Travel with Taste – 10 Foods That Will Take You Out into the World

But since travelling to distant places is practically impossible at the moment, it is flavours that can take us there, even if just for a moment. If you decide to make any of the dishes listed below, I suggest you put on some music that’s typical for the country and open up a photo from the place on your computer – that way it’ll be easier to recreate that country’s atmosphere.

10 foods that will take you out into the world

1. Hummus, Middle East

Hummus is a spread made from chickpeas and sesame and is a typical starter in the Middle East. It’s popular in Turkey and in parts of Greece, as well as in Cyprus, throughout the whole Arabian Peninsula and even in Egypt. Making hummus at home is perfectly simple: blend chickpeas, sesame paste and lemon juice. The hummus can then be eaten with bread and vegetables. Simple and delicious.

Recipe (in Slovenian): https://lahkihnog-naokrog.si/2020/07/recept-humus-izrael.html 

2. Potato soup, Ecuador

South America, particularly Ecuador and Peru, is known for an incredibly large number of different types of potato. Here, we usually have one type of potato, maybe two. In South America, though, shops have a special potato section, just like, say, the fruit section we have. A different type of potato is used for each dish. Some are sweet, others aren’t, some are colourful (purple, red), others are “normal”, white, some are hard to the touch, others are quickly overcooked. That very soft, quickly overcooked potato is used for the Ecuadorian potato soup (Locro de papas in Spain). Besides potatoes, you’ll also need some spices, an avocado and feta cheese. The result will be a delicious, thick and hearty soup that’s ideal for cold weather.

Recipe (in Slovenian): https://lahkihnog-naokrog.si/2016/06/locro-de-papas-ekvador.html 

3. Pupusas, Salvador

Central America is famous for its corn tortillas, but El Salvador went even further when it comes to making them. Instead of making plain old tortillas, the people of El Salvador invented a dish called pupusas – filled tortillas. The corn dough comes with all kinds of fillings. Typical Central American flavours are: pupusas with beans, pupusas with cheese, pupusas with chicken, pupusas with pork, pupusas with chayote squash... Basically, you can use whatever filling you want. In order to make pupusas, you need special corn flour, known as “masa harina”, and water. Using your hands, you make a griddle cake and then add bean paste, fold the cake in half, seal it and then bake it in a frying pan. Pupusas go well with carrot and cabbage slaw or a spicy chili sauce. Pupusas can be served as a starter or as a main course. It depends on size and quantity of the dish.

Recipe (in Slovenian): https://lahkihnog-naokrog.si/2018/07/pupusa-salvador.html 

4. Draniki, Eastern Europe

Draniki are potato pancakes or potato patties that are typical for Eastern Europe. They’re popular in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. They can be eaten as a main course, in which case they’re made in the shape of large potato pancakes with added herbed sour cream. But draniki can also be shaped into small patties and served as a side dish to a typical meat dish. Draniki consist of mashed potatoes, onion, spices and eggs that serve as a binding agent. The recipe is fairly simple because the ingredients are usually always at hand.

Recipe (in Slovenian): https://lahkihnog-naokrog.si/2018/01/draniki-belorusija.html 

5. Brik, Tunisia

Brik is a typical Tunisian dish. It’s incredibly delicious, juicy, nutritional and quite greasy. It’s made from fried puff pastry and comes with a filling – traditionally, it’s tuna with parsley and egg. What’s special about brik is its preparation. First, you put the tuna filling on the puff pastry and then crack an egg and add it on top. Quickly fold the dough to form a triangular pocket and put it in boiling oil. The dough will deep fry and the egg will coagulate – just as it would if you were frying it sunny side up. Once brik is done, the filling will still be juicy and the egg very soft. Brik can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner – a matter of taste. For me, one brik is enough for a whole lunch.

Recipe (in Slovenian): https://lahkihnog-naokrog.si/2020/06/recept-brik-tunizija.html 

6. Stuffed tomatoes, Italy

Italian cuisine is thought to be one of the best. Everyone is familiar with pizza and pasta, but we were delighted with a whole different dish when visiting Italy: stuffed tomatoes! In order to prepare the dish, you’ll need tomatoes, rice and cheese. Making stuffed tomatoes is a bit more difficult, but not too difficult for an average chef or a housewife not to be able to prepare the dish. The tomatoes need to be carved out and then stuffed with a mix of cooked rice, tomato paste and cheese. The tomatoes are then baked in the oven. You can also serve fried potatoes as a side dish, or you can serve the stuffed tomatoes as a standalone course. The flavour will take you to southern Italy!

Recipe (in Slovenian): https://lahkihnog-naokrog.si/2016/07/polnjeni-paradizniki-italija.html 

7. Fish amok, Cambodia

Fish amok is a Cambodian (Khmer) dish. It’s a fish prepared using a special process called amok. It is essentially a fish fried in coconut sauce and rolled in banana leaves. Since the latter are hard to get outside tropical countries, you’ll have to simplify or adjust the recipe a bit. The key elements of fish amok are spices (a mix of turmeric, cumin, chili, lemongrass, lime and other spices), coconut milk and fish fillet. We simply stir-fry all the ingredients and cook them, and in the end thicken the dish with an egg. Plain rice goes along well. As already mentioned in the introduction, fish amok takes us to Cambodia over and over again, to the dusty and noisy streets of Siem Reap where we dug into the dish after we were done wondering at the ancient temples (Angkor Wat and others).

Recipe (in Slovenian): https://lahkihnog-naokrog.si/2014/12/amok-fish-kambodza.html 

8. Fried bananas, Africa

Bananas are in a way stereotypical African fruit, even though they also grow in Asia and America. Each part of Africa uses a different way to make fried bananas, using different spices. Some pan fry bananas, others deep fry them... The best fried bananas we’ve ate were the ones we had in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). It’s quite simple: you peel the banana, slice it in half lengthwise and quickly pan fry it. When serving fried bananas, you can pour honey on them or maple syrup (I know, it’s not really an African ingredient), chocolate topping... It’s a matter of taste, really.

Recipe (in Slovenian): https://lahkihnog-naokrog.si/2016/11/ocvrte-pecene-banane-svazi.html 

9. Pavlova, Australia

Pavlova is a typical Australian cake made from egg whites and fruit. It got its name from Ana Pavlova, a ballet dance, for whom the cake was actually first made. The legend says that a certain baker was so impressed by Ana’s dance that he decided to make her something new, something special. Using beaten egg whites, he wanted the cake to reflect Ana’s light dance moves. You’ll need egg whites and sugar for Pavlova – this will make for dough that has to be baked slowly at medium temperature. When the dough is done and has cooled down, you pour sweetened whipped cream over it and decorate it with fruit of your choice. We prefer strawberries or kiwis.

Recipe (in Slovenian): https://lahkihnog-naokrog.si/2015/12/torta-pavlova-avstralija.html 

10. Banana bread, the Caribbean

One of the most frequently encountered desserts in the Caribbean is banana bread. Bananas grow there just like apples do here, so basically at every step and, subsequently, they’re often used in various dishes. Banana bread is basically sponge cake with added bananas and Caribbean spices. On one hand, it isn’t anything special, but on the other hand, it’s these very spices that make it so different from our everyday desserts. The flavour of banana bread with nutmeg always carries me off to Jamaican beaches.

Recipe (in Slovenian): https://lahkihnog-naokrog.si/2018/11/recept-bananin-kruh-jamajka.html 

So, if we can’t travel physically, at least we can travel with the help of various dishes. Now, quickly run to the shop to fetch all those ingredients and prepare for a travel with taste. Bon appétit!