HONEY magazine

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MAGAZINE

Life is the flower for which love is the honey

4.50EUR

3.50GBP

5.60USD

Colophon Contributing editors Janilda Bartolomeu Gabriela Basile Joey van der Put

Š 2014 All right reserved.

HONEY magazine is a registered trademark HONEY magazine, inc.

Special thanks to Seca Pipas Nish Imala

it has been hard but very fulfilling work, making this magazine. wokring together as a team, experimenting a lot, creating new content has formed a satisfying end result. We want to thank all the teachers for helping us each week, by pushing us to the next level and when we were stuck or when we were on the wrong track. We can safely say that because of this the content is very rich and we hope it will be as inspiring for you as the journey has been for us.

Abo ut H ONE Y Honey a universal ingredient, which has been on every single continent around the world for centuries now. Being used as a foundation of creation, a common denominator connecting people everywhere to each other without them even realising this existence of an unspoken bond. It is a product that requires the coming together and joint hard work of dozens of bees, to be made possible. The perfect metaphor to represent our magazine and create a more aware and comfortable platform for different cultures to coincide.

HONEY magazine is about using food as a comfortable gateway towards achieving deeper cross-cultural understanding. It is about using cross-cultural food to expose otherwise hidden connections between cultures that seem worlds apart but actually share similarities in use of ingredients and eating habits. Using these similarities HONEY magazine wants to try to open this barrier up to a greater level of respect, and maybe even empathy, between these cultures.

This type of understanding, openness and getting together is something we think could go a long way in easing the tensions between countries and cultures due to the conflict-stricken times we face in this day and age.

We hope that this magazine can serve as a mediating voice between western society and the marginalized people from culturally diverse backgrounds to express their authentic opinions and beliefs that we don’t normally see or hear. All of this will be done through the medium and healing properties of food, which with its unique comforting and gathering abilities; will form the core of our magazine.

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03

Introduction

08 que cultura?

06

the cultured illusion

12

Schiedam revised

04

14

Baring connections

26

the cultured truth

22

AMERICANISH

28 food TRIP

05

06

CULTURED ILLUSION

THE

c u l t u r e d

illusion Let’s first start by finding out which foods are perceived as ethnic by the Western perspective. Because a British person won’t find a French dish ethnic while an Ethiopian or Korean dish will fit into this category. Exoticism and edibility are factors that heavily influence the consumption of food; these are shifting notions that could re-arrange due to social and personal contexts.

Truth be told, the vast majority of people do not stray from their comfortable yardstick of edibility. No matter how “tolerant” or “open-minded” they claim to be, their taste buds never stray too far away from home. The majority of these worldly people pride themselves for eating authentic ethnic dishes while, in fact, these dishes are far from authentic but altered to their taste buds because they’ll hardly consume anything perceived as “too exotic or ethnic”, like for example, Sannakji. A Korean dish consisting of a small live octopus cut into pieces and served immediately. Which means that the display of ethnic and cultural otherness is only acceptable when it is within the confines of Western standards or palatability.

So what happens to actual authentically ethic dishes is that the dominant culture, in this case the Western culture, adopts the foods that they deem edible from the ethnic culture, and then they separate these foods from this culture’s food which they deem inferior, completely ignoring their existence. Only serving the parts they deem worthy of Western consumption.

On of the results of this is that foods which are identified as authentic Chinese dishes, are in fact, hardly ever consumed in China.

But do us worldly Westerners really care about if food is truly authentic, to be honest, most of the times not. The illusion of authenticity is what truly matters here. Most of the time, consuming “authentic ethnic food” isn’t truly about getting to know and understand the other culture but more about portraying one-self as a more international and enlightened person.

It’s a way to differentiate themselves from the less educated and less tolerant among us. By consuming these “authentic” ethnic foods one figuratively and briefly assumes the traits of the culture, which food they have just consumed.

In this way the consumer present him or herself as a more virtuous human being.

CULTURED ILLUSION

Cross-cultural food is a means that has been used by many to express tolerance and worldliness. But the question is, is this accurate? Do cross-cultural eating habits really lead to greater cross-cultural understanding? The answer is no, not automatically. It will help one presenting an alleviated and tolerant self-image but creating genuine and long-term cultural understanding doesn’t just magically happen when a “tolerant” individual consumes ethnic dishes. And here is why.

This type of cross-cultural food consumption doesn’t benefit cross-cultural understanding or compassion in any way. They only thing it does is pulling the ethnic other out of their cultural context, denying their significance and history in this way completely forgetting and pushing aside the culture and its people. In this way just briefly consuming and in the next instance completely forgetting about them.

So what can we do to transform merely cross-cultural food consumption into a long withstanding relationship of cross-cultural understanding or compassion? The main solution as in many other circumstances involving humans is communication. For us to truly start understanding each other, we need to start engaging in conversation. If you genuinely want to create cross-cultural connections through food, put effort into finding the truly authentic dishes and genuinely show interest perhaps the people cooking or serving the dishes to you. Ask questions about why a certain ingredient is used in a dish, for instance. Or why a certain cooking method is used to prepare a dish. Or even in what context the dish is served. Showing this honest open attitude will harvest trust and people will be willing to share their stories with you. In this way we’ll start learning and getting to know each other and be one step closer to cross-cultural understanding and empathy.

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08

QUE CULTURA?

c u lt u r a ?

It is one thing to move somewhere at an early age but it is another thing when you do when you are already older. A new lifestyle, different customs and a complete new enviroment. For Fabio (32) it has been quite the ride all the way from sunny Lisbon to the icey winters of The Netherlands.

In conquest of not losing his own identity and the culture he came from he opened a little shop called Seca Pipas with delicatesses and other products from his homeland Portugal.

As we interviewed him and his point of view about food as a mediator and discovering new cultures, he had some things to say about Schiedam.

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QUE CULTURA?

QUE

Where did you live when you where younger?

In Portugal, Lisbon.

When did you come to the Netherlands?

It’s been eight years since I moved to the Netherlands.

What is a family dish you grew up with? Do you have fond memories connected to it?

