in his barrel?  So many unanswered questions &#8211; does he he survive? Is he reunited with the heroine? One of the intriguing things about curries is that while some ingredients are ubiquitous, each successive culture tweaks the recipes to increase its appeal to their own tastes and account for their available food, so that they are not the same.  Its like a craving for grilled food, if I&#8217;m hankering for a steak, a saté is not going to cut it, and if I&#8217;m craving Panang curry, a batch of steaming hot Chinese curry studded with all sorts of goodies just will not do, and vice versa.  So how did curry get [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>39</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>When is bread more than bread?</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/11/01/when-is-bread-more-than-bread/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/11/01/when-is-bread-more-than-bread/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:23:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Italy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mexico]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Portugal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Kingdom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United States]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[celebrations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[country]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[traditions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bread]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[France]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Germany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sweden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thailand]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=4367</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A topic  smoldering in the back of my mind for some months as I&#8217;ve seen variations on this theme for months because of numerous holidays. When is bread more than bread?  Or perhaps a bit more generally, when do baked goods serve a higher purpose? I&#8217;ve unearth a few instances, and I am sure there are more, in fact I know there are.  I thought with the Mexican celebration of Day of the Dead and the preparation of Pan de Muertos this was the perfect time to consider the possibilities.  This glimmer of an idea took hold when I saw several articles on bread shaped like people, or at least various body parts; specifically the post of a baker in Thailand that created some of the most disturbing lifelike creations I&#8217;d seen.  Around the world bread fashioned to convey something more than calories and nutrition has held cultural significance.  The following are a few samples of what I&#8217;ve encountered. Ecuador On November 2 (Día de los Difuntos, literally Day of the Deceased, or All Soul’s Day) families gather at cemeteries to clean gravesites and feast with their deceased. Blueberry-based colada and bread &#8220;babies&#8221; (guaguas) are traditionally served. Families remember their deceased loved ones [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/11/01/when-is-bread-more-than-bread/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>26</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Boo!  Its Trick or Treat Time</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/10/09/boo-its-trick-or-treat-time/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/10/09/boo-its-trick-or-treat-time/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:04:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ireland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United States]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[candy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[country]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Halloween]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mexico]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pumpkin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Kingdom]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=5585</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Halloween is fast approaching.  I know because I just spent a few days with my niece and I got the details on this much anticipated holiday from her costume (a garden fairy) to the fact that old people do not wear costumes (she&#8217;s four).  She informed me of this sad fact when I asked her what my outfit should be, but softened the blow by offering me some of her future Halloween stash.  I asked her if she was going to carve a pumpkin, but with all the focus on her costume it was not something she had considered, and being a four year old, she  immediately countered with a lot of &#8220;why&#8221; questions.  Why, indeed?  I was curious as to why pumpkins came to play such an integral part of this season, and did not want to answer all her questions with &#8220;I don&#8217;t know&#8221;. About the Holiday Halloween, or its equivalent, is one of the world&#8217;s oldest holidays, and still celebrated in many countries, such as Britain, Ireland, Canada, parts of Latin America and Spain. The United Kingdom puts its own spin on scary celebration with Guy Fawke&#8217;s Day. In Mexico, Latin America, and Spain, All Souls&#8217; Day, the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/10/09/boo-its-trick-or-treat-time/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>24</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Britain&#8217;s National Dish is &#8230;.</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/08/04/britains-national-dish-is/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/08/04/britains-national-dish-is/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:21:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Britain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[country]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[region]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bangladesh]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[curry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Kingdom]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=4982</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In British cuisine, the word curry started out as a generic term to describe what the British Army encountered a mixture of spices or spiced sauces, sauteed vegetables and meats, basically applied to about any savory Indian dishes.  