ten recipes for a transgressive banquet
Kadija de Paula
This is an invitation to enjoy other ways to relate to food, rip the packages, break the Styrofoam trays, go beyond expiry dates, recognize the perversion of meat, and transgress the prejudices of the palate. It is a plateful for those who enjoy eating a hand-kneaded yammy, suck on a kakitchup, stick the turnip in the buttolive, eat up oneself and a loved one, and then finger lick it good. These recipes celebrate the act of eating and drinking life, regardless of species or order, recognizing that every food carries living energy and that, in its nutritional fragility, even the germinated seed dies when bitten. Eating is to exercise power, it is to kill and be born three times a day. Free us of guilt and we will assume our desires! This banquet is dedicated to all living creatures that died for me to be alive.
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buttolive ingredients
directions
• 100 g flax seeds
1. let the flax seeds soak in a cup of boiling water for 15 minutes.
• 1 cup boiling water
2. blend this flax “goo” in the blender while still hot.
• 1 kg wheat flour
4. in a large bowl, dissolve the sourdough into the “goo” using your hands.
• 100 g sourdough (see recipe below)
3. wait for it to cool enough to put your hands in it.
5. slowly add 500 g of flour into the mix and reserve the other half.
• 100 g black olives
6. cover the bowl with a humid cloth and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
• 2 tablespoons palm oil
7. sprinkle a bit of flour on a flat and clean surface. 8. pour the dough over the floured surface, sprinkle more flour over the dough and, without manipulating it too much, fold one part of the dough over another using flour in order not to let the dough stick to your hands. 9. when you finish mixing the rest of the flour, pour the dough into a greased and floured iron pan and cover it with a lid. 10. place the covered pan into a cold oven and let it rest for 8 hours. 11. remove the pan from the oven. 12. preheat the oven to 250 ºC. 13. while the oven heats up, chop the olives and mix it with melted palm oil. 14. with a sharp knife, open a crack in the dough and spread the chopped olives in the crack. 15. place the covered pan into the oven and bake with the lid on for 20 minutes.
The buttolive must be crusty outside and moist inside.
16. remove the lid and bake it for another 30 minutes. 17. remove the bread from the pan as soon as you take it out of the oven and wait for it to cool before slicing.
Sourdough: it is the result of the fermentation that happens when flour is mixed with water. To make your starter, mix 100 g of wheat flour with 70 ml of water in a plastic or a glass container with a lid. Let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour without the lid, then close the container and place it in the fridge. The next day, throw half of the dough away and “feed” the other half with 50 g of flour and 35 ml of water. Repeat this procedure daily for at least a week or until you get a porous dough, full of bubbles, covered by a smooth and soft coat. The ideal stage of the sourdough is when you can hear the bubbles pop when you break the surfacing coat. Remember, fermentation is time. Be wary of instant fermentations.
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ingredients
directions
• 1 bunch dandelion leafs
1. get out of the house.
• 1 bunch stinging nettle • 1 bunch wild garlic no Brasil. Nova Odessa: Instituto Plantarum, 2014.
1 kinupp , Valdely F.; lorenzi , Harri. Plantas Alimentícias Não Convencionais (Panc)
weed salad
• 1 pinch baking soda • soy sauce to taste
2. try to identify these plants in parks, wastelands, neighboring yards or in the middle of the pavement. 3. pick a bunch of them, preferably with gloves so as not to sting yourself. 4. look up on internet for non-conventional edible plants in your area to certify for yourself that the weed you have picked will not kill you. If in Brazil, you can consult Plantas Alimentícias Não Convencionais (Panc) no Brasil1. 5. wash well the dandelion, wild garlic and stinging nettle in running water, then soak the stinging nettle for a few minutes in hot water with a pinch of baking soda so as to remove any “poison.” 6. break and mix the dandelion and stinging nettle leaves with your hands. Season the leaves with soy sauce and sprinkle some finely chopped wild garlic on top.
This recipe was created by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, the king of Austrian kitsch, during a visit to New Zealand.
kakitchup ingredients
directions
• 1 kg soft pulp kaki (persimmon)
1. peel and remove the seeds of the kakis.
• 1 onion • 3 garlic cloves
3. stir-fry the onion and garlic with olive oil until golden, then add the kakis.
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
4. when it reaches a creamy texture, add the vinegar and let it boil until reduced.
• 1 cup vinegar
5. let it cool, blend it until it reaches a smooth texture and save in a sterilized mason jar.
• salt to taste
2. chop the onion and garlic.
It’s finger licking good.
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yammy ingredients
directions
• 300 g yam
1. cook the yam with skin, in boiling water or in the oven, until it gets tender enough to be poked with a fork.
• 100 g flax seeds • 1 cup boiling water
2. let the flax seeds soak in a cup of boiling water for 15 minutes.
• 700 g wheat flour
4. blend the yam with the flax “goo” in the blender while still hot.
• 100 g sourdough (see previews recipe)
6. in a large bowl, dissolve the sourdough into the “goo” using your hands.
• 3 garlic heads • 2 tablespoons palm oil
3. peel the yams and chop them into small pieces. 5. wait for it to cool enough to put your hands in it.