I think that “Cozido à Portuguesa” is a dish that I grew up with. I certainly have memories related to it, like the Sunday’s meals when we all got together: adults, children, everybody. These are pretty good memories.

How has living in Holland influenced your view on your ethnic background/cuisine? Has it significantly influenced your ethnic culinary expression?

Hum, I don’t think so, especially because we have a store that sells traditional Portuguese products.

Food in Holland is very different and we lived almost thirty years in Portugal, so we are very used to our way of cooking and eating.

How do you feel about the way your culture is portrayed or perceived here?

I believe that they don’t see us in a bad way when it refers to food, but anyway they have different habits from us and we have certain kinds of food that perhaps they would never try, even if they were good. That’s mostly because they are not used to it and it’s not part of their culture.

Why do you think that people from different ethnic backgrounds live so separately?

Well, I would say culture, maybe the education given in schools and the conditions they live in. For example, we are from the South of Europe; we are Latin, a kind of people that spend most time on the streets. Here (in the Netherlands) they spend a lot of time inside their homes because the weather is not friendly. All of these factors make people different in many ways.

QUE CULTURA?

Have you ever met people from a different ethnic background who disappointed you in any way?

How? And do you believe this has to do with the person’s ethnic background/difference?

Woh, definitely! But I would prefer not to name them as a sign of respect. It is possible to see all kinds of people here, including the ones who escaped from poverty, hunger, and war. We ourselves came from the South of Europe where the living conditions aren’t the best these days. At the end we face too many distinct people living together and what I am able to say is that cultures sometimes shock.

Are there people from a different ethnic background who have had a positive influence on your life?

In which way? And do you believe this is somehow connected to ethnicity?

Yes, sure. I have close friends that influenced me, like the Dutch ones, who changed a lot of my street way of living and other habits, because it is inevitable. I wouldn’t say it is good or bad, just different.

At home my habits remained almost the same because my wife is Portuguese and my son as well, who was born here but has the Portuguese nationality.

Sometimes you get together with these friends for cooking or does that never happens?

Yes, we do!

And does everybody cook a little bit of authentic food from their culture and everybody tries everything?

Sure, it sometimes happens like that!

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QUE CULTURA?

If you would get the chance to invite 3 people from different ethnic backgrounds to a potluck, whom would you invite? And why specifically?

I would invite a Chinese person, a Japanese person and probably an Australian person. The Chinese person, because we eat “Chinese” food, but it is not the real version because it is adapted to our country and culture, so I would really like to try their genuine food. I would invite the Japanese person, because I really enjoy sushi and other elements of their cuisine, which is very different from ours. And I would invite the Australian person due to the quality of their meat. They are people that don’t eat high quantities of bread like us, they eat a lot of meat instead and I would like to have the opportunity to get to know their food better.

What questions would you want to ask these guests?

Hum, I don’t think I have a specific question. I would like to simply sit with them around the table and talk about everything.

What would you cook for them? What food/dish would you like them to bring?

A dish that would be typically Portuguese is “Feijoada”.

Name your favorite food from a different ethnicity/culture?

Well, as I said, I’m really into sushi!

What food from another ethnicity would you want to try? What has been holding you back from trying it?

I don’t have anything in mind right now, because honestly I have tried a lot of different foods in my life and I am capable to say that I know a little bit of almost everything. I’m a pretty open-minded person.

13. Which cultures/ethnicities can you think of that are similar to yours? In terms of food and tradition.

What are these similarities?

The Spanish, Italians, Romanians, Bulgarians and the Balkans also have traditions that are similar to ours.

Do you think food can be used as a solution, in any way, to release some of the cross-cultural tension the world has been dealing with?

Yes, sure! I believe that somehow, if we sit together to eat, at some point, we will start talking. This conversation has the power to lead us into a bigger comprehension towards each other’s cultures.

We, the Portuguese, for instance, love drinking wine, and I believe that after the second or third glass things just start flowing better and people become more open to understand the other (laugh).

How do you see the cross-cultural situation in Schiedam right now? How would you want to see it evolve?

Hum, I don’t know. I’m not properly evolved with the community in a general way. I have some people that are part of my life, but I wouldn’t know what to tell you about how people act or relate to each other, or what they do together.

What kind of facility/event would you suggest to motivate cross-cultural empathy?

I actually really do events here in Schiedam! I invite people to taste some wine, our products, to know our shop and our culture. I invite all kinds of people, people from other cultures, for instance. I believe that’s very important, but I also believe that I can’t change things all by myself. I’m doing my part, though.

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schiedam revised

SCHIEDAM While walking through Schiedam it is impossible not to notice the many empty buildings, places that have been for rent or for sale for a pretty long time. Between the stores that are in business, a very low number is dedicated to restaurants or shops that prepare or sell products from other cultures, such as the Portuguese emporium we went to. We asked the owner Fabio where we could find more places like his and the answer was that he could only direct us to one or maybe two shops with a foreign identity.

Even though there are a lot of people from all over the world in Schiedam, it is not possible to see this reflected in the city centre. You really have to put an effort in finding demonstrations of diverse habits in foreign cuisine, and usually they are considerably isolated. We clearly have seen a lack of interaction that raises these barriers and closes off this city for people with a cultural diverse background to not talk or exchange experiences with each other, which is a main reason why isn’t as vibrant as it could be.

Would the city and the human interaction be any different if we could actually see all the rich culturally diverse content it has to offer, specifically when it comes to food?

That’s a question we asked ourselves during our visit and what has led to the creation of the visual project “Schiedam Revised”. The purpose of this project is to show how by adding authentic specialty shops and restaurants from various cultures in the centre can attract and put people in contact in a more efficient and less segregated way throughout the city. With this project we wanted to create a more solic future scenario of what the city could look and feel like with a more visual mixed crowd.

