National Geographic Traveller Food Spring 2022

SOUTHERN CLASSIC
GETTING TO GRIPS
WITH GUMBO

£4.80 • SPRING 2022

AROUND THE WORLD IN

SEVEN SPICES

SAFFRON • PAPRIKA • ALLSPICE • CINNAMON
GREEN CARDAMOM • SICHUAN PEPPERS • VANILLA

NATIONALGEOGR APHIC .CO.UK/FOOD -TR AVEL



UNDERWATER DINING

Descend 6 meters below the surface for an exotic dining experience of a
lifetime. Surrounded by the turquoise lagoon and the breath-taking

Maldivian underwater world, indulge in masterfully crafted seafood dishes
at M6m Underwater Restaurant.

ozenlife-maadhoo.com Part of THE OZEN COLLECTION @ozenlife-maadhoo

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IMAGE: TEAGAN CUNNIFFE CONTENTS

ISSUE 15, SPRING 2022

Mains

44
SPICES

From paprika in Budapest to
Sichuan peppers in China, we
journey around the world with
seven spices

58
AUSTRIA

Hearty meals and heartfelt
hospitality high up in the
mountain huts of the Tyrol

68
DECONSTRUCT

The big flavours and global
influences behind Louisiana’s
state dish: gumbo

76
ESTONIA

Breaking bread in Tallinn with
a pair of celebrated bakers
plus their family and friends

86
DURBAN

Exploring the spicy, distinct cuisine
of this coastal South African city

CONTENTS 38

ISSUE 15, SPRING 2022

Starters

12 | TRY IT NOW Paneer 15 | WHAT
THEY’RE EATING IN Paris’s 11th
arrondissement 16 | SPOTLIGHT
Bookshop cafes 18 | NUMBER
CRUNCHING Butter 19 | MAKE PERFECT
Turkish kofte 20 | THE DRINK Lambic
beer 23 | MEET THE MAKER Icewine
in Ontario 24 | FIVE WAYS Artichoke
25 | WINE Chilean wine 26 | ASK THE
EXPERTS Eating out in Cork and how to
use dukkah 28 | MY LIFE IN FOOD Caitlin
Moran 31 | RECIPE JOURNAL Sandwiches
38 | THE PIONEER Melbourne-based
Nornie Bero

114

98 106

On the cover Features Regulars Recipes IMAGES: ARMELLE HABIB; BEN WELLER; ALAMY

Spoonful of saffron. 98 | CITY BREAK The best 114 | BOOKS O Tama Carey 27 | Asparagus frittata 32 | Fish finger
Image: Getty things to see, do and eat on Sri Lankan cooking 120 | sandwich 33 | Pork belly bánh mì 34 | Yoghurt
on a culinary trip to Seoul, NEW RELEASES Five of the sandwiches 35 | Prego rolls (steak & piri piri
South Korea 106 | A TASTE best new cookbooks 123 | sandwiches) 40 | Wattleseed pavlova 53 |
OF Fried chicken, conch and REVIEW Dining at London’s Spicy chilli French bean mapo tofu 55 | Persian
rum on an island-hopping Sarap Filipino Bistro 129 | halva 65 | Porcini in a rösti coat with paprika
visit to the Bahamas 112 | THE INSTAGRAMMER sauerkraut 73 | Prawn and okra gumbo with
ON LOCATION Hyper-local A foodie to follow 130 | andouille 83 | Bread pudding 109 | Bahamian
cuisine and hidden cafes in ON THE TABLE What we’ve boiled fish 116 | Devilled cashews 117 | Dal
Lymington, Hampshire enjoyed in the world of food 119 | Pineapple chutney 121 | Banana fritters

