Paulette on what’s she’s  learned about a place and its culture through its food…

Central Market, Mombasa, Kenya. Image courtesy Paulette Mitchell

“In my opinion, the local market is the best place to begin in any city. Locals come to the market not just to shop, but also to eat, drink, and to mingle with friends. We are visitors and voyeurs, but the real shoppers in the markets are choosing what to feed their families for dinner. I love to watch how people relate to one another. Sometimes they are jovial, and in other countries everyone seems quite solemn. Some populations are quiet and sophisticated, others more frenzied. Shoppers may bargain, yet in other locales that is not acceptable. When greeting one another, friends may hug and even kiss. Yet sometimes a polite distance is maintained between people. This not only is interesting to view but also offers an incite in how to behave as a traveler.

We are visitors and voyeurs, but the real shoppers in the markets are choosing what to feed their families for dinner.

I like to chat with vendors about favorite recipes using the ingredients at their market stands. I also like to ask them, “What do you do on your day off.” Their minds switch from talking to me as a tourist, and this is how I find some of the most interesting places to go, as well as the best local restaurants.”

The market in Mombasa, Kenya. Image courtesy Paulette Mitchell

In Stone Town, Zanzibar, Paulette discovered a simple yet tasty recipe for Zanzibar Chicken. Scroll down for the recipe!

Paulette’s favorite food markets around the world…

“All food markets fascinate me because they not only offer a feast for the senses but also provide insight into the culture.

Stone Town, Zanzibar. Image courtesy Paulette Mitchell

For example, I love the sophisticated neighborhood markets in Paris, where shoppers arrive without a list and let their five senses take over. In China, freshness in imperative and this is evident in their markets. Live chickens squawk, and fish swim in bins. Even herbs and many vegetables are sold with roots attached so they also are still “alive.” The Chinese believe that food is consumed not only for good flavor but also to promote health, and I think that Americans can learn a great deal from this philosophy.

All is not, however, beautiful and pleasantly aromatic and exploring a local market can force you out of your comfort zone. For example, I’ve witnessed stands of camel heads at the central market in Mombasa, and at sidewalk markets in Luganville, Vanuatu, I was surprised to see piles of fruit bats, which are considered a delicacy in many Asian and Pacific Rim cultures.In Cambodia and parts of Asia, you can smell the pungent odor of durian from afar. So not all is beautiful and pleasantly aromatic. Yet, I love the way that markets show the reality of life around the world.”

Camel Heads in Mombasa’s Central Market, Rambutans in Stone Town, Zanzibar. Images courtesy Paulette Mitchell

So not all is beautiful and pleasantly aromatic.Yet, I love the way that markets show the reality of life around the world.

Paulette on unusual foods she’s encountered…

“When visiting food markets around the world, I seek the distinctive, local ingredients, especially those that are unfamiliar. Rambutan is Malay for “hairy,” and this is the name of a red, spiky fruit native to tropical Southeast Asia. It has now spread to other parts of the world, including Africa. At the Darajani Central Market in the Stone Town area of Zanzibar, the fruit is displayed in colorful clusters in giant bins on the streets. The fruit beneath the hairy exterior is white or pale pink with a sweet, mildly acidic flavor reminiscent of grapes.

I first saw screw pine at a market in Male, Maldives. It’s colorful and photogenic. This fruit, sometimes called pandanus, comes from a tropical plant that grows in rain forests. It changes from green to bright orange or red as it matures. The fleshy pulp of the fruit may be eaten raw or cooked. Sometimes it is pressed to make juice.

Suri Worms and Screw Pine. Images courtesy Paulette Mitchell.

A popular Peruvian food is “suri worms,” a type of Amazonian grub. They are found in the trunks of aguaje palms, which grow in wet areas of South America. Brochettes of this delicacy are skewered and grilled  to make a treat described as “soft, mushy, and delicious.” While in Lima, I photographed vendors selling the worms, but I didn’t have an opportunity to sample this specialty. Maybe next time!”

