National Geographic Traveller Food Winter 2020

Clarissa Wei While I’m a Los Angeles native, I’ve always had a strong connection to Taiwan, the island where my ancestors come from. I now live in the capital city, Taipei and am enjoying the ample access to fresh bamboo, ferns and tropical fruits. This island is both beautiful and lush, and the streets absolutely teem with good eats. TAIPEI, P 102 Jenny Linford Britain’s cheeses reflect its landscape and history in a very rich, interesting and delicious way. It was a pleasure to talk to key players in the British cheese scene about this food we all love so much. I knew the interviews would make me crave good cheese, so I made sure to stock up beforehand. CHEESE, P 48 Liz Dodd I learned more about veganism on…

Once you become interested in cheese, it’s so easy to completely lose yourself to it. And things can move quickly — one minute you’re breaking offbits of cheddar from the block in the fridge, the next, you’re buying aged comté and gruyère just for the tyrosine crystals. Like many others, I was once put offby both the taste and texture of cheese, but slowly grew into a borderline obsessive. But this isn’t just a tale of a maturing palate, for I feel I’m now hooked by the entirety of it: the traditions, the variations, the geography, the backstories, the possibilities of new discoveries — that sense of satisfaction that comes from enjoying a variety you once despised. At my local deli, the list of artisan cheeses reads like a roll…

Christmas is likely to be very different this year, with the ‘rule of six’ meaning fewer people around the table. Many home cooks are turning away from turkey for fear of waste or endless leftovers. Some turkey farmers have seen a drop in orders for large birds, and while chicken or goose are obvious substitutes, why not experiment this year with a meat-free main? From plant-based steaks to savoury bakes, vegetarian dishes can be scaled up or down, and often come with all the usual Christmas trimmings. We asked chefs for their favourite veggie centrepieces. Seitan steaks and maple-roasted roots “A traditional roast dinner is one of our favourite meals — we just have ours without the meat,” say Henry Firth and Ian Theasby. Their latest vegan cookbook, Speedy Bosh!…

ISLAND 1 GROUPER WITH JALAPEÑO & YUZU At Island, Greek cooking is combined with Asian and Latin American ingredients, in keeping with the city’s growing trend for fusion cuisine. Fresh local grouper fillet is seared on both sides until crisp on the outside and juicy inside. It’s placed atop a perfectly balanced, velvety jalapeño pepper sauce, sweetened with mirin, and topped with a sweet-and-sour yuzu foam. islandclubrestaurant.gr WORKSHOP BY ALIENTO 2 URAMAKI Japanese-Peruvian fusion cuisine, known as Nikkei, first came to Athens about five years ago, and Workshop by Aliento is one of the best places to try it. The thing to order? Uramaki, inside-out sushi rolls. In this dish, prawn tempura, asparagus, avocado and sriracha are rolled up in a sea-bass fillet marinated in ‘tiger’s milk’, the spicy, citrus-based…

1 Garden Café at the Garden Museum, London One of London’s lesser-known museums, this Lambeth gem is dedicated to all things horticultural, and its fantastic restaurant opened in a modern glass extension in 2017. The menu changes with the seasons, but might typically include mackerel with cucumber, apple and kohlrabi, or, say, runner beans with pickled walnuts and poached egg. Desserts are strong, too; look out for the treacle tart. gardenmuseum.org.uk/cafe 2 Boatyard at Hastings Contemporary, East Sussex Run by Kate and Ben O’Norum, the pair behind Farmyard in neighbouring St Leonards-on-Sea, Boatyard opened at Hastings Contemporary art gallery in January. It sits in a modern waterside space and has a menu centred around the daily catch from the local fishing fleet. There’s also charcuterie, veg and bread from the…

THE NUMBER OF TAIWANESE TEAHOUSES CLAIMING TO HAVE INVENTED BUBBLE TEA. HANLIN TEA ROOM, IN TAINAN, AND CHUN SHUI TANG, IN TAICHUNG, ARE LOCKED IN DISPUTE OVER WHO CAME UP WITH THE IDEA. 17th The century in which tea was first introduced to Europe. The Dutch brought it over to Holland from China via a trading post on the island of Java. 1831 The year Twinings created the Earl Grey blend, which was requested by, and named after, the then prime minister. Earl Grey comes with a distinctive twist of citrusy bergamot. 2737BC The year Emperor Shen Nong of China accidentally ‘discovered’ tea. According to legend, the leaf of a wild tea plant fell into his pot as he was boiling water, and he enjoyed the taste. 2.8% THE FALL…