So how do we track back in time to find the origins, the stories of how our favorite foods began? Who put fortunes in cookies and tomato sauce on spaghetti? Food pairings and cultural dishes have a long history. From spice trades, to climate regions, culinary history continues to evolve. Natural food traditions complement…
Tag: history
Baklava Recipe of Hellenic Cuisine Cook book – Detroit, MI
Follow my blog with Bloglovin It started with an urgent recipe book search, followed by a Whatsapp message to my mom, “Hey, I’m making baklava and was thinking about yiayia’s recipe book. Did you give me a copy?” My Yiayia Christina was a legendary cook. It’s a family fact that Yiayia and Thea Toula (her…
How to Cure your Own Olives in Brine: Greek Yiayia Style
Follow my blog with Bloglovin How to make your own olives edible. Mom would say, “Only eat 8 olives a day, honey.” But it was too easy to devour the salty Grecian delights by the dozen. With crusty brown sourdough bread and green virgin olive oil on a flat side plate, nothing satisfied me more…
Pickling Green Bean Recipe for St. Patrick’s Day
There’s not much that happens on St. Patricks day in Cape Town. You could go down to The Dubliner Pub on Long Street or wonder if wearing your “Kiss Me I’m Irish Tshirt” from college could get you a smooch. Growing up in Chicago, I remember the river turned green (or was it always? :0),…
Share. Cook. Love: The Cook Book
Our story began 2005, Feb 14th. Durban, South Africa. A Surfer met a Gypsy at Capoeira class. It was a Monday, after the first day of our third year at University. 7 years later, in the province where it all began, we told everyone we loved to join us for a festival of families, a…
Celebrating Vetkoek, Beats and Madiba at the the Ubuntu Festival in Cape Town
Tata Mandela celebrates his 93rd birthday today. His life and dedication to the public’s well being has been a symbol for us to trust that we have the capacity to make changes in our life that leads to freedom and positive transformation. Giving life to metaphors. On Sunday, July 17th, the city of Cape Town…
Mopani or mopane worms (caterpillars) taste like dried leaves
“They taste like a bit like biltong or chicken, I love them!” she explained. “Actually, they taste more like leaves.” A bag of Mopani worms are sitting dried in my cupboard waiting for my “how to cook this” experimentation session. My seastar, Nokulinda, bought them from a Sangoma down the road from her work in…
Prickly Cactus Pear Smoothie
The best thing about when friends house sit is the magic of new groceries that end up in your kitchen. One Sunday afternoon, I discovered prickly pear syrup (turksvy stroop) in my fridge and it sat there, waiting for me to make crepes or pour it on yoghurt. Instead, it ended up in my fruit…
Vegetarian Bobotie
This layered oven-baked dish is a reflection of the histories, cultures, and cuisines that flavour the peninsula of Cape Town. The roots of the spices used in traditional recipes come from Cape Malay cuisine but is easy to make your own Bobotie-inspired dish with the flavours and ingredients in your own kitchen, celebrating…
Food Language Speaks Up!
Food and communication is a necessity for all of us and this blog is a celebration of variety, sharing of ideas, cultures and the language of food which ultimately connects us all. The food that will be and has been created in my kitchen and friend’s kitchens will be spoken about in this blog, as…
The Culinary Linguist 