Paulette’s favorite street food from around the world…

“Street vendors in Mumbai grill corn on the cob over charcoal fires until the sweet kernels are tender and blackened. The corn is then rubbed with fresh lime juice and a potent mixture of spices. The irresistible combination is sweet, tangy, smoky, salty, and spicy.”

Corn on the cob street side in Mumbai, India. Image courtesy Paulette Mitchell

“In Cairo, I just can’t get enough of the traditionally-baked Egyptian pita bread, which rolls out of street-side ovens warm, lightly browned, puffy, and airy on the inside. This bread is the cornerstone of Egyptian cuisine. It’s not only a major component of the meal, but bread is also used as an eating utensil. For me, it’s a welcome snack.”

A baker in Cairo, Image Courtesy Paulette Mitchell.

One of the advantages of taking time to explore food markets and chat with local shoppers and vendors, is discovering new recipes. Paulette shares one of her favorites, a tasty simple chicken dish from Zanzibar. 

ZANZIBAR CHICKEN

Zanzibar is known as the “Spice Island,” and cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and pepper are essential ingredients in their cuisine. If you have the opportunity to visit Zanzibar, be sure to include a spice plantation tour. It’s interesting to see how spices grow and also to learn about their health-promoting properties. For example, in Zanzibar cinnamon is used as a remedy for headaches.

Makes 4 servings

Chicken thighs are traditional, but this aromatic dish can also be made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Serve with rice.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs (2 thighs per serving)

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup raisins

1/3 cup slivered or sliced almonds

Preparation

Step 1: Combine the cinnamon, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Season both sides of the chicken with the spice mixture.

Step 2: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken. Cook, turning occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned but not thoroughly cooked. Use tongs to transfer the chicken to a bowl.

Step 3: Add the onion to the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and stir for about 1 minute.

Step 4: Return the chicken to the pan. Add the orange juice and raisins. When the liquid begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

Serve: Drizzle some of the sweet sauce over the chicken and garnish with almonds.

You can purchase Paulette’s cook books over here! 

At Project Bly, we believe that a city is a living, breathing organism, and to get to know it you have to wander its streets, the veins that fork and converge and inevitably lead you to its heart—the marketplace.

www.projectbly.com

The post What’s Cooking Around the World appeared first on Project Bly Blog.

Marrakech, Morocco. Photography by Shantanu Starick for Project Bly.

Despite the medina’s reputation for cacophony, the centuries-old market was still practically deserted as we followed Atman our guide for the day, through the warren of streets. When we arrived, the baker Abdullah was stoking the fire, waiting for his customers to begin arriving. He did not have to wait long. The first was a young boy dressed in his school uniform. He greeted Abdullah formally and they spoke about the boy’s family for a moment before the child dropped off his package and rushed out the door to school.

Abdullah the Baker. Photography by Shantanu Starick for Project Bly.

Abdullah’s ferrane, essentially a stone cavern with a wood-fired oven, is not simply a bakery: it is a communal oven where locals bake their daily loaves. And in Morocco, a country where bread is both ubiquitous and sacred, where a piece of bread dropped on the floor must be retrieved and kissed, and yet where few locals have their own ovens, it is an important local institution. Women in households across Marrakech wake up at dawn every day to mix and knead the dough. By the time the rest of the family has awoken, the dough has been rounded into balls, wrapped in cloth, put on trays – and often handed to a child en route to school to carry to the local ferrane.

On the way to the neighborhood ferrane. Photography by Shantanu Starick for Project Bly

Abdullah, a kind-eyed man with a well-trimmed beard, greeted each customer by name as he pushed the rounds of dough deep into the glowing clay oven. Half an hour later he reached towards the fire with a long paddle and retrieved the now-crusty loaves, known in Arabic as khobz. Carefully, he placed each khobz on the family’s cloth and left the loaves to cool on the racks at the back of the room; at lunch, his customers would collect the baked loaves and, at the same time, drop off dough for dinner. To my untrained eyes, all the loaves looked identical. But Abdullah, who has spent 40 years baking for the neighborhood’s families, told us that he always knew whose bread is whose just by looking at its shape, texture and markings.

Photography by Shantanu Starick for Project Bly.