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REVISED

schiedam revised

Vegetarian barbecue

4,50

Merguez Barbecue with Tomatoes

6,00

Organic chicken drumstick

7,00

Boar Carré

5,50

Kafta

3,00

Dry curd

3,00

Zaalouk

2,50

Tchoutchouka

4,00

Foie Pate Liver Pate Aubergine

6,00 5,50 4,90

Couscous Royal à Francesa

12,00

Lamb Tagine with Pear and Honey

10,50

Lamb Stinco with Artichoke

13,00

Medina Couscous

10,00

K’dra Couscous

11,20

Vegetarian Couscous

9,00

Couscous Royal à Francesa

12,00

Lamb Tagine with Pear and Honey

10,50

Lamb Stinco with Artichoke

13,00

Medina Couscous

10,00

K’dra Couscous

11,20

Vegetarian Couscous

9,00

Vegetarian barbecue

4,50

Merguez Barbecue with Tomatoes

6,00

Organic chicken drumstick

7,00

Boar Carré

5,50

Kafta

3,00

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BARING baring connections

CONNECTIONS One of food’s major qualities is its ability to gather people together. But does just gathering really ensure deeper conversation to get to each other on a deeper level?

How can a table be set to bring people together on a more intimate level and to create deeper conversation subjects?

The answer lies in eating the same food, from the same plate. Everyone is on the same level, rubbing shoulders, accidently touching each others hands, crossing over each other and passing food to each other. And why not use what’s in front, the food, as comfortable conversation starter?

Baring Connections is about one source where multiple, culturally diverse people can eat from, bringing them together on an intimate level, physically.

The ingredients that helped build these unifying sources were all carefully selected, as each ingredient is meant to spark a memory or anecdote from multiple cultures sitting at the table. Seeing these unconscious cross-cultural connections will help the cultures involved relate to and empathize with each other. For instance, surprisingly connecting a Turkish and Chinese person to each other through their similar use of cornmeal. The goal is for each and every person the walk away from the table with a broader cross-cultural perspective and a greater sense human connection. Bon appĂŠtit!

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BARING CONNECTIONS

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Used here to depict a homogeneous source of serving the ingredients and with that the history, present, and travel they have made from culture to culture.

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the TOTEMPOLE

baring connections

Totem poles, monumental sculptures used by Native Americans to depict history and legend.

vegetable and either fish, seafood or various meats. It’s West-African 1. Dry Salted Fish equivalent is, said to be where Mofongo actually originated from, also National Consumption: The Caribbean - North Africa - West Africa - Souconsists out of starchy food crops, like cooking plantains which are also theast Asia - Southern China - Scandinavia - coastal Russia - the Arctic mashed into a dough-like consistency and shaped into a specific shape.

Fufu, also dipped into an accompanying broth or sauce and is mainly At the top of the totem pole there is fish. In contrary to meat, where there consumed Ghana. Fufu is also a staple dish in the Caribbean. are certain cultures that don’t consume certain meats. Salted Fish has been a staple of diets everywhere in the world for centuries, proving 4. Cornmeal that human necessity birthed one ingredient even though they are so far National Consumption: Equatorial Africa (Zambia, Malawi, Namibia), apart.

Central Africa, West Africa, Indian Ocean (Mauritius), Horn of Africa Fried Salt Fish: In the Caribbean salt fish is sautéed with spices (thyme, (Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia), Europe (Italy, Bulgaria, Romania), South Asia (India, Pakistan), East Asia, - Latin America (Brazil, Venezuela, Paraguay), onion tomatoes, hot pepper) and eaten with rice, roti or ground provisiCaribbean (Curacao, Barbados), North America. ons.

Bakalar s Krumpirom: In Serbia and Croatian a similar dish is popular during Lent and Advent. The salted fish is sautéed as well but this time consumed with cooked potatoes, the European equivalent of ground provisions in a way 2. Sweet Potato National Consumption: East Africa (Uganda, South Sudan, Kenya) – West Africa (Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia) – North Africa (Egypt) – East Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan) – Southeast Asia (India, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, West Papua, Indonesia) – North America (United States) – Oceania (New Zealand)

In Japan boiled and steamed sweet potatoes are common to eat at home. In the Northeast of Italy it is a common tradition to boil or roast sweet potatoes as a fall dish.

Sweet potatoes are also mashed as a side dish in Kenya, but also in the United States, usually during Thanksgiving or with barbecue.

3. Cooking Plantain National Consumption: - Latin America (Guatemala, Cuba, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, Honduras) – Caribbean (Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Dominican Republic) – West Africa (Nigeria, Haiti, Cameroon, Benin, Cape Verde, Ghana) - Southeast Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos)

Kačamak: the Balkan and Turkish variation of the porridge dish is served with white cheese, potatoes or kaymak. In Bulgaria specifically it is served with heated lard or sunflower oil and browned or hot pepper.

Corn Congee: the Chinese version of the porridge dish normally has a thinner consistency than polenta and is usually served with Chinese pickles and chicken or ground pork sometimes.

5. Cassava / Yucca National Consumption: Central Africa (Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo, Uganda) - West Africa (Ghana, Cape Verde) - Equatorial Africa (Malawi) - Asia (Philippines, India, Malaysia) - Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Jamaica) - - Latin America (Brazil, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador) - Central America (Panama).

Fried Cassava: is like Fried Plantain, a national dish that is cross-culturally relevant because Cassava is like Plantain a cross-continentally important staple kind of ground-provision.

Cassava is again, fried in various way depending on each culture.

And even serves as a substitute for French fries in countries like Brazil, Venezuela and Malaysia.

Other countries in which fried cassava is frequently consumed is in West-African countries like for example Cape Verde. Fried cassava is also available as a snack, in the form of chips, called Krupuk, which originates from Indonesia.

Cassava Flour: is another staple ingredient derived from the cassava itself and is mainly used for baking like for example in pão de queijo in Brazil, which translates into cheese bread. These are simply made with Cassava flour and cheese. In Nigeria, flour for making bread contains Fried Plantain: or Plantain Chips are of common reoccurrence in especi- up to 40 percent cassava flour as a replacement of wheat flour. In some ally Central American, South American and African countries, but a few places, specifically Cape Verde, cassava flour is also eaten as a snack on its own.

Asian countries share the similarity of this particular snack in their diet.

