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Deniz Börülce in Marmaris-Datça, Turkey

Contributed by Gerard Oude Hergelink (whl.travel Marmaris-Datça)

Deniz börülce is the local name of a plant that grows naturally (in springtime) on the shores of Betçe in the western part of our destination. It’s translated as ‘marsh samphire.’ The dish is made with onions and garlic and red, hot chilli peppers in local olive oil.

The preparation is easy: heat the olive oil and fry the onions with garlic till they get glossy. Then add the marsh samphire and cook it (depending on your preference of al dente or more cooked) in a wok or saucepan with the lid on for 20-25 minutes.

A good place to try this dish is the Elaki Restaurant, which is housed in a historical building. The head chef prepares dishes from Ottoman times using organic vegetables grown in the garden. His Mediterranean creations are highly original and not to be found anywhere else.

Learn more about food and cuisine in Marmaris-Datça, Turkey.

Llapingachos and Majado in Quito, Ecuador

Contributed by Hugh Yarbrough (whl.travel Quito)

Llapingachos (ya-peen-ga-chos) are patties made from mashed yuca and stuffed with a small bit of cheese and onion. In the Andes highlands, they are made with potatoes.

Majado is a typical breakfast food made from mashed plantains, onions and cheese, and served with a fried egg and peanut sauce.

Learn more about food and cuisine in Quito, Ecuador.

Mamaliga in Moldova

Contributed by Julia Streapco (whl.travel Chisinau)

Mamaliga is a traditional dish in Moldavian cuisine. It consists mostly of salt and cornmeal and is often served on a daily basis, including special occasions. Although the dish is typically presented without an accompanying garnish, many people also choose to add their own personal touch by adding small decorations or preparing the dish so that it comes in a certain form or shape. Mamaliga is usually served in the company of a variety of other dishes native to Moldova.

There are an innumerable ways to prepare mamaliga. The most common variation calls for salt and cornmeal. Other variations involve replacing or removing salt. Many people also choose to add their own ingredients, of which butter and sour cream top the list, as well as brinza (salty sheep’s cheese).

The dish is mostly baked, although many chefs and cooks in Moldova choose to prepare the dish by other means, such as frying. Mamaliga is largely present only in the cultures of Moldova; however, as with any other delicious food, the recipe has spread throughout the surrounding regions and can be found in very different guises throughout the world. You can enjoy the true mamaliga when you get to Moldova!

Another popular dish is ghivech, a Moldavian-style stew made from grilled vegetables: zucchini, carrot, parsley, onion, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. Beans or peas, garlic and spices may also be added. Ghivech can be served separately or as a side dish to meat or fish.

Recipe for Mamaliga
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
7 cups water (use 8 cups of water for a softer mamaliga or 6 cups for a harder one)

Bring the water and salt to boil.
Pour a slow stream of cornmeal into the hot water while stirring vigorously to prevent lumps.
After adding all the cornmeal, stir for several minutes and then cover the pot.
After about 10 minutes stir again, scraping the sides and bottom of the pan.
Remove from heat and serve.

Learn more about food and cuisine in Moldova.

Nqush in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Contributed by Neil Lyon (whl.travel Port Elizabeth & Addo National Park)

The Eastern Cape of South Africa is home to the Xhosa people, who are known for making and eating what is known as nqush. This is a type of samp (maize kernels) and beans made in a three-legged cast-iron pot over a fire. With this nqush, the Xhosa often eat pot bread that is also made over the fire. Both are staples of the Xhosa diet.

Learn more about food and cuisine in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Ugali in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Contributed by Shafina Bandali (whl.travel Dar Es Salaam)

Ugali is a staple food in East Africa. It is cheap and mainly eaten by people living in rural areas, although urbanites are also fond of it. Ugali is easy to cook, usually by one of two methods: the first method involves boiling maize flour in water until it looks like porridge; in the second method, the water is boiled first and the flour is added quickly and stirred to make a dough.

Ugali can be eaten with different vegetable and/or meat curry. For instance, bean (maharage) curry, spinach (mchicha), cabbage etc.

Learn more about food and cuisine in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

Pa Amb Tomàquet i Escalivada in Barcelona, Spain

Contributed by Carlota Pascual (Barcelona Urban Adventures)

As a seasonal cuisine, Catalan cooking reflects both the availability of local produce and Catalan traditions. It has a big personality just like Catalan culture itself. We have taken the best of all the different civilisations that occupied Catalonia during the past centuries (Greeks, Romans, Arabs, French etc.) and turned Catalan cuisine into a healthy, rich and wide-ranging expression of the Mediterranean diet.

