National Geographic Traveller Food

Tim Anderson I relished the opportunity to get geeky about ramen. I dug out my ramen history books (yes, there are ramen history books) and tried to get to the heart of what makes ramen so special. I realised that it isn’t really one specific dish — it’s the framework for a multitude of dishes, and for endless creativity and adaptation. DECONSTRUCT, P 78 Farida Zeynalova As a real philhellene (lover of Greek culture), I was very excited to visit Chios. My hosts Vangelis and Roula made me feel like one of the family, and the time I spent with them offered a fascinating insight into local culinary traditions — from family recipes to the island’s acres of citrus groves and mastic trees. BREAKING BREAD, P 86 Carolyn Boyd Brittany is the French region that…

It’s not hard to eat well in Spain. Even if you’ve only been once or twice, chances are you’ve dined in style, whether on paella or a fresh seafood salad by the sea or tortillas, jambon, chorizo or churros in one of the major cities. But the great thing about having a country like this on our doorstep is that it offers food-lovers in the UK a potential lifetime’s worth of discoveries. Such as the tapas scene in Granada, where exquisite tiny dishes come free with your drinks. Or the furanchos of Galicia — eccentric restaurants so unofficial they can only operate for three months in every year. Or the historic cider houses of the Basque region, where crowds gather to catch a golden arc of amber liquid in their glasses…

Whether eaten raw with onion in Amsterdam or pickled on a crispbread in Stockholm, the herring is considered a delicacy in many parts of Europe. And while this oily, protein-rich fish has never been quite as popular in the UK, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has given fish-lovers a fresh incentive to reconsider it, having recently classified it as a sustainable option. In the latest edition of the MCS’s Good Fish Guide, which uses a traffic light system to help consumers make ethical decisions, herring has rejoined the green-rated Best Choice list — reflecting the fact that populations of North Sea herring, which had been in decline since 2017, have returned to a healthy size. It’s joined on the Best Choice list by sardines — specifically those caught off the south and…

1 ELEANORE TIRAMUCHOUX Owned by the couple behind celebrated restaurant The Little Chartroom, Roberta Hall-McCarron and Shaun McCarron, Eleanore has plenty of tempting savouries on the menu, but pudding is the must-order dish. Currently the only dessert on the menu at Edinburgh’s hottest restaurant, the tiramuchoux is a tempting tiramisu-profiterole hybrid — a light-as-afeather pastry filled with a thick layer of coffee gelato, topped with a dusting of chocolate. eleanore.uk 2 CREEL CAUGHT ARBROATH SMOKIE AND CHIPS Until National Chef of Scotland Gary Maclean opened Creel Caught last year in the smart Bonnie & Wild food court, it was a rarity to see traditional Arbroath smokies on Edinburgh menus. Maclean serves his smokies simply, with lemon, dill butter, celeriac and Arran mustard slaw, as well as chips. Unwrap its foil jacket, inhale and you could…

100 The approximate number of cucumber varieties. In the UK, the most commonly sold is the English cucumber, which is a thinskinned burpless (seedless) variety 96% THE WATER CONTENT OF CUCUMBERS. THE TEMPERATURE OF THE WATER CAN BE UP TO 20F DEGREES COOLER THAN THE OUTSIDE AIR, HENCE THE SAYING ‘COOL A SACUCUMBER’ 5-6 The typical length, in inches, of a Persian cucumber — considerably shorter than English cucumbers, which typically grow to more than one foot 107cm The length of the world’s longest cucumber, which was grown in 2011 by Ian Neale from Wales and presented at the Bath & West Showground in Shepton Mallet in Somerset 2,563 THE RECORD AMOUNT OF CUCUMBERS HARVESTED FROM A PLANT IN ONE YEAR, GROWN AT THE WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT, FLORIDA, IN 2016 2030 BC THE DATE CUCUMBERS WERE FIRST PICKLED BY THE…

ORIGINS This spiced rice dish is thought to have originated in Senegambia — a historical region spanning parts of modern-day Senegal, Gambia and Mauritania —.during the Jolof Empire of the 14th-16th centuries. It remains popular across West Africa, with many regional variations. METHOD The base of the jollof is best made in advance, to allow the flavours to deepen and intensify. A mix of onions, tomatoes, ginger, scotch bonnet, peppers and herbs and spices is cooked low and slow; you should let it bubble away until the oil starts to separate and settle on the surface. FLAVOURING Nigerian jollof tends to gain a spiciness from its base of obe ata dindin (a red pepper sauce), while Ghanaian jollof is said to be milder in comparison. I use half a scotch bonnet to create mild heat,…