Dish Spotlight: Vigorón in Nicaragua
It might require some legwork, but our contributor found that tracking down vigorón on the streets of Granada was well worth the scavenger hunt.
Photos by Chelsey Perron
It was a sunny day, and the breeze off Lake Nicaragua floated past Granada’s colorful colonial houses.…
Dish Spotlight: Gallo Pinto in Costa Rica
It doesn’t get much more tipico than this deceptively basic rice-and-beans breakfast, reports contributor (and Costa Rica resident) Chelsey Perron.
A typical breakfast plate with gallo pinto, from a roadside soda.
Costa Ricans—Ticos, as they’re called here—wake up to a different…
Dish Spotlight: Madagascar's Love Affair with Ravitoto
We never said ravitoto was pretty (credit).
Though relatively unknown in the West, cassava, also called manioc or yucca, has long been an important staple food throughout much of Africa (and elsewhere), including Madagascar and the rest of the sub-Saharan region, showing up in restaurants…
Dish Spotlight: Boza in Istanbul, Turkey
I’m a sucker for wintery drinks. Not just of the hot chocolate variety—that’s a given—but also thick, filling, savory drinks, like eggnog, Mexican atole, and this stuff, boza, in Turkey. A traditional fermented drink made from wheat, millet, or bulgur—and onetime favorite beverage of Ottoman sultans—boza is kind of an…
Dish Spotlight: Placinta, The Republic of Moldova
Homemade placintas from the south of Moldova, in Comrat. Photo by Leah Kieff
Placinta. The first time I tasted this traditional fried bread, still warm from the pan, I knew I would love living in Moldova. My first bite was of a Romanian-style placinta—homemade, deep-fried, filled with brinza (homemade cheese, like…
Dish Spotlight: Kitfo in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Photo by Jessie Beck
Before I landed in Ethiopia, my knowledge of Ethiopian food went no further than a few dinners on 14th Street in Washington D.C., where a large diaspora of Ethiopians and Eritreans have set up shop and, accordingly, some great Ethiopian restaurants. I only vaguely…
Dish Spotlight: Burcak in Moravia, Czech Republic
For this dish spotlight, we turn to Moravia and its uber-seasonal burcak wine, which contributor Christopher Burdick recently had the pleasure of tracking down for us.
photo by Mararie
“It tastes like delicious, carbonated, innocent grape juice. But it’s far from innocent. Start drinking early and the next thing you know it’s 1am, you’ve had…
Dish Spotlight: Saltwater Taffy, Jersey Shore
What is it about this soft, chewy candy that’s so transporting? Maybe it’s the packaging: bright, happy colors; wax paper wrappers; pastel boxes depicting beach panoramas. Maybe it’s the sweet creamy taste, or the sticky texture that makes you feel like a kid again. But likely it’s…
Video: The Making of Manti, in Turkey
Manti. We tried the beloved Turkish ravioli, filled with ground lamb or beef, three different ways in our travels around the country. In Kayseri, in Central Anatolia, whose version of the dish is most famous, the boiled dumplings are tiny and set afloat in a soupy tomato sauce, dolloped with garlicky yogurt and finished with a sprinkle of oregano, pul…
Dish Spotlight: Goat Water, on Antigua
On the Caribbean island of Antigua, you hear the word “water” used to describe many a local dish—conch water, cockle (clam) water, goat water. But fear not: Watery broths these are not. Preparations vary, but chances are you’ll receive a very flavorful soup or even stew…