We would like to introduce you to our typical vegetable dish: roasted peppers, eggplants and onions over Catalan toast. We eat this dish as a first course or as an accompaniment to meat. The special characteristic of these roasted vegetables is their smoky flavour – the Catalan word escalivar means to roast over ashes.

Recipe for Pa Amb Tomàquet i Escalivada (serves four)
4 red bell peppers
4 eggplants
4 spring onions
2 garlic cloves
4 tomatoes
8 anchovies
salt
extra virgin olive oil
4 slices of bread

Prepare a hot fire.
Brush the red bell peppers, eggplants and onions with olive oil.
Place the vegetables directly over the fire and grill, turning until the vegetables are tender or the skins blacken. How long? It depends on the heat of the fire.
Remove the vegetables from the grill, wrap them in newspapers, slip them into a plastic bag and let them cool for about one hour.
Unwrap the vegetables. Peel the skin from the peppers and eggplants and peel away the outer layer of the onions.
Pare away and discard all the seeds and stems, and then cut the vegetables lengthways into thin strips.
When the fire has turned into hot ashes, place four slices of bread over the grill until they are toasted.
Take a garlic clove and cut it in two pieces.
Scrape the toast with the garlic and tomatoes. Add some salt and olive oil on it and your Catalan toast is ready.
Place the vegetables over the toast, add two anchovies on top.
The torrada d’escalivada should be served at room temperature.

Kuru Fasulye Ve Pilav in Kaş, Turkey

Contributed by John Hogue

Kuru fasulye ve pilav (literally translated, it means ‘dried beans and rice’) is a very traditional Turkish food and can be found in virtually any restaurant around the country. It matters not if the restaurant is high quality or just a local eatery; kuru fasulye can be found. The dried white beans are usually cooked in a light tomato sauce with onions and, frequently, green peppers. The rice pilaf is cooked separately, but can be mixed and eaten together with the beans or served separately. Sometimes the beans are cooked with meat.

Learn more about food and cuisine in Turkey.

Koko with Koose in Ghana

Contributed by Marian Thompson (whl.travel Ghana)

Koko (porridge) is prepared from corn or millet flour and eaten with koose (fried bean balls). Koose is normally eaten for breakfast, although some people eat it for lunch, when it can be supplemented with mansa and bread. Most meals in the north are eaten with one’s hands – spoons are not used.

Learn more about food and cuisine in Ghana.

Tortellacci alla Zucca in Florence, Italy

Contributed by Jessica Stewart (Florence Urban Adventures)

Pumpkin (or zucca in Italian) and porcini mushrooms are classic late-autumn foods in all of central Italy, especially in Tuscany, where mushroom foraging is a common pastime. These two earthy ingredients then make their way into many seasonal recipes, as they are both very versatile and can be prepared in many different ways. I remember the first time I had the classic tortellacci alla zucca (pumpkin-stuffed tortellini) in Ferrara, where the dish originated. I became an instant zucca convert!

The following recipe is a delicious marriage of sweet pumpkin and the savoury mushrooms.

Recipe for Tortellacci alla Zucca (serves four)
250 g rice (arborio or carnaroli are the best to use for risotto)
300 g pumpkin or yellow squash
1 leek (only the white part)
2 fresh porcini mushrooms (30 g of dried mushrooms can be substituted)
vegetable broth (full pot)
2 tbsp. of Parmigiano cheese
1 clove of garlic
1 knob of butter
1 handful of fresh parsley
white wine
salt

Chop the leek (white part only) and sauté with half of the butter in a large pan.
Add the pumpkin, cut into small pieces, along with a ladle of broth.
Cover and cook for ten minutes on medium heat.
Uncover, raise the heat and add the rice.
Add some white wine and let it evaporate, stirring often with a wooden spoon.
Once the wine has evaporated, start adding the hot broth slowly, waiting for it to evaporate before adding more.
Sauté the cleaned and chopped mushrooms in another saucepan with the remaining butter, along with the garlic and a pinch of salt.
When the rice is fully cooked and has absorbed all of the liquid, add the mushrooms (with the garlic removed) and stir to create a homogeneous texture.
Add salt, if needed, and the fresh parsley.
Serve on plates and sprinkle with cheese.

Learn more about food and cuisine in Italy.

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