Although different oils are used in each different countries the base of the 6. Seaweed snack stays the same. Ghanaian version, for instance, is fried in palm or vegetable or vegetable oil while in India Upperi is fried in coconut oil and National Consumption: East Asia (Japan, Korea, China) - Europe (Iceland, Norway, Ireland, Scotland, Wales) – Oceania (New Zealand) sprinkled with salt.

Mofongo/Fufu: Mofongo which is a dish mainly consumed in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Cuba, consists out of mashed fried plantain which is shaped into a tiny cake-like shaped and is filled with broth,

The consumption of seaweed is traditionally exclusively linked to East Asian countries, especially Japan due to it being served with sushi. Seaweed is usually also used in soups in East Asian cultures. What is lesser

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BARING CONNECTIONS

Sweet Potato is prepared in various different ways and pairs in different countries. But what most countries have in common is that sweet potato is usually prepared just plain, by merely baking, roasting or cooking them. They are often also consumed plain because of their distinct flavor.

In Egypt baked sweet potatoes are sold as street food in the winter, from carts with built in ovens. In China they are sold as winter street food as well, but baked in large metal drums instead of ovens. Sweet potatoes are also a winter dish in Korea where they are baked in foil or an open fire. In India they are slow roasted over kitchen coals overnight but paired with dressings of salt and yoghurt.

Polenta: cornmeal boiled into porridge, eaten directly, grilled, fried or baked. This dish is consumed on every continent around the world, in national dishes. The variation in each country lies in the meats, vegetable and other ingredients they combine with it. But the base remains the same in each country and culture.

baring connections

know is the presence of seaweed in European cuisine. In Ireland seaweed is noted for being pickled and used as a side and in dishes. Makombu Tsukudani is the Japanese equivalent of pickled seaweed and is usually mixed with brown sugar and soy sauce.

This mixture is used as a condiment on noodles, rice, fish, salads and even consumed on it’s own.

7. Rice National Consumption: Globally Rice is one of the most important staple foods in the world. It is globally milled, produced and traded, the production and consumption around the world is about 430 million metric tons a year.

Rice, like most cross-cultural, got globally spread during colonialism, notably to Latin America, North America, Europe and Oceania since there was no rice on these continents before it was transported there.

The earliest cultivation of rice started 3500 years in Africa. This rice, called Oryza Glaberrima, originated from the Niger River delta, the principal river in Western Africa, stretching all the way to Senegal between 1500 and 800 BC. But today the majority of rice is produced in Asia, in countries like India, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, China, Pakistan, Japan, Bangladesh, Japan and Myanmar. Asian countries are accountable for about 87% of the rice production in the world.

8. Black Eyed Peas National Consumption: United States (South) - Europe (Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey) – Asia (Vietnam, India) – Middle East (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon) -- Latin America (Colombia, Brazil) – West Africa (Nigeria) – Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana) Lucky New Year: Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day to bring prosperity in the new year, is a tradition that goes way back and is even recorded in the Babylonian Talmud. It is a originally Jewish tradition that is performed at Rish Hashana, the Jewish New Year. But it is a tradition that’s been taken up by non-Jews in the United States around the time of the American Civil War. A similar tradition is carried out in Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana and South-America here a dish called “cook-up rice” which consists mostly out of black-eyed peas and rice is served on New Year’s Eve. According to their tradition “cook up rice”should be the first thing consumed in the New Year to insure good luck, as well.

9. Turnip National Consumption: Europe (England, Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia, Austria) - North America (United States, Canada) – Middle East (Lebanon, Iran, Turkey) – Asia (Japan, India, Pakistan) – South America (Brazil)

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Pickled Turnip: Pickled turnip is usually served as a side dish in Middle Eastern countries such as Lebanon. Pickled turnips are also popular in Japan; they are usually stir fried in salt and soy sauce.

10. Pumpkin National Consumption: North America (United States, Canada) Central America (Mexico) – Europe (Italy) - East Asia (China) - Middle East - South Asia (India, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand) – Oceania (Australia, New Zealand), East Africa (Kenya) – West Africa In the United States it is common to simply boil or steam pumpkin, just like in the Western and central region of Kenya. Pumpkin is also just served boiled as a vegetable in China, but they are also consumed in soup. Just like in Vietnam where the soup is also paired with pork or shrimp.

Pumpkin seeds: In places like the United States, Canada, China and Europe, pumpkin seed are roasted frequently and eaten as a snack. In Myanmar pumpkin seeds are even a popular substitute for sunflower seeds. They are also popular snack with children in Kenya.

11. Chickpeas National consumption: Europe (Portuguese, Spain, Italy, France) - Middle East (Egypt) - Asia (India, Philippines) - Central America (Mexico) - - Latin America - West Africa.

Chickpea Flour Mirchi Baji / Panelle: These are two foods that are essentially both fried chickpeas. The first version is Mirchi Baij which originates from India. The next fritters, Panelle, but is meant to cover vegetables and meats before frying; this dish originates from Sicily, Italy.

Burmese tofu: is a dish based around chickpeas and was first known among the Shan people of Burma, officialy the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

Breads: In the Mediterranean chickpea flour is also used for this flatbread named Socca. And in Provence, France, Panisse, is served which is a patty made of cooked chickpea flour, which is then allowed to set, cut in strips and fried in olive oil. This patty is usually consumed during Lent.

BARING CONNECTIONS

THE FOODMAP

The landscape like depiction of ingredients used in sweet dishes. Find their stories and cultural connections by exploring the unifying circular paths.

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1. Honey National Consumption: Globally Honey is one of those ingredients that is ancient and used globally. It’s use and production has a long and diverse history. Honey is usually known as food but in reality it has association that go beyond food. Humans began collecting honey at least 8.000 years ago, as documented in various cave paintings. Honey is used practically everywhere to sweeten dishes, but also as a preservative. Beyond extensive Food purposes, honey also has a strong religious significance in various cultures. In for instance Hinduism, honey is one of the five elixirs of immortality called Panchamrita, which perfectly ties in with the preservative nature of honey.

