National Geographic Traveller Food Summer 2021

Oliver Smith What struck me in Japan was the intense relationship between sake and the landscape, and how the tiniest differences in the local geology, water and climate could upend the entire character of the drink. Back in England, a sip conjures up memories of snowy mountains, bamboo groves and crimson-hued Japanese maples. JAPAN, P 6 2 Jessica Vincent Despite growing up in Spain, I knew nothing of Ribera del Duero’s 900-year-old history of making and storing wine underground. What struck me most wasn’t the wineries hidden in plain sight, but the passion with which winemakers are striving to save a tradition on the brink of collapse. SPAIN, P 90 Sarah Barrell Italian cuisine is hyper-regional; every dish, every ingredient comes with a story that speaks of a specific place and, often, the long history…

You probably already know about Italian food. Chances are you’ve even got a favourite dish, one that always delivers. Perhaps there’s an Italian restaurant nearby that you’ve loved for years. Or maybe pasta is your speciality in the kitchen. You might even be an enthusiast. Maybe you’ve been to Venice or Tuscany and marvelled at the cuisine — the freshness of the ingredients, the way the classics differ from place to place, how the locals coax such thrilling flavours from seemingly basic recipes. Or perhaps you’re actually something of an authority, with opinions on what makes the best olive oil and the ideal way to cook anchovies. But whatever your relationship with Italian cuisine, there’s always more to learn. And that’s the beauty of it — for its story is different every…

The basics With their plump, sweet and salty flesh, oysters are a delicacy the world over. And in the UK, we’re blessed with a bounty of these bivalves, particularly around the South East (where the Kentish town of Whitstable has become synonymous with the oysters caught nearby), as well as in the South West and western Scotland. Oysters have long been costly to consume, but we may be about to see a swing back the Victorian era, when they were cheap and plentiful. With restaurants closed during the pandemic, and post-Brexit rules keeping a lot of seafood on our shores, Britain has a glut of oysters and, as a result, they’ve become more affordable. Wright Brothers and Farmdrop have been selling them for £17 a dozen, while Ocado offers Loch Fyne’s for…

1 BUKA KONTONMIRE STEW In the lively Osu district, Buka serves up smartly presented Ghanaian and Nigerian classics in an open-sided dining room. The standout dish is kontonmire stew, a fragrant blend of cocoyam leaves (often replaced with spinach outside of Africa), tomato, onion, pepper, palm oil, egusi (dried and ground gourd seeds) and dried fish. Order it with meat or fish, plus a side of yam or plantain. bukarestaurant.com 2 BELLA AFRIK LOBSTER FETTUCCINE At Bella Afrik, chef Claudio Sarfati creates what he calls ‘Italian tropical’ cuisine. Local produce, especially seafood, is the star in his Mediterranean-style feasts. For the lobster fettuccine, fresh lobster is cooked in a white wine and tomato sauce before being stirred into homemade pasta. Pizzas are a draw, too, with the signature topping, of course, being lobster. On Sundays,…

1 Parkside Farm, Enfield Juicy blackberries, redcurrants and strawberries are the stars of the show at this pick-your-own place on the northern edge of London. One key selling point is the ‘table-top’ strawberry-growing system, which means plants are grown in troughs at waist height — no more bending down in the dirt to pluck your berries. Parkside is also one of the few farms accessible without a car, as long as you don’t mind a walk — it’s 25 minutes from Gordon Hill station. parksidefarmpyo.co.uk 2 Craigie’s Farm, Scotland Just outside Edinburgh, Craigie’s Farm is bursting with produce including cherries, raspberries, peas, broad beans and, perhaps surprisingly, sunflowers. The onsite shop, deli and cafe have a lot more to offer besides fruit and veg — you can pick up homemade jams, meat, cheese…

3,560 THE AGE, IN YEARS, OF ANCIENT WATERMELON LEAVES FOUND ON A MUMMY IN AN EGYPTIAN TOMB, ACCORDING TO SCIENTISTS WHO ANALYSED THE REMAINS LAST YEAR 30.47kg THE WEIGHT OF THE HEAVIEST CANTALOUPE ON RECORD. IT WAS MEASURED IN HAWESVILLE, KENTUCKY ON 5 AUGUST 2019 100.4m The quantity, in tonnes, of watermelon produced worldwide in 2019, including some 60.8 million tonnes produced by China — the most of any country by far 50kg The level of melon consumption per capita in Kazakhstan in 2018 (the highest in the world). Turkey came in second, with 22kg consumed per person. The global average consumption was 4.25kg per person 92% The percentage of a watermelon that’s water, with the remainder being a mixture of carbohydrates (sugars and dietary fibre) ¥5m THE SUM, EQUIVALENT TO £33,000, PAID BY A JAPANESE BUYER FOR A PAIR OF…