European Food

The newly-opened food plaza in our neighborhood, which is three blocks away from the house, is a place filled with classical music, kind waiters, and food that requires one to learn French and Italian vocabulary before ordering. I'm not very comfortable with these kind of restaurants. I'm happiest in places where I can pick the food that I want without the worry of bringing an English-Italian dictionary. Good thing my wife, Mara, knows European cuisine by heart so it's like bringing a walking Italian dictionary.

The waiter or the butler who was wearing an all white ensemble greeted us with the sweetest and the most indecipherable greeting I've ever heard. "He said welcome and good night," Mara whispered. We were thinking of ordering a plate of Carbonara and a roll of Vienna bread. Carbonara is the only Italian pasta that I eat aside from lasagna and spaghetti. This is because the three noodles are the only European food that I know. I like it because it has bacon, and bacon is from America.

According to a quick Internet search, Carbonara is actually the sauce and not the whole meal. It is an Italian pasta sauce that is made from eggs, black pepper, pig's cheek, and jowl bacon. Other ingredients include cheese, milk, garlic and parsley. The term carbonara came from the word carbone which means coal. Many Italians believe that the sauce got its name from charcoal miners who love the food so much. So, I thank all the Italian coal miners for introducing the dish to the world.

It was our first date together. The woman who was to become my wife, the lady I call Mara, got up from the table within minutes of her arrival and excused herself to wash her hands. I found her gesture very adorable. She was like a little meerkat, leaning over the faucet to tidy herself before eating. At the same time, I found it weird, as I quintessentially don't wash my hands before eating, unless I'd spent the day coal mining, or running an offset printing press.

It was in that first date when I first ate the best dessert I'd ever tasted. My wife is English, so it would be a given that the love for treacle tart runs in her blood. I'm in love with treacle tarts in the same way I love my wife. Anyway, treacle tart is a pastry dessert that is similar to a pie, but different because the top is open and not covered with pastry. You can add fruits on it if you want to eat something healthy.

Based on what I've read, Harry Potter, the bespectacled boy in the popular Harry Potter films loves treacle tart so much in the same way J.K. Rowling loves her earnings. It's no question that the wizard loves the dessert. Even muggles like me have fallen in love with the sweet tasting, delicious dessert. I don't know how to make one, but my wife does, and she's good at it. Sometimes, I have this feeling that she uses her wand to create it.

The era where people drink nothing but tea is back. If you'll fancy a visit to the nearest mall, you'll be surprised with the many variants of tea available in the market. We have the Green tea that is popular because of its healthy compounds. There's traditional Black tea, but only elders who knit maroon sweaters drink them. Orange, red, and yellow tea are best for people who have too much marijuana. I wonder when they will commercialize a silver tea.

According to the latest survey on food, tea is still the most popular beverage and not Gatorade. This is despite the fact that the sports drink has less salt and more electrolytes. Drinking tea every afternoon started at the advent of the eighteenth century in Britain. During those days, the English folks only had two meals in a day -- breakfast and dinner. To bridge the gap and ease hunger, they invited their friends and neighbors to have an afternoon tea party.

A tea party wouldn't be complete without tea's loveteam -- crumpets. Crumpets are round yeast-raised breads. I like crumpets when they're toasted and smeared with butter or strawberry jam. If you'll visit London, try to hang out in a tea shop where they serve the yummiest crumpets so you'll feel the 18th century tea experience. It would be nice if you're wearing dress robes covered with laces and frills; so people will think you can do time-travel.

Seeing my wife, Mara, overly engrossed with a TV show called "The Naked Chef", I commented, "The food looks yummy. But why is the cook not nude?"

She looked at me with utmost scorn and said, "They call it that because the bloke uses simple ingredients."

"Oh!" I picked up the remote.

Mara snatched the remote from my hands. "What are you doing? He'll be making Belgian waffles next!"

Now, Belgian waffles are my favorites, and learning how to make them is one of my simple dreams in life. I fell in love with these sweets the first time I tasted them in Brussels. I think people started making them a year after Belgians became Christians.

Starbucks also sells waffles in strawberry and chocolate variants. They do taste good, but I'm not sure if they're from Belgium. I watched silently as the Naked Chef demonstrated how to make my favorite breakfast. According to him, waffles are "crisp raised cake baked in a waffle iron, a hinged metal griddle with a honeycombed or fancifully engraved surface that allows a thin layer of batter to cook evenly and crisply." Everything went fine, but I was a little confused because he insisted on giving ingredients in ounces and pints. Personally, I think it would be easier to move to Europe.