2. Cassava / Yucca / Mandioca National Consumption: Central Africa (Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo, Uganda) - West Africa (Ghana, Cape Verde) - Equatorial Africa (Malawi) - Asia (Philippines, India, Malaysia, Taiwan) - Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Jamaica) - Latin America (Brazil, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador) - Central America (Panama).

baring connections

Cassava Cake: is a popular dessert in many cultures across the world. It is one of the most popular and enjoyed homemade delicacies in the Phlipinnes where it goes by the name of Cassava Bibingka. The Carribean equivalent is called Cassava Pone, and is popular in Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana.

Both versions are made with the same ingredients like grated cassava, sugar, evaporated milk, coconut milk etc. The only difference is that Cassava Pone, also has pumpkin in it and they are spiced differently, even though that is an element that varies in each household.

Tapioca: is a starch extracted form cassava root. It is used in a lot of savory dishes, but the sweet dishes and drinks don’t stay behind with this ingredient.

Tapioca pearls are an essential ingredient in the Taiwanese drink, Bubble Tea, which is a popular drink in Western countries right now.

Tapioca Pudding: is a sweet treat, usually made with, of course, tapioca and mixed with either milk or cream. But sometimes coconut milk used for flavoring. It is a culturally ambiguous dish, consumed in various styles depending on culture.

3. Condensed Milk National Consumption: East Asia (China) – Europe (England, Scotland, Poland, Russia) – Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines) – Caribbean (Jamaica) – North America (United States) – Central America (Mexico) – Latin America (Brazil) – West Africa (Canary Islands, Cape Verde) Beverages: In Asia, Europe and West Africa, condensed milk is used as a substitute of milk in coffee and tea. Vietnam is a good example of this, they use sweetened condensed milk to flavor their coffee. Teh Tarik is a Malaysian beverage made of tea mixed with condensed milk. Condensed milk is also an essential part of Hong Kong tea culture.

In various Asian countries and Cape Verde it’s common to consume condensed milk with toast or bread, the condensed milk serves as an alternative to jam. This was also a custom in West Yorkshire, in the years after World War II. Sweets: In Scotland, condensed milk is mixed with sugar and butter, this mixture is then boiled to form popular sweets named, Tablets. The Brazilian equivalent of Tablets are called Braquinhos, is a popular sweet in Brazil as well.

Doce de Leite / Dulce de Leche: is a Latin American confection mainly used in Brazil, it is made by putting the condensed milk in the oven or putting the unopened can in a bain-marie. The end-result then consists out of a smooth brown paste, which used as, for instance, icing for cake.

There are many eastern European versions of Doce de Leite. In Poland is it is called Kajmak and it’s made in the exact same way and has the same purpose. The Russian version goes by the name of Varionaya Sguschyonka.

Leche Flan: is a Philippine dessert pudding made by mixing condensed milk, evaporated milk and eggs, this mixture is put in a metal form, over a layer of caramelized sugar. Then it is steamed so it stiffens and keeps it shape. The same dish is served in Spain as well, this has to de with the colonial relationship between the two countries. In Brazil and Cape Verde there is the same dish, which goes by the name of Pudim de Leite.

4. Black-eyed Peas National Consumption: United States (South) - Europe (Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey) – Asia (Vietnam, India) – Middle East (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon) -- Latin America (Colombia, Brazil) – West Africa (Nigeria) – Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana) Chè Dậu Trắng: Black-Eyed Peas are surprisingly used in sweet desserts in various cultures. But the most notable sweet dish has got to be Chè

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Dậu Trắng, which consists out of black-eyed peas mixed with sticky rice and coconut milk.

5. Ginger National Consumption: Southeast Asia (India, Bangladesh, Burma, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam) – East Asia (Japan, Korea, China) Caribbean (Jamaica) – Europe (Greece, Britain) – Middle East Sweets: Despite its spicy nature, Ginger, is a re-occurring ingredient in sweet foods. In Japan it is even made into sweets called Shoga No Sato Zuke. China is also a country where ginger can be found as an element in candy boxes, they use candied ginger, in particular.

Beverages: Ginger beer is a carbonated beverage that is drunken in various parts of the world. The Jamaicans have their version, for instance, just like the Greek, which was derived from the British. But Ginger Beer originated from Yorkshire in England in the 18th century and is mainly consumed in Western countries, like the United States, England, Ireland and Canada.

Baked goods: In Western cuisine ginger is usually used in baked goods especially in biscuits like gonger snaps, speculaas and ginger biscuits.

But also in Parkin, which is a Northern-English cake. Jamaica is another place where ginger cake is a famous regionional specialty.

6. Sweet Potato National Consumption: East Africa (Uganda, South Sudan, Kenya) – West Africa (Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia) – North Africa (Egypt) – East Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan) – Southeast Asia (India, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, West Papua, Indonesia) – North America (United States) – Oceania (New Zealand)

7. Pumpkin National Consumption: North America (United States, Canada) - Central America (Mexico) – Europe (Italy) - East Asia (China) - Middle East - South Asia (India, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand) – Oceania (Australia, New Zealand), East Africa (Kenya) – West Africa Desserts: Pumpkin is also an incredibly versatile ingredient and is used in a diverse range of sweet dishes around the world. Starting with North America where Pumpkin Pie is a traditional staple food during the Thanksgiving holidays in both the United States and Canada.

In India and other South Asian Pumpkin is simply cooked with butter, sugar and spices and then made into a smooth mash. This very similar to a Kenyan sweet pumpkin dish called Mombasa which is also a smooth desert mash but made with pumpkin, sugar, coconut milk and spices, like ground cardamom.

Other pumpkin dessert includes, Halawa Yaqtin, a well-known sweet delicacy served all over the Middle East.

8. Cornmeal National Consumption: Equatorial Africa (Zambia, Malawi, Namibia), Central Africa, West Africa, Indian Ocean (Mauritius), Horn of Africa (Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia), Europe (Italy, Bulgaria, Romania), South Asia (India, Pakistan), East Asia, - Latin America (Brazil, Venezuela, Paraguay), Caribbean (Curacao, Barbados), North America.