7. slowly add 350 g of flour into the mix and reserve the other half. 8. cover the bowl with a humid cloth and let the dough rest for 1 hour. 9. sprinkle a bit of flour on a flat and clean surface. 10. pour the dough over the floured surface, sprinkle more flour over the dough and, without manipulating too much, fold one part of the dough over another using flour not to let the dough stick to your hands. 11. when you finish mixing the rest of the flour, pour the dough into a greased and floured iron pan and cover it with a lid. 12. place the covered pan into a cold oven and let it rest for 8 hours. 13. remove the pan from the oven. 14. preheat the oven to 480ºF. 15. while the oven is heating up, chop the garlic, mix it with melted palm oil, and spread it over the bread. 16. place the covered pan into the oven and bake with the lid on for 20 minutes. 17. then remove the lid and bake it for another 30 minutes. 18. remove the bread from the pan as soon as you take it out of the oven and wait for it to cool before slicing.
The yammy must be hard outside and fluffy inside. You can also substitute the yammy for a buttolive.
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dive brine ingredients
directions
• any vegetables discarded at the farmers’ market or found in a supermarket’s dumpster
1. go to the farmers’ market or supermarket at closing time.
• sodium hypochlorite • water and salt
2. pick what you find on the floor, dumpster or abandoned boxes. 3. you can also ask or negotiate for specific items with vendors or other gleaners. 4. wash what you get thoroughly, ideally letting it soak in a sodium hypochlorite solution for 1 hour or so. 5. the vegetables can be shredded, sliced or diced. Cabbage, onion, cucumber, okra, radish, and green beans, aside from coriander and chives, are great candidates for this recipe. 6. place the vegetables in a sterilized mason jar, pressing them in to remove any extra air. 7. fill the jar with brine (a salt solution made with 1 tablespoon of salt for each 100 ml of water) and close it to begin fermentation.
Concepts and Processes from Around the World. Vermont: Chelsea Green, 2012.
2 katz , Sandor E. The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential
8. you can open the jar in 3 days, 3 months or 3 years. The longer you wait, the greater is the taste.
The fruits you find can be reduced to compote. For more fermented recipes consult the fermentation bible The Art of Fermentation.2
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turnupburger ingredients
directions
• 1 turnip
1. chop the turnip into slices approximately 1 inch thick.
• 1 bun
2. season it with salt and pepper to taste.
• salt, pepper and condiments to taste
3. grill it over a flat grill, frying pan, or barbecue. 4. your turnupburger can be assembled in a bun or between two slices of buttolive or yammy, accompanied by kakitchup, dive brine or weed salad.
Turnip is a plant rich in calcium and low in calories. Easy to cultivate, it is ideal for domestic gardens, being a great fast food option.
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special occasions For those who cannot resist the pleasures of the flesh, it is recommended to give birth, breed or hunt. After all, there is no meat without karma.
placenta stew ingredients
directions
• 1 fresh placenta • 1 cup water
1. produce your own placenta, or receive the honour to prepare someone else’s placenta.
• 3 garlic cloves
2. chop the garlic, onion and parsley.
• 2 onions
3. dice the placenta and all other ingredients into 1 inch cubes.
• 2 carrots
4. stir fry the onion and garlic in olive oil.
• 3 potatoes
5. add the placenta and fry until golden.
• 3 celery sticks
6. then add the carrots, potatoes, celery, zucchini, tomatoes, paprika, salt and pepper.
• 1 zucchini • 3 tomatoes • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 1 tablespoon paprika
7. stir-fry the vegetables on high heat. 8. when it starts to stick to the pan, add the water, close the lid and lower the heat. 9. let it boil until the placenta is soft. 10. serve in soup bowls and sprinkle with parsley.
• salt and pepper to taste • cup chopped parsley Most placental mammals practice placentophagy, including herbivores. Those who support the practice amongst humans, affirm that placentophagy helps prevent postpartum depression and other complications related to childbirth. Common in California and the UK, the Placenta Party is a celebration in which the mother, or someone she assigns, prepares a meal with her placenta.
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pet BBQ ingredients
directions
• your pet (preferably cats and dogs)
1. before engaging with the endeavor, consult a veterinarian to certify for yourself that what killed your pet will not kill you.