Along the way &#8220;curry&#8221; became a specific term for dishes created for the British in India.  Note that the humbling of the &#8216;British curry&#8217; as a dish solely made with &#8216;curry powder&#8217; (which, prior to the 1970&#8242;s, meant a yellow powder consisting mostly of ground turmeric and chili powder, used to create dishes such as &#8216;Coronation chicken&#8217;- so named as it was created for Queen Elizabeth&#8217;s II coronation) is a 20th-century phenomenon as was adding (golden raisins) sultanas to every curry dish.  The trend is reversing direction and back towards authentic &#8220;curry&#8221;. Indian food in the UK also includes cuisine served in restaurants that are run predominantly by the Bangladeshi / Pakistani community.  Consider that Bangladesh was part of Pakistan until 1971, and Pakistan split from India in 1947.  So, despite present national boundaries, what we know as Indian cuisine has its roots in the India of yesteryear. The British love affair with curry began at the end of the 16th century [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>25</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Nam Bplah (Pla) &#8211; Thai fish water</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/07/06/nam-bplah-pla-thai-fish-water/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/07/06/nam-bplah-pla-thai-fish-water/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:58:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Thailand]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Washington, DC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[condiments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[country]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fish sauce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sauce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soccer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Washington]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=4668</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Fish sauce are ubiquitous even though we may not always be aware of where they pop up &#8211; take Worcestershire sauce for example, or the Italian Colatura di Alici.  In Asia, these sauces are considered core components in cooking and the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam all have their own versions of this wonderful condiment.   There is good reason for their appeal, they impart a umani element to foods, and also replace salt in cooking due to their naturally salty nature.  If you look at recipes from Asian cookbooks, you&#8217;ll rarely see salt listed as an ingredient and that is because sauces such as fish and soy sauce make the further addition of salt unnecessary. In case you are not yet familiar with fish sauce, it is that salty, fragrant brown liquid made from fish that is the single, most important flavoring ingredient in Thai cooking (also beloved in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma and the Philippines). Used like salt in western cooking and soy sauce in Chinese cooking, good-quality fish sauce imparts a distinct aroma and flavor all its own. It is considered indispensable in the Thai kitchen. Fish of Choice Fish sauce in Thailand is called &#8220;nam bplah&#8221; or [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/07/06/nam-bplah-pla-thai-fish-water/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>20</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Street food from around the world</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/06/17/street-food-from-around-the-world/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/06/17/street-food-from-around-the-world/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:18:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Africa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Britain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Caribbean]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Middle East]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New York]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Peru]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Kingdom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United States]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[country]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fast food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Italy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[street food]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=4302</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As I previously mentioned, I think street or fast food can go a long way to providing a multi-sensory cultural experience that accurately captures the current culture of the country, region, or city in question.  Every time I bite into a conchita pilbil taco, I am transported back to Merida, Mexico, or a gelato reminds me of my meanderings in Italy, or a bit of cheese, lovingly applied to a good baguette reminds me of Paris, well you get the idea. Street food provides an immediate connection to where ever you are.  If you were to ask me what to eat in San Francisco, its the sourdough bread, the burritos, or the dim sum that defines the place not the restaurants.  