Cornmeal, is a ingredient that is used to make a variety of pudding and cake dishes that don’t require an oven to be made and thus are not baked at all. A traditional sweet cornmeal dish is, Poudine Mais, which consists out of cornmeal, sugar cream milk, vanilla, grated coconut and butter.

This mixture is cooked and put in the fridge. The end-result is a moist cake consistency that looks like a cross between pudding and cake.

Cape Verde also has s sweet dish made out of cornmeal called Cous Cous, which is not to be confused with the traditional Berber dish. This dish consists out of a simple mixture of just cornmeal, sugar and cinnamon, if desired. This mixture is put in a terracotta form, propped on top of a metal pan with boiling water, which steams the mixture into stiffed consistency that is less a bit less moist than, Poudine Mais.

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BARING CONNECTIONS

Dessert: Eating sweet potato as a dessert is a common custom all around the world. A reoccurring preparation style for sweet potato desserts is simply baking or roasting them and covering them in sweet confectionary.

In Egypt, for instance, sweet potatoes are baked at home and covered in honey.

In Northeastern China, sweet potatoes are cut into pieces, fried and then dipped into a pan of boiling syrup.

Daigaku Imo, are a Japanese snack, consisting out of vegetable oil fried sweet potatoes, drench in honey and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.

In the Philipines sweet potatoes are boiled or baked in coals and then dipped in sugar and syrup or they’re coated in caramelized sugarand served on skewers. This dish is called Camote Cue and is a popular afternoon snack.

In the United States candied sweet potatoes are used as a side dish. They’re prepared with maple syrup, brown sugar, marshmallows, orange juice, molasses, marron glacé or other sweet ingredients.

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AMERICANISH

AMERICA

It can be a very tricky task to maintain your identity in this world full of outside influences. Fashion, food, interests all play a part in who you are as a person but Nish Imala (21) knows exactly what she likes and in which direction she is heading in. juggling between school, friends and work we got the time to interview her about her bilingual background. With a dad who is African- American and a mother who is born in The Netherlands but has roots in Suriname, she is the intrinsic cultural identity you would expect to find in a metropole city like New York where her father was from or like Rotterdam where she is living today.

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AMERICANISH

Nis h

Where were you born?

I was born in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. My dad was 18 or 19 when he flew from New York to Amsterdam.

Then he moved to Eindhoven and met my mom, who was born in the Netherlands. Right after that they had me.

I am the second generation that was born here, because my grandmother is from Suriname and my grandfather is from Aruba.

Do you still have relatives outside the Netherlands?

Yes, I have a lot of family in other countries, especially in America, like New York- Brooklyn and Orlando- Florida.

I also have many relatives in Suriname, but my great-grandparents were the ones who were keeping the family together and they passed away few years ago, so we lost a bit of contact with the people there. I may also say I have a few relatives is Aruba, Curaçao, Brazil and Spain.

Have you ever visited any of these family members?

Yes. I’ve been to Brooklyn a couple of times and in Suriname once. I cannot say I liked being in Suriname very much, though.

Why? Because I think I’m too Dutch for that. I mean, I couldn’t feel any connection with the Islands and I’m more of a city girl. But now that I’m older I’m really thinking about going again and see what happens.

You didn’t even like the food there?

Hum, It’s hard do answer that because I didn’t actually even try a lot of things. I’m not really into trying dishes that I’m not sure of what they are made of or how they are prepared.

AMERICANISH

Is there any food that you ate and have good memories attached to it?

Some fruits, maybe. There is a fruit in Suriname that is not actually a grapefruit, but looks like it. I think they are from the same family. It’s also pink but it has bigger parts. There, in Suriname, they call it “Pampumus”. I really liked it and I never found it anywhere else. When I go back there this fruit is the first thing I’m going to eat. They also have this fruit called “Kinippa”, which is great too, and, finally, there is a lot of “Bilimbi”, which is very salty and sour. As I don’t like sweet things, this fruit pleased me.

What about food in America?

I confess I ate a lot of junkie-food in America. I tasted a few local dishes, but I have nothing relevant to say about it, it was just ok. Oh, the Hot Dogs, though, I have to say are really delicious. I loved them!

Is there any habit from your mother’s side that you share when it refers to food? Any spice she uses in the kitchen that you grandmother also uses, any way to cut food or anything like that?

All kinds of pepper, garlic and onions. Nothing specific, though. As a matter of fact, the way I cook or what I cook have almost nothing to do with my ethnic background. I don’t really hold on to anything from my background when it comes to food.

Can you name five items on your fridge that you cannot live without?

Eggs, bacon, beef, cheese and soda.

Name a dish you really love from another culture.

Mexican food, especially tacos and burritos.

And do you make them at home? How do you do it? Because people do it differently around the world, right?

Yes, sure! I use the tortilla, and then I put beef in it, vegetables, lettuce, cucumber, cheese and chili sauce. I know that some people use chicken or fish, even only vegetables, but that’s how I do it.

If we set up a table and a dish and invited different cultures to eat it together, everyone with the same plate, the same cutlery, on the same level? What do you think would happen?

It would probably be hard because, people have different tastes and there will always be criticism. I wouldn’t even say that everyone would be willing to try, since it depends on a lot of factors, such as religion, for instance.

I don’t know, I would never take this challenge of cooking for them.

If we invited you to go to this dinner and try different foods would you be open to it?

Being honest, no. I’m a hard eater and I’m from a place that has a saying: What I don’t know, I don’t eat. In that way, I’m truly cautious about what I eat.

Do you think food can serve as a solution to bring people from different ethnic backgrounds together?

I don’t think so. I believe that maybe talking about their own culture would be better, because not everyone is open to try different kinds of food. Some people can even get insulted and others may just find it too spicy or too cold, so there will always be differences. Anyway, I would not choose food as a way to make them understand or tolerate each other because I simply don’t think it has this power.

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AMERICANISH

I would not choose food as a way to make them understand or tolerate each other because I simply don’t think it has this power.