• coarse salt
equipment • sharp stainless steel knife at least 2.5 inches long • meat gambrel and winch • sawzall or hacksaw, used to separate the ribs • bucket • outdoor table • meat grinder for processing ground meat (optional) • barbecue • charcoal or wood
2. prepare the equipment, breath deeply and place the pet on its back holding its front legs with your hands. 3. with a knife, make a deep cut through its throat, down the line of the mandible until the spine. 4. hang the pet by the heels, piercing the gambrel deep enough to support the weight. Hook a chain onto the gambrel and attach it to a winch to raise the pet up to bleed out. This needs to be done as soon after the animal’s death as possible. The blood should start to come out immediately. Use a clean bucket to store the blood in case you want to prepare blood sauce to accompany the barbecue. 5. to remove the skin, pull the skin back and work a very sharp boning knife underneath, working your way down slowly and trying to retain as much of the fat as possible. The skinning process should take anywhere between 30 minutes and 1 hour. 6. to remove the entrails, work a smaller knife around the anus (and the vaginal opening) of the pet, about 1 inch or 2 inches deep. Make the circle about 2 inches wider than the anus itself so you don’t pierce the colon. Grab ahold and pull up gently, then use a rubber band or a zip-tie to pinch it off. This closes everything up, so you’ll be able to pull it out the other side, when you open up the chest. 7. cut from the sternum to the groin. Pinch the skin near the base of the sternum, where the ribs end and the abdomen begins, and pull toward you as far as possible. Insert your knife and gently work your way down the centerline of the pet’s belly, in between the two rows of nipples. Be extremely careful not to puncture the stomach lining and the intestines. Keep working your knife until you get all the way up between the animal’s legs. 8. reach into the cavity near the groin and pull downward. Everything in the digestive tract should fall out relatively easily with a bit of coaxing, including the lower intestine that you tied off earlier. Use the knife to trim away any stubborn connective tissue. The kidneys and the pancreas are perfectly edible and popular items to reserve.
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9. separate the ribs in the front by splitting the breastbone. After the entrails are removed, open up the chest to remove the rest of the organs. You can use your knife to separate the front of the rib cage, working your way in between the layer of cartilage that connects the breastbone. You shouldn’t have to use the saw to do this. After separating the ribs, remove the rest of the organs. The heart and the liver are commonly reserved and eaten. 10. behind the ears, work your knife in a circular direction around the throat to separate the head, using the jawline as a guide. As you separate the meat and expose the neck bone, you might need to get in there with a cleaver to break through the vertebrae with firm chop. 11. clean the cavity thoroughly with water. Little hairs can be especially tenacious when you’re processing out a pet. They’ll stick to fat and be hard to find. Before you let the meat rest for a day to process it, it’s important to give it another good rinsing with cool, clean water, letting it hang and dry thoroughly before moving it into the cold. 12. refrigerate the meat at 30°F to 40°F for at least 24 hours. 13. then it is just salt and barbecuing. 14. don’t forget to invite the vet to the BBQ.
Cat and dog meats are delicacies prepared in special festive occasions. The Pet BBQ is a way not only to celebrate the living memory of your dear pet, but also a healthier way to nourish yourself, enjoying all the investment made with organic food throughout the life of the blessed creature.
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omelepussy or pussylet ingredients
directions
• 1 egg
1. beat the egg with salt using a whisk or fouet.
• 50 g butter
2. melt the butter into a small frying pan.
• salt to taste
3. pour the beaten eggs over the melted butter, withdrawing the frying pan from the heat, mixing it in circular movements so that the egg spreads over the whole surface. 4. when the bottom surface is no longer liquid, fold one side over the other forming a little pussy shaped “pancake”. 5. the outside must be slightly cooked, with a light yellow color, and the inside part must be shinier, softer and wetter.
The pussylet is a delicious lacto-ovo vegetarian option that combines two subproducts of the female reproductive system. In nature, wild chickens lay between 12 and 15 eggs per year. However, the chickens confined to industrial poultry farms lay from 250 to 300 eggs per year. It takes approximately 4 litres of milk to make 250 g of butter. For more insights about the lacto-ovo feminist contradiction and non-normative eating, read A Queer Vegan Manifesto.3
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3 simonsen , Rasmus R. A Queer Vegan Manifesto. Journal for Critical Animal Studies, v. 10, n. 3, 2012, p.51-79. Available at: <http://artseverywhere.ca/2017/03/15/queer-vegan-manifesto>. Accessed on: Aug. 9, 2017.
6. the secret of the pussylet is not to burn it, but rather, to make it wet.
jesus on fire ingredients
directions
• 1.5 oz vodka • 1 splash lime juice
1. pour vodka, lime juice, and grenadine into a shot glass.
• 1 splash grenadine syrup
2. then fill a spoon with rum and also wet the back of the spoon. 3. light the rum and shoot it while lit or until you can no longer hold the flaming spoon.
• 1 tablespoon rum
<http://hisbrasileiras.blogspot.com.br/2015/04/sabores-sagrados.html>. Accessed on: Aug. 9, 2017.
4 Paraphrased excerpt from Sabores Sagrados by Luiz Antonio Simas. Available at:
Present in pretty much every ritualistic activity, food carries the energy shared amongst humans and gods. The right food fuels body and soul, the wrong one poisons.4
Kadija de Paula holds a master’s degree in International Business Administration from The Schulich School of Business, York University, 2011, and a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from OCAD University, 2005. She presented works at MuseumsQuartier, Vienna, 2017; 32ª São Paulo Bienal, 2016; Matadero, Madrid, 2015; Villa Romana, Florence 2014; amongst others. She was manager and facilitator of residencias_en_red [iberoamérica], 2011-2012; visual arts consultant for UNESCO and dough maker at pizzeria Ferro & Farinha, 2015; and resident chef at Capacete, Rio de Janeiro, 2016. She published Como Você Feeling?, New York: Brooklyn Public Art Library, 2012; and The Anarchist Doctrine Accessible to All, Livorno: Word+Moist Press, 2014.
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