People have an easier time reaching consensus deciding the food that defines the place and not who makes it. Africa Street Food Zanzibar (Tanzania) Street Food Zanzibar, part 2 Street Food Cairo (Egypt), part 1 Street Food Cairo, part 2 Street Food Nairobi (Kenya) p1 Street Food Nairobi, part 2 Street Food Mumbai (India), p1 Street Food Mumbai, part 2 Street Food Jerusalem, part 1 Street Food Jerusalem, part 2 Street Food Fez (Morocco), p1 Street  Food Fez, part 2 Europe Street Food Palermo (Sicily) Street Food Palermo, [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>19</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Paprika &#8211; A spice that defines a country</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/06/15/paprika-a-spice-that-defines-a-country/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/06/15/paprika-a-spice-that-defines-a-country/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:28:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hungary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[country]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paprika]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stew]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=4111</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Due to the favourable climate and geographical conditions Hungarian paprika has a bright red colour and a distinctive rich flavour that allowed Hungary to became one of the leading paprika producers in the world. Kalocsa and Szeged in the southern part of Hungary are the heart of paprika production in Hungary. These regions have the highest amount of sunny hours a year and paprika plants need lots of sunshine to get ripe and sweet.  Each city claiming supremacy for their paprika.  The harvesting proves a colorful spectacle as the towns are adorned with bright red, threaded paprika strings, hung from the fences and porches.  Those chilies are destined for homemade versions of this spice.   The commercial farmers also used to hang the paprika string in rainproof areas, and let them desiccate first by the sunshine, and  then finishing the process in earthenware ovens.  Today the fresh peppers are dried in ovens.  Peppers in Hungary are air dried, or cured, for up to 25 days before grinding, as opposed to the United States where they are dried in about 30 hours.  The dried pods were first crushed by foot then ground into a fine powder using a mortar and a pestle, [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>25</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Peru &#8211; Land of Plenty</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/05/24/peru-land-of-plenty/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/05/24/peru-land-of-plenty/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2009 17:58:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Italy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Peru]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[San Francisco]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[featured]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cerviche]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[corn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ethnic food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[France]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spain]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterculture.wordpress.com/?p=3831</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[photo from sfgate.com In preparing a recent post on raw fish, I developed a craving for cerviche, and really who could blame me?  Living in San Francisco, there was one restaurant on my radar that I knew could offer me an authentic, or at least close proximally, of the Peruvian cerviche I desired: that restaurant is La Mar Cebicheria Peruana, the first US foray for Chef Gaston Acurio.  Immediately after I pressed the &#8220;publish&#8221; button for that post, I booked my reservations.  I had the added privilege of having Daily Spud, a potato aficionado, accompany me on my exploration, and a more perfect lunch is hard to imagine. I knew that Peruvian cuisine had amazingly range, but its diversity is hard to comprehend.  The challenge is determining how to approach Peru&#8217;s food &#8211; by the diverse cultures that made their mark on its culture, with their food preparation and choices assimilated into the cuisine?  Or, by the incredible food stock that exists in Peru and has incorporated into its recipes, such as corn, tomatoes, potatoes, quinoa?  If ever a place was at the cross roads of diversity, it is Peru. To appreciate the cuisine, some knowledge of Peru&#8217;s culture, history and geography is required. Geography Peru is physically isolated [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>26</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Colatura di Alici a fish sauce from the Amalfi Coast</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/05/22/colatura-di-alici-a-fish-sauce-from-the-amalfi-coast/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/05/22/colatura-di-alici-a-fish-sauce-from-the-amalfi-coast/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2009 16:27:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Italy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[condiments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[country]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[region]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Amalfi Coast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fish sauce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sauce]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterculture.wordpress.com/?p=3779</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The more I learn about the Amalfi Coast, the more impressed I am.  We owe a debt of gratitude for such culinary wonders as limoncello, and of course this incredible anchovie fish sauce, colatura di Alici. The sauce is simple to make: select fresh anchovies clean and pack in a wooden barrel add weight on top of said anchovies heavily salt the lot forget about it for 4 to 6 months When they&#8217;re done brining, alchemy has occurred, liquid gold resides in those barrels, and the final step is to carefully drill a hole in the barrel and extract that golden magic drain into a waiting receptacle.  The results of a little pressure and time on some fish and salt is truly magical as the video shows. This is quintessential artisanal food at its finest. In Naples, families make small batches of colatura for Christmas gifts for family and friends. Orecchiette with Roasted Cauliflower, Raisins and Colatura (recipe from the always wonderful Market Hall in Berkeley) Serves 4 1 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets 4 T extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper ½ c raisins 2 T pine nuts 1 T colatura 8 oz orecchiette Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the cauliflower with 2T [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>25</slash:comments>
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