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CULTURED truth

THE

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c u lt u r e d

t r ut h

Just like there are people who won’t really eat what they don’t know, there is a completely opposite spectrum with individuals who genuinely eat everything. These individuals have somehow managed to bridge the, often times psychological, boundary that stops humans from eating foods that seem strange or are unknown to them. But what are the factors that differentiate these people from others and what in their attitude makes them embrace every food with such an open-mind.

The first thing that needs to be understood is that disgust, the feeling that makes one refrain from certain foods, was mainly a psychological defense mechanism used centuries ago to help our ancestors avoid eating unknown foods as to not risk poisoning. This defense mechanism was crucial since humans are, in fact, omnivorous creatures, who practically consume everything.

So the question that arises now is have these modern-day “everything eaters” somehow managed to tap back into this baby-like mentality? Is this what makes them able to effortlessly jump over the boundaries of disgust?

Let’s explore this idea using Emmy, a true cross-cultural eater, from the YouTube channel “Emmy Made in Japan” as an example.

Emmy is a curious, soft-spoken girl, eating her way around the world with the help of her over 300,000 subscribers. Her worldwide audience assists her on her quest by sending her food packages from around the world with additional background information about their countries and cultures. This is what makes the “Emmy Made in Japan” YouTube channel and particularly the “Emmy Eats Treats From Around The World” segment into one of the most genuinely informative sources on diverse cultural food, on the social media website.

When asked if she was ever sent anything too strange or unappetizing to try she responded by saying: “As of yet, no. I don’t mean that to sound as a challenge; on the contrary the packages that I received have all been thoughtfully curated. Items have been selected for reasons of nostalgia, for example Kinder eggs, or because they’re representative of the culture, Australian ANZAC biscuits, for instance.

I’ve found people are very nationalistic when it comes to their food.” She then continues by stating: “Besides tasting foods, I love learning about how food speaks to the history of cultu-

The factor that completes Emmy as a genuine cross-cultural eater is her ability to stray away from the persistent rules of disgust and what is generally accepted to eat here in the Western world. This fact is demonstrated perfectly when she eats insects in her videos. So far she has tasted mealworms, crickets, silkworm pupae and scorpions, but what sets her apart from other people is that, she doesn’t taste them any differently than she would taste any other treats on her channel. YouTube is place that is notorious for sensationalizing the consumption of unconventional foods. The consumption of insects is particularly overhyped, since there is such a negative build-up, laced with disgust, leading up to the consumption, which is usually accompanied with a variety of gagging noises. While when you think about it insects are a source of human nutrition in various countries and cultures. Emmy’s usually casual way of analyzing the insects snacks by smell, taste, texture and appearance followed by her common reaction: “Mmm! That’s crunchy!” Completely breaks down the stigma and the psychological disgust barrier that are so ingrained in our minds towards these types of foods. With her genuinely sweet and naturally open-minded attitude she has the ability to ease her audience into breaking these rigid psychological barriers making them more open to try new food experiences.

Individuals like Emmy prove that these thoroughly ingrained rules of disgust we hold on to are often times merely psychological and don’t have anything to do with the taste of the “unknown” food. By positioning one-self in a genuinely curious and open-minded way one will open up the possibility to ease and even break down the mental barriers they possess.

And in this way come a lot closer to becoming an authentic cross-cultural eater.

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CULTURED truth

The earliest signs that point to our omnivorous nature are present in the earliest part of our lives, our baby years. This is where our most curious life phase starts, the learning period; this is when babies are known for putting everything in their mouths out of curiosity. This is because this period is usually the only period in a human’s life in which the rigid rules of disgust haven’t settled in yet.

re or a country. How biscuits and tea drinking came to a country like Bangladesh for example, or how Spanish influences appear on opposite sides of the world, in both Filipino and Mexican sweets.” This level of respect, empathy and honest curiosity are crucial starting factors for one to become a genuine cross-cultural eater.

And she has mastered them perfectly, in carefully providing all the background information about a specific culture or country in each and every video.

FOOD TRIP

FOOD TRIP Everyone knows food travels big distances. What people often forget is that dishes they might be very familiar with have a totally different history then one might expect.

With these 3 receipes we try to show within 3 different continents the food journey these dishes have made. And to show that even though some of the foods might be considered national dishes in certain countries, they have a totally different origin.

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Usually known as “Strogonoff”, this famous dish goes back to Russia, although many people mistakenly believe that it was created in France. There are no precisely references, but the name probably came from the Russian verb “strogat”, which means “cut into little pieces”.

On 16th and 17th centuries, the soldiers carried the meat on big barrels, immersed on a mixed of rock salt and brandy. When they were hungry, they just cooked it with onions and fat, using also a sour cream.

On 1780, a French man called Thierry Costet incorporated on the recipe some other ingredients. From his city he picked mushrooms, white and scented. From the Germans he used the mustard, from the Hungarians the paprika and, finally, the cucumber that the Jewish people of the West Europe conserved in vinegar.

Although it was born in Russia, Stroganov has in itself a little bit of everywhere. There are more than five cultures represented by different ingredients that make of it the “Strogonoff” we know these days.

Here is a delicious recipe for this meaningful dish.

200g of filet mignon cut into chips

Black pepper

Chili Paprika Flour Butter

2 spoons of soup of onion cut in small cubes

2 table spoons of brandy Mustard

¾ of cup of cut tomatoes

½ of cup of fresh mushrooms

2 soup spoons of sour cream

Directions Season the filet with salt, black pepper and chili paprika Powder a small quantity of flour and mix it well Use the butter to cook the onions Wait the meat to get brown and then flambé with the brandy Add the mustard to taste and then the tomatoes, mixing them for a minute Let it boil Reduce the heat and put the mushrooms Mix softly for about two minutes Turn off the heat and pour the sour cream.

STROGANOV

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FOOD TRIP

Have a wonderful meal!

FOOD TRIP

OMELETTE FINE HERBS

The Omelet is a typical dish of which its true origin is unknown. It is made all over the world and although it keeps the same basic ingredients, people add new spices and use different technics to cook it everywhere.