6 NATIONALGEOGR APHIC .CO.UK/FOOD -TR AVEL

DARE
TO
CHASE

Picture Editor: Olly Puglisi CONTRIBUTORS
Editorial Admin Assistant:
Editorial Director: Maria Pieri Tabitha Grainge Ranette Prime Sara Roahen
Editor: Glen Mutel Production Manager:
Deputy Editor: Nicola Trup Daniel Gregory It was a joy speaking to I’ve been a student of
Assistant Editor: Production Controller: chef Nornie Bero. We both gumbo for more than two
Farida Zeynalova Joe Mendonca come from rich Indigenous decades, and even wrote a
Digital Editor: Josephine Price Commercial Director: cultures, intrinsically book on the subject. Many
Deputy Digital Editor: Matthew Midworth connected to food, music of the chefs mentioned in
Nora Wallaya Head of Sales: Phil Castle and the coming together of my piece, including Frank
Contributing Editors: Head of Campaigns: families and community. Brigtsen, Slade Rushing
Pat Riddell, Connor McGovern William Allen She’s leading the way in and Leah Chase, have
Amelia Duggan, Sarah Barrell Campaigns Team: putting native ingredients been excellent teachers
Content Editor: Jamie Barnish, James Bendien, front and centre of — I’ve pored over their
Charlotte Wigram-Evans Bob Jalaf, Kevin Killen, Jamie Australian food culture cookbooks, eaten their
Assistant Content Editor: Marks, Gabriela Milkova, Mark — I made her wattleseed gumbos and peppered
Angela Locatelli Salmon, Jonathan Carrillo Saez, pavlova myself, and it’s them with questions.
Project Editors: Zane Henry, Oscar Williams delicious. P I O N E E R , P 3 8 DECONSTRUCT, P 68
Jo Fletcher-Cross, Annie Lewis Head of National Geographic
Mattie Lacey-Davidson Traveller — The Collection:
Project Assistant: Sacha Scoging Danny Pegg
Head of Sub Editors:
Olivia McLearon (acting), Chief Executive:
Hannah Doherty (maternity leave) Anthony Leyens
Sub Editors: Chris Horton, Managing Director:
Nick Mee, Lisa Morgan, Matthew Jackson
Ben Murray, Karen Yates Sales Director: Alex Vignali
Operations Manager: Head of Commercial Strategy:
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Digital Marketing Manager: APL Business Development
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Lauren Gamp Accounts Assistants:
Senior Designers: Liz Owens, Ramona McShaw, Rekin Patel
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(maternity leave)
Designer: Rosie Klein

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Interim Editor-in-Chief, Senior Vice President: Alicia Miller Tom Burson
NG Media: David Brindley Yulia P. Boyle
General Manager, NG Media: Senior Director: The Bahamas is famous Being a food-motivated
David Miller Ariel Deiaco-Lohr for its beautiful beaches, individual, it took little
Senior Manager: Rossana Stella but what they don’t tell convincing to get me to
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Deputy Editorial Director: 1145 17th St. NW, Washington, sublime (and strong) was the culinary bounty
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Editor: Leigh Mitnick delicious things on every and cheeses are renowned,
Translation Manager: Beata Nas National Geographic Partners island. And the best part but practically everything
returns 27% of its proceeds is that some of the tastiest I walked past or stepped
Editors: CHINA Sophie Huang; to the nonprofit National food is the cheapest. on — from grasses to tiny
FRANCE Gabriel Joseph- Geographic Society to fund BAHAMAS, P 106 flowers — can be used to
Dezaize; GERMANY Werner work in the areas of science, create wonderful dishes.
Siefer; INDIA Lakshmi Sankaran; exploration, conservation and AUSTRIA, P 58
ITALY Marco Cattaneo; LATIN education.
AMERICA Claudia Muzzi;
NETHERLANDS Robbert
Vermue; POLAND Agnieszka
Franus; ROMANIA Catalin Gruia;
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KOREA Bo-yeon Lim; SPAIN
Josan Ruiz; TURKEY Nesibe Bat

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and used under license. Printed in the UK.