Think the Germans had us fooled? No, it's nothing like that. It's just that the Czechs have been drinking beer since time immemorial. Early civilization in this country had brewed beer earlier than most Europeans. The first brewery in the country was established in 1118. Today, I must say the beers that come from this wonderful place is the best in the world. According to the Czechs themselves, the secret of their world famous beer is the perfect agricultural condition for growing hop, a plant used in making beer.

Beer drinking in the Czech Republic has become a way of life. Although, they prefer to drink beer in pubs than at home. Pubs (the original ones) are very popular hangout places where friends and families meet to do their favorite activity-- drinking beer. It's no wonder why Czech men have bloated bodies and bulkier physique.

Beer goes best with the national meal of the country: roasted pork, Czech dumplings, and cabbage. But you can also go for a modest selection of cheese, white roll, or salami. But the Czechs can do better than that. They go spree drinking and eat nothing. So if you're planning to visit Czech just to drink beer in a pub in Prague, learn their pub culture first.

A an adventurous trip always fill the void in every weary traveler. But a trip with an empty stomach is no fun at all. Especially when you're lost in Braga, Portugal. Braga is touted as Portugal's Rome because of the concentration of religious architecture in the region. Braga is a very conservative city but the food isn't. Because hefty servings of food (especially fish) are offered in most restaurants and cafes in this busy commercial district.

Next stop -- Lisbon, Portugal's capital. Fish is the primary commodity in the country no wonder it is one of the staple dishes there. But mind you, Lisboas consider soup as their main dish. I ordered the sopa de marisco, which is commonly offered in most menus. Its main ingredient is shellfish. Main dishes are served with wine (good buffer for 'fish-bloat'). Another tasty dish is the Calderaida which is stewed fish. And a host of other fish-based dishes. Pastries in Portugal are worth trying too. Although I don't have the nerve to take in a lot of sweets because I'm watching my diet. My day ended with partying in a nightclub called "Cosmos." I must admit, I had no problems with the price. The drinks are very cheap. After a few booze, I headed back to my hotel on a taxi and slept waiting for yet another day of adventure.

We might not know it but cheese originated in Mesopotomia, our modern day Iraq, some 5,000 years ago. Since then, cheese has been a very important food to most modern cultures. The French considers cheese as a traditional food. In fact there are over 400 cheeses that are made in France.

What makes the cheeses distinct from one another is their flavor and texture. There are hard and soft cheeses. There are also mild to powerful tasting cheeses. French cheeses are made from either cow or goat milk or a combination of both. Regardless of their differences, French cheese is simply the best in the world.

French cheeses come from different regions in the country. Each region has its distinct cheese. The cheese called Camembert comes from Normandy, while Alsace is popular for its Munster cheese. The area of Paris is popular for its Brie while the Alpine region claims as its specialty the Reblochon and Beaumont cheeses. Because of the cheese of France, it has earned its reputation as a haven for cheese lovers. Agreeably, tourists flock to the country not only because of its beautiful scenery but also because of its cheeses.

Caviar or caviare is known to many as a cuisine eaten only by the rich aristocratic families of Europe. It comes from the eggs or roe of a specie of primitive fish, known as the sturgeon. Dishes with caviar are commonly associated with the French. However, the best caviars come from Eurasian countries near the Caspian and Black Sea. If you want a delicious French caviar recipe that you can share with your family and friends, you have to try Oeufs Farcis Au Caviar or Eggs Stuffed with Caviar. You will need the following ingredients to make this caviar recipe:



8 pieces hard-boiled eggs (peeled)
1 spoon horseradish soup
2 spoons English mustard
2 spoons chopped fresh tarragon
4 spoons of caviar
pinch of salt and pepper

Cut the hard-boiled eggs into two following the length and set them aside. Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl except the caviar then season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently put the caviar into the mixture and stir delicately. Be careful not to ruin the roe. Put the caviar mixture into the egg halves. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve in a platter with lettuce leaves.

Iceland is a wonderful place to explore the beauty of Mother nature with all the glaciers, volcanoes, hot springs and ice-covered mountains. It is also a great place for dining.
Much of the dishes prepared in the country are influenced by its geography.

Dishes are usually with fish or lamb’s meat. A tourist planning to go to Iceland should try their delicacy – the salmon. Salmon is prepared in various ways; the most common is through marinating the meat. They call it in Iceland as gravlax. Growing vegetables in Iceland comes in a unique method. Greenhouses abound the country because they have a lot of geysers to get the heat they need to cultivate vegetables. Dining is an exciting activity in this country. Although there are only a few dining places in the capital Reykjavik, there are a lot of exciting specialty dishes in their menu. Some of them are smoked lamb, dried fish, skyr or curd, and Icelandic sild.