Stepping out of the warm semi-darkness of the bakery, we made our way to the local markets. We walked past Bab El Khemis, the gate that leads to the local flea market and the road to Fez, and then turned south towards Bab Ailen. Walking along the edge of the city’s walls, we reached the bustling food markets of Bab Ailen. Here, Atman touched his heart as he greeted friends and showed us the stalls where his mother and sister buy their vegetables and the butcher where his father buys sheep to slaughter for special occasions like Ramadan.

Marrakech, Morocco. Photography by Shantanu Starick for Project Bly.

As we walked past a local store selling red brick pottery, Atman pointed to the deep urn-shaped pots, called tanjia. These are necessary to make tanjia marrakshia, not to be confused with the tagine, which is known as the dish of the city’s bachelors: it is one of the only dishes made, almost exclusively, by men. It also requires almost no cooking expertise.

Tangia Seller, Marrakech, Morocco. Photography by Shantanu Starick for Project Bly

Interestingly, tanjia marrakshia is made entirely outside the home. For a man making the meal, the first stop would be the local butcher, where a kilogram of bone-in lamb would be mixed with the butcher’s own ras-al-hanout spice blend before being stuffed into the tanjia. Next, the pot would be carried to the vegetable market and handed over to each stall to be filled up with the necessary ingredients: onions, garlic, parsley, coriander and, finally, preserved lemons. As we continued to walk through the market, Atman explained that here, at the edge of the souks, would be the last stop for ingredients. Spice merchants would sprinkle saffron, cumin and bay leaves into the neck of the tanjia. Only now would the dish be ready to be cooked.

Just as locals bring their bread to the ferrane for baking, though, so must they bring the tanjia elsewhere to be cooked. In an alley behind the hammam, Atman introduced us to Aziz, Aziz is the hammam farnatchi: sitting on a low stool in a room that looks over a pit of white ash, Aziz’s job is to tend the coals that warm the bathhouse’s hot water and steam. His unofficial job, however, is to watch over the cooking of the tanjias.

A bathhouse may seem like an unusual place to cook. In fact, the smoldering ashes create the perfect environment for slow-cooking a rich stew. Over tea, Aziz explained  that he uses his lemonwood spoon to mix all the ingredients together before covering the neck of the tanjia with foil and tying it with string. Motioning into the room, he showed us each of the tanjia pots nestled amongst the ashes; each pot would be retrieved six hours later, once the meat falls off the bones and the bone marrow richness seeps through the dish.

A cup of tea and tangia pots at a hamam. Photography by Shantanu Starick for Project Bly.

At twilight, we made our way Djemma El Fna, the city’s communal dining hall. Hoping to catch a glimpse of someone carrying a tanjia home, we were quickly distracted by the nightly dance of the square. We watched circles form around ancient storytellers and food carts start arriving from the twisting streets. As the evening call to prayer echoed along the walls of the square, friends, families and strangers sat side by side eating everything from lamb brochettes to snail soup. Watching the khobz being passed down the long tables, I remembered a Moorish proverb that we once heard, “that one should choose their neighbors before their house.” It seemed more apt than ever in this city where both eating and cooking were truly communal affairs.

Djemma El Fna. Photography by Shantanu Starick for Project Bly

Atman is available for intimate walking tours of Marrakech. His cell phone number in Marrakech is 212 671234840.

 Katherine Preston writes for Project Bly, a travel site built on the philosophy that to know a city, one must wander its streets. Learn more at www.projectbly.com and follow their travels on Twitter and Instagram.

The post Communities that Cook Together: A Story from Marrakech, Morocco appeared first on Project Bly Blog.

Photography by Leyla Kazim

After a day getting drenched by super-soakers and buckets of water being thrown over us during the annual festivities of Songkran (Thai new year), we settled down in sodden clothes to an early dinner of khao mok, Thai biryani. Here with tender goat meat and spiced rice, topped with crisp fried shallots and coriander, served with a sweet and sour side sauce of coriander and mint, and a generous helping of dry roasted chillies, pounded and mixed with a bit of oil. Enjoyed at Khaosoi Isalam, down as the best place in Chiang Mai for this staple of the Thai Muslim community.

