Until recently, if you said “horchata” I would have responded with “Mexico!” Now, I am not so sure, having sampled the horchata of Spain, which country’s name I’d blurt out. While there are some similarites, sweet frothy drink, the differences are readily apparent. Besides, these two countries do not have the monopoly on this...
Edam cheese was never really on my radar. I mean I’ve eaten it, and it was perfectly acceptable, but those encounters were not those superlative laden events, that I’ve had say, with a good Epoisse. However, my interest was piqued, first when my Filipino sister-in-law mentioned her father requested that she specifically bring some...
Apologies to the Euythmics, but ever since I conceived the idea for this post, I could not get their song out of my head. When I made my batch of homemade olives, I researched the various techniques involved, including the use of lye. I suddenly seemed to encounter all matter of food made with...
I’ve long been intrigued by the lure of tonka beans, and given that they are off limits in the US thanks to the FDA its a clear cut case of desiring what you cannot have. I mean any spice described as tasting and smelling like a heady combination of vanilla, almonds, cinnamon and cloves...
Isla Mujeres (Spanish for “Island of Women”) is a place to go if relaxing in the sun and surf is a priority. This suited my family perfectly as we wanted to spend Christmas in a place that was warm and friendly for ages between six months and well a lot older. This island...
Wandering around the Cancun airport, struggling to find a way to spend my last pesos on some worthy souvenir that would stretch the memories of my time with family in Isla Mujeures, I kept coming face to face with bottles of Mexican vanilla next to the sombreros and colorful rain sticks. While I did...
I had to share this list of award winning cookbooks from around the world. I’d never seen such a broad collection of resources. All of them were entered into the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards this past year, and they represent their country in the “Best of the World” category. If you’ve gotten your hands...
Growing up, I loved mint, still do, but back then I had very fixed ideas of what mint was and where it belonged: in my gum, in my toothpaste, and most assuredly in my ice cream and my mom’s Creme de Menthe cake. Then I went to college and all my preconceived notions were...
Nice Butcher – “Miss, what sort of chorizo do you want – Spanish, Mexican or Portuguese?” Me – to self ”Oh gosh, I have to choose? Geeze, I thought ordering the sausage would be the easy part of this dish. What are the differences? How do I find out what I need without sounding...
I love to travel and frequently collect cookbooks from my destinations. However, sometimes I get into trouble when a recipe calls for ingredients and I have no idea of the American equivalent. Sugar is one ingredient that I’ve had this problem with frequently, so I decided to investigate the differences. I suspect part of...