There are also bars and nightclubs in Iceland that serve authentic Icelandic food. A caveat to tourists, alcohol in Iceland is pretty expensive. But, you can enjoy beer or coffee in cafes. You also have to try their local drink called Brennivin which is made from potatoes.

Have you ever heard of baklava? I did. At first, I thought it was something related to chocolate, but I guess the only right thing in my theory is that it is the favorite dessert of many. People in Greece and Western and Middle East Asia are fond of capping off their afternoon and dinner meals with baklava.

Even though baklava has been considered a part of the Greek cuisine, its origins can be traced in Turkey. During the 8th century, Assyrians were able to create thin slices of bread dough which sandwiches chopped nuts and honey. This was then baked in wood ovens and came to be known as the earliest form of baklava. The delicacy was served on occasions and usually, in palaces of rich families. Eventually, traveling Greeks were able to discover the goodness of baklava and brought the dessert to Athens. The Greeks were able to develop on the baklava by making the dough thinner through a special technique that involves rolling the dough as thin as the leaf, thus producing a dough called Phyllo or Filo meaning 'leaf'.

Since then, baklava has been delighting people by the different ingredients mixed into it. Spices like cloves, cinnamons, cardamon, and rose-water have been added into the baklava to make it more scrumptious and appealing for those who need aphrodisiacs.

Yorkshire Pudding is one of the most common food eaten by many British. To have a delicious Yorkshire pudding, you need the following ingredients:

- bacon
- milk
- eggs
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- beef gravy or jam (optional)

When you are ready, combine eggs (well-beaten) and milk. Beat these two until they are light. Then, mix them with the flour and salt using a dover beater to make the mixture smooth. Set the mixture aside.

After 30 minutes, put 2 tablespoons of bacon dripping in the pan and heat it in the oven for 2 minutes. Then pour the mixture in the pan and bake using 450 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 to 15 minutes. When done, remove the pudding from the pan and serve with beef gravy on it. You can also make your Yorkshire pudding as a dessert by using jam instead of gravy.

I have just been to Prague and allow me to say that New Town Brewery is definitely one must-see pub in the area. Even though vegetables are included in their menu, most of their foods, such as potatoes, pork, chicken, and duck are made especially for big, heavy eaters and meat lovers or large groups of about ten people.

Of course, their special dishes would not be complete without beer, and you can catch a glimpse of the brewing process in their aptly-named dining rooms like Fermenting Cellars or Brewhouse.

Probably the best eateries found in Budapest are not found in commercial areas. But even though you may not know their local language, superb food awaits you in this side of Hungary. Restaurants often display their menus outside so you already have an idea about the food that they serve and how much it costs.

Hungarian dishes are mostly meatless but served with sauces. It's like eating your pancakes or pasta with a twist. Dining in Budapest, especially during peak hours, also entails table sharing. So when a stranger sits at your table, try to strike a conversation and see if you can learn more about their traditions.

If you happen to be in the eastern side of Europe continent for the summer, you may find the markets and some streets lined with numerous vegetable and fruit vendors.

This is not unusual, since the summer signals a season of the fresh and luscious produce, such as currants, berries, sweet carrots, watermelons, cherries, and special herbs, all of which you can get at great prices. So, the next time you are in Europe, just postpone your much-awaited trip to the supermarket and go to the nearest food vender outside the street and practice your bargaining skills.

Yummy dumplings? Varenyky! Varenyky is an authentic Ukrainian food, also known as pyrohy or perogies. It's a dough locket stuffed with potato and creamy cheddar cheese. There are also the famous sauerkraut and creamy cheddar cheese. That's not all; there are cherries and blueberries.

It's quite easy to cook, you just roll the dough into a thin pocket. Cut the dough into rounds, stuff in the fillings, sprinkle some water to moisten it, fold the dough and seal the it. Place your varenyky on a baking sheet and freeze it but you should place them on freezing bags. Lastly, cook them in boiling water and when they start to float, they're ready! As easy as 1-2-3!

Eating like a true Greek can be a fun and boisterous experience. I recently watched the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding and it is no wonder why many Greeks own and manage restaurants. They highly regard dining as a social activity where formal manners are not commonly accepted. The greater the attendees and the louder the conversations and the clinking of plates and glasses, the better the atmosphere are for the Greeks. Serving spoons are not necessary as Greeks tend to get everything directly from the plates with spills and bumping into each other.