There are some cultures that claim to be the author of this famous meal and in fact their historical reports are quite interesting due to the fact that they are totally different from each other. Anyhow, what we know for sure is that the omelet began to get famous in the 17th Century and traveled all over the world since then.

On one hand, Italians talk about the supposed Latin root of the word ova melitta, and describe how it was made in romans temples: egg white and yolk were mixed with honey and then boiled in a bowl of clay.

The English, on the other hand, affirm that a doctor who aimed to be a cook, Oswald Mellet, created the omelet.

After he graduated in medicine, says the story, he decided to open a restaurant that served dishes based on egg recipes. There is said that there was a board outside the restaurant that said “Dr. O. Mellet�.

We still are able to find the French version and others, but the most important point is that it didn’t really come from anywhere in particular, but that every culture has added a little bit to this dish, making it culturally rich and yet so simple.

Here is the most basic and traditional recipe.

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2 eggs: white and yolk separated

Salt

Black pepper

1 coffee spoon of small green parsley pieces

1 coffee spoon of small green scallion pieces butter

Directions Whisk the white and the yolk separately, then mix them together softly right after Use salt and black pepper to taste and add the herbs.

Mix them well for a few seconds Grease the frying pan with butter and drop the mixture in it, tilting it slowly to cover the bottom of the frying pan When it looks full-bodied on the bottom, wet on the top and it starts to come off the surface the omelet is ready Have a wonderful meal!

Here is a dish we can find almost everywhere. It has multiple names: Jollof Rice, Jolof Rice, Joll of Rice, Djolof Rice, Osikapa Jelof, Red rice or Party rice, for example.

No one actually knows exactly where the first Jollof was made, and there are some countries and cultures that claim be the creators of it, such as Cameroon, Botswana, Senegal and Ghana. What we know for sure is that it came from West Africa and that it is made in a very similar way in these places.

The basic list of ingredients consists in rice, fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, salt and chili pepper. However, other items are sometimes added to enhance the taste, like fish, vegetables, meat, ginger and others.

We can define it as typical dish that was adapted with time and that people don’t know or forget the origin of, because it is different in every place and some of the ingredients are altered or replaced over time. It is possible to find versions of this recipe starting in Mexico and stretching all the way till England.

Here we will present a Ghanaian recipe for you to try.

6 large tomatoes 4 large onions 6 cloves of pressed garlic 2 chilies (optional) Tablespoons of tomato paste Vegetable oil 500g of beef, chicken or lam 800g long grain rice 1,5 liters of water or stock (a 1 stock cubes, depen ding on how much meat is used) 1 tea spoon of white pepper 1 tea spoon of black pepper

Directions

Put the tomatoes into the blender and set aside In a non-stick pot, fry pre-cooked meat in oil until gets browned Add onions and fry them until soft Add garlic and blended tomatoes Add meat stock, tomato paste, black and white pepper and stir Season strongly because rice will be added latter to the sauce Cook for about ten minutes on a medium heat and add the rice Stir and mix it well before covering

Add the vegetables and mix well

JOLLOF RICE

Add about 1 cup more of water and continue to cook on low heat until rice is done Have a wonderful meal!

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FOOD TRIP

Cook on low heat for twenty minutes

The honey bee has been around for millions of years.

Honey bees, scientifically also known as Apis mellifera, which mean “honey-carrying bee”, are environmentally friendly and are vital as pollinators.

It is the only insect that produces food eaten by man.

Honey is the only food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and water; and it’s the only food that contains “pinocembrin”, an antioxidant associated with improved brain functioning.

Honey bees have 6 legs, 2 compound eyes made up of thousands of tiny lenses (one on each side of the head), 3 simple eyes on the top of the head, 2 pairs of wings, a nectar pouch, and a stomach.

Honey bees have 170 odorant receptors, compared with only 62 in fruit flies and 79 in mosquitoes. Their exceptional olfactory abilities include kin recognition signals, social communication within the hive, and odor recognition for finding food. Their sense of smell is so precise that it could differentiate hundreds of different floral varieties and tell whether a flower carried pollen or nectar from metres away.

Honey bee facts imageThe honey bee’s wings stroke incredibly fast, about 200 beats per second, thus making their famous, distinctive buzz. A honey bee can fly for up to six miles, and as fast as 15 miles per hour.

The average worker bee produces about 1/12th teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.

A hive of bees will fly 90,000 miles, the equivalent of three orbits around the earth to collect 1 kg of honey.

It takes one ounce of honey to fuel a bee’s flight around the world.

A honey bee visits 50 to 100 flowers during a collection trip.

The bee’s brain is oval in shape and only about the size of a sesame seed, yet it has remarkable capacity to learn and remember things and is able to make complex calculations on distance travelled and foraging efficiency.

A colony of bees consists of 20,00060,000 honeybees and one queen. Worker honey bees are female, live for about 6 weeks and do all the work.

The queen bee can live up to 5 years and it’s role is to fill the hive with eggs. She is the busiest in the summer months, when the hive needs to be at its maximum strength, she lays up to 2500 eggs per day. The queen bee has control over whether she lays male or female eggs.

If she uses stored sperm to fertilize the egg, the larva that hatches is female. If the egg is left unfertilized, the larva that hatches is male. In other words, female bees inherit genes from their mothers and their fathers while male bees inherit only genes from their mothers. Click here to learn more about the Honey Bee Life Cycle, Larger than the worker bees, the male honey bees (also called drones), have no stinger and do no work at all. All they do is mating. In fact, before winter or when food becomes scarce, female honeybees usually force surviving males out of the nest.

Each honey bee colony has a unique odour for members’ identification.

Only worker bees sting, and only if they feel threatened and they die once they sting. Queens have a stinger, but they don’t leave the hive to help defend it.

It is estimated that 1100 honey bee stings are required to be fatal.

Honey bees communicate with one another by dancing. More on their awesome sense of time, communication of distance and direction in “The Awesome Honeybee Dance”.

Honey bee facts imageDuring winter, honey bees feed on the honey they collected during the warmer months. They form a tight cluster in their hive to keep the queen and themselves warm.