Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Five things to eat before you die


Melissa from The Traveler's Lunchbox has come up with the idea to compile lists of things you should try before you die. Five items only. Cool idea, but oh-so-hard! I have been pondering this for a while now, trying to think of things I would rule out, but the more I thought about it, the more difficult I found it to narrow down my choice. I've finally come up with five items , however, I'm afraid I will want to reconsider as soon as I type. But I won't, because that would be cheating.

  1. Very fresh buffalo mozzarella; if you ever visited Southern Italy and tried their buffalo mozzarella (God, I hope you didn't go there and did not try it), you'll know what I'm talking about. It does not compare to the mozzarella available in even the best shops in any other parts of the world. It tastes unbelievably good, milky and slightly salty and it's texture is soft, not rubbery or stringy at all. In fact, I think it's so good that it should be eaten on its own. No adding of tomatoes, basil etc. Actually, it's also a good idea for you to be on your own when eating it, because then you can close your eyes and make a silly mmh-sound, which heightens the pleasure even more.
  2. Chocolate fondant; this is something I resort to over and over again. Be it for making it myself for dinner parties (it is actually quite easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time) or at restaurants. When I look at a dessert menu and I see the words chocolate fondant, I never have to think twice. Could there be better ways to end a meal than with a little chocolate cake, fresh from the oven, which releases a steaming stream of melted chocolate when you stick your spoon in it? Come on, no one really wants a fruit salad when ordering dessert.
  3. Pirikara (inside out sushi rolls with spicy tuna) ; this is my all-time favourite way to eat sushi. While I very much like to eat all the other nigiri, maki and ura maki, I believe that this is the one I could have every day without exception and not tire of it. It happens quite frequently, that, while at work, it suddenly dawns on me that I simply must eat pirikara for lunch. Then I go to Okara, they do them fabulously. I want their pirikara so much, I don't even care I only get to sit at the bar when I turn up on my own.
  4. Cream tea; when I first went to London, my mother took me to Liberty's Art Bar Café and ordered cream tea. It consists of fruit scones, Devonshire clotted cream and preserves. I was instantly hooked and we actually went back for more the next day.
  5. Truffles; I don't mean the chocolate kind, I mean the real thing, the knobbly mushroom which cunningly grows below ground so humans can only find it with the help of dogs or pigs picking up the smell. The queen of truffles, the white truffle, grows in the Piemonte in the North of Italy. The smallest amount shaved over a dish of pasta or risotto emits a smell so strong that it captures all your senses. It is hard to describe that smell - "rude" springs to my mind, which may sound a bit funny, but maybe some of you can relate to what I mean. Don't be offended, take a bite and enjoy the outer-worldly sensation you will experience.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am glad you liked the Liberty cream tea cos, personally, me, I get very upset when there are raisins in my cream tea scones and i have to spend ages picking them out one by one.

Anonymous said...

how about culinarily less highly considered peanut butter?
not only can you make the best asian food ever (paired with coconut milk) but it is also deliciously nasty to just eat it from the jar!!!
actually, peanut puré, which you get in any asia store, is even better, because it tastes much more of peanuts and less of butter...!

Honeybee said...

Sam: personnally, I like raisins very much (see today's post) but I know exactly what you mean. You order something, anticipate how nice it will be to eat and then it comes with something you don't like and that spoils it for you. I get that with unannounced (on the menu) fresh coriander. Upsets me, too.

Anonymous: I know who you are - the peanut butter gives your identity away (at least to me). Don't worry, we can always have some as an extra item. A bit like a food wild card.

Gigi said...

I've only had the first but would love to try the rest (cream tea(!) sounds so simple and yet so wonderful; how did I miss it?)

Neil sent me and I'm glad ~ excellent list and lovely blog.