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Editor’s letter

ISSUE 15, SPRING 2022

If you consider yourself to be passionate about food, then there’s a good chance
you’re also fascinated by spices. The two things tend to go hand in hand — the
more thought you put into what you eat, the more you start to appreciate the
transformative power of certain seeds, fruits, roots and barks.

But as well as elevating your cooking, an appreciation of spices will also give
you a better understanding of how different cuisines work. It’s often such a key
point of distinction from region to region — after all, so many of us have grown up
eating, say, chicken, but whether you prefer yours cooked with saffron, turmeric,
lemongrass or cumin can say something about either where you were raised, or
simply which cuisines you’ve gravitated to.

Spices have always connected the world. Whereas once they were one of the
major driving forces behind vast trade routes, today they’re able to transport us to
the kitchens of faraway places. In this spirit, our cover story takes us around the
world via seven spices — from delicate, temperamental vanilla pods grown on the
island nation of São Tomé & Príncipe to the brick-red soups and stews infused with
paprika in the restaurants of Budapest. So, dive in — and while you plot your next
culinary adventure, perhaps it’s time to consider a bigger spice rack, too.

Glen Mutel, editor

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WHAT’S ONLINE AT NATIONALG EOG R APHIC .CO.U K/FOOD -TR AVE L

IMAGE: TONI KOSTIAN Plant-based perfection Tasty trends Reggie’s favourites

From Berlin’s Lucky Leek to Ark The food trends to watch out for in Writer-director Reggie Yates
in Copenhagen, check out the 2022, including a new wave of vegan discusses his Ghanaian heritage,
restaurants at the forefront of chocolates and yakitori restaurants being pescatarian, his love of fish
Europe’s vegan fine-dining scene. plus the rise of koji, calvados and kelp. and chips and his mum’s jollof rice.

NATIONALGEOGR APHIC .CO.UK/FOOD -TR AVEL 11

S TA R T E R S IMAGE: STOCKFOOD

12 NATIONALGEOGR APHIC .CO.UK/FOOD -TR AVEL

S TA R T E R S

TRY IT NOW

Paneer

A STAPLE OF VEGETARIAN CUI SINE ACROSS INDIA ,
THIS CHEESE IS GAINING POPULARITY IN THE UK AS
A VERSATILE ME AT ALTERNATIVE

From seitan and spelt to tofu and tempeh, throughout India and South Asia for centuries.
alternative protein sources have tended to Now the UK seems to be finally catching up,
dominate trend lists in recent years, as more with several supermarkets reporting huge
people look to reduce their meat consumption. growth in paneer sales in recent months;
Paneer — an Indian set cottage cheese made Sainsbury’s says it’s experienced a 60% rise
from cow’s or buffalo’s milk — is the latest over the past two years, while Waitrose has
veggie-friendly ingredient to capture the seen searches for its online paneer kofta curry
imagination, with sales on the rise and new recipe leap 1,130% in the past six months.
openings placing it at the heart of their menus.
The cheese continues to be popular with
Adept at absorbing flavours, paneer also top chefs. Atul Kochhar, for instance, features
has a high melting point, which means several paneer dishes on the menus of his
— unlike many other cheeses — it maintains two recent London openings, Mathura and
its shape during cooking. These qualities, Masalchi. Meanwhile, at recently opened BiBi
plus the fact it’s quick and easy to make, have (also in the capital) Chet Sharma serves buffalo
made it a major element in vegetarian cuisine milk paneer with a fenugreek kebab masala.

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S TA R T E R S

WHAT THEY’RE EATING IN 4 Bamako-style fried chicken

PA R I S 5

Home to some of Paris’s most exciting
restaurants, the 11th arrondissement
packs some real culinary surprises

1 23

BMK FOLIE-BAMAKO

B A M A KO -
STYLE FRIED
CHICKEN

DI-NAPOLI

MOLOKHIA
BOULANGERIE UTOPIE
B L AC K
SESAME AND
LIME TART
O’TACOS PARIS PARMENTIER

FRENCH TACOS
LE FOLDEROL
VINS ET
G L AC E S
The second of BMK’s The vogue for Japanese- Pairing wine and ice
IMAGE: QUENTIN DRESSE two Paris restaurants The queue from late style patisserie means the If the panini, kebab and cream is far from a
serves up a smorgasbord morning to early morning odd dollop of miso and burrito were to have a French convention,
of pan-African cuisine, outside Di-Napoli attests dash of yuzu is now part love child, French tacos but that’s exactly what
with Bamako-style fried to the quality of its of any self-respecting would be the result. Jessica Yang and Robert
chicken the must-try Tunisian cuisine. Malawi Parisian baker’s Originating in the North Compagnon — the
dish. Organic chicken (stuffed flatbreads) and repertoire. Boulangerie African communities couple behind the city’s
breasts are marinated in fricassé (savoury donuts) Utopie’s black sesame of the banlieues (Paris’s celebrated Japanese
a fiery chilli and ginger are delicious, but nothing and lime tart is surely outlying districts), binchotan joint Le
paste for 24 hours, coated beats the molokhia, a the trend’s ultimate French tacos — a grilled Rigamarole — are
in plantain flour, fried slow-cooked veal stew expression. A dome of tortilla wrap containing serving up at the capital’s
until golden and then given a rich flavour and black sesame mousse is meat, chips, cheese and first glacier-caviste.
served sliced, sprinkled jade-green hue by the draped in a black sesame sauce — has become the Since Le Folderol opened
with smoky paprika. finely ground leaves of sauce, atop a shortbread fast food du jour in Paris. in December 2020, it’s
Wash it down with bissap, the jute mallow plant. base, itself packed with While it’s sold on almost drawn the crowds with
a refreshing, ruby-red Hunks of baguette soak black sesame seeds. It’s every street corner, the creations such as Tuscan
drink made with hibiscus up the sauce and the all topped with lime O’Tacos chain’s version olive oil, Mexican vanilla
flowers that’s ubiquitous homemade citronnade is segments and strands takes some beating. and fig-hibiscus sorbet
across West Africa. a zesty palate-cleanser. of confit lime rind. o-tacos.com alongside around 500
bmkparis.com 17 Boulevard de Belleville boulangerieutopie.com wines from the on-site
cave. Well worth raising a
glace to. folderol.com

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S TA R T E R S

SPOTLIGHT

Bookshop cafes

FOR COFFEE-LOVING BIBLIOPHILES, BOOKSHOP CAFES ARE A DREAM
COMBINATION — SOMEWHERE TO CURL UP WITH AN ENGROSSING NOVEL,

A L ATTE AND A PIECE OF CAKE. HERE ARE FIVE OF THE UK’S BEST

1 The London Review Bookshop, London WORDS: DELLE CHAN. IMAGE: LONDON REVIEW BOOKSHOP
Once the stomping ground of the Bloomsbury Set,
the Bloomsbury neighbourhood is today home to one
of the capital’s most beloved bookstores. Here, you
can browse more than 20,000 titles, ranging from
contemporary fiction to current affairs. Then, get stuck
into your purchase — and maybe a slice of blackcurrant
hibiscus cake — at the adjoining tearoom, where all
bakes are lovingly handmade by owner Terry Glover.
londonreviewbookshop.co.uk

2 The Aberfeldy Watermill, Aberfeldy
Housed in a Grade A-listed former oatmeal mill deep
in the Scottish Highlands, the three-storey Aberfeldy
Watermill is a bookstore, design shop, art gallery and
cafe rolled into one. You’ll find a wide range of titles, best
savoured at the charming cafe, which serves up light
bites, including comforting soups, rustic sandwiches and
homemade cakes. aberfeldywatermill.com

3 The Hours Cafe & Bookshop, Brecon
It’s impossible to miss this three-storey Tudor
building on one of the oldest streets in Brecon, thanks
to its wonderfully off-kilter exterior. Step inside to find
a tightly curated selection of books — fiction, poetry,
art, crime and more — as well as an award