~ Leyla 

Leyla, was brought up in London by a Mauritian mother and Turkish-Cypriot father, and her blog chronicles her discovery of food around the world. Read our interview with this inspiring woman who incidentally has a degree in Astrophysics and her path to the Cutlery Chronicles below!

The post Thai Biryani from Chiang Mai, Thailand appeared first on Project Bly Blog.

Bun Cha at Bun Cha Dac Kim photographed by Ehrin Macksey for Project Bly

On 1 Hang Manh Street in the Old Quarter low plastic tables  and stools line the sidewalk at one of the most famous bún chả restaurants known to locals as “Bun Cha Dac Kim”. There’s really only two things to order here: bún chả and crispy spring rolls, all made street side. Lunch will cost you about $3-5.

If you don’t have a trip to planned to Hanoi, check out how to bring the flavors of Vietnam into your kitchen with this recipe by Lauren Schockey featured in Saveur.  Schockey, a traveler and chef, spent three months in Vietnam apprenticing at an upscale Vietnamese restaurant. She supplemented her culinary education by eating her way through the streets of Hanoi.

In our opinion, it’s the only way to eat in Hanoi.

Where: Bun Cha Dac Kim at 1 Hang Manh Street, Hanoi, Vietnam

What: Bun cha and crispy fried spring rolls

When: Lunch

Project Bly is a travel website built on the philosophy that to know a city, one must wander its streets. 

www.projectbly.com

The post Street Eats: Bún Chả from Hanoi, Vietnam appeared first on Project Bly Blog.

We’re with Bourdain on this one, and like to try almost every kind of food we encounter at least once.  Here are some of the strange foods we’ve chowed down on while traveling. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?

1. Sheep’s Head in Marrakech, Morocco

Head to the main square, Jemaa El Fna, for dinner to sample sheep’s head. Served with bread, you can order a half or whole sheep’s head which are surprisingly tender since they’ve been steamed or boiled for most of the day. The vendor will usually chop up the cheeks, but don’t surprised if you do end up with the tongue and eyeballs on your plate as well. The brains are sold separately!

Explore more street food from Marrakech, Morocco

2. Grasshoppers in Oaxaca, Mexico

Crunchy grasshoppers known as chapulines in Spanish are served fried or roasted with lime and chili powder and are a Oaxacan speciality. Head on over to Mercado de 20 de Noveimbre to sample this snack. We liked them wrapped in tortillas!

Explore more street food from Oaxaca, Mexico

3. Horse Sausage in Bukhara, Uzbekistan

This was a hard one for us. We never have and will never sample dog meat and horse meat definitely incites somewhat similar feelings. Horses, however, roamed wild on Central Asian plains and were hunted for their meat for centuries.  Given how many times we were offered horse sausage with our plov, a tasty rice dish cooked slowly with carrots, onions and meat, we finally decided to give it a try. It’s worth a try, but we’ll admit we ate all the quail eggs after we took this photograph at a street-side plov stand on the outskirts of Bukhara, and just a bit of the sausage.

Explore more street food from Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

4. Cow’s Tongue in La Paz, Bolivia

Tripe and tongue! In Bolivia, nothing goes to waste, and every part of an animal is stewed or fried. On Calle Rodriquez, which is home to one of La Paz’ biggest vegetable markets is a covered meat market. Head on to the back of it to a little busy lunch that sells Bolivian soups (Chairo) and stews (Guiso de Carne) made with all parts of cow including tripe. A traditional Bolivian dish using the just the tongue is Ají de Lengua which is spicy stewed tongue served over rice. Despite our initial trepidation after having seen the raw tongues close up, we ate every bite.

Explore more street food from La Paz, Bolivia

5. Eel innards in Kanazawa, Japan

One of our favorite snacks in Kanazawa, Japan available at the famous covered Omi Cho fish market was skewered barbecued eel innards. While a bit chewier than unagi, these skewers were delicious and easy to eat on the go.

Explore more street food from Kanazawa, Japan

The post What Strange Food Is This? appeared first on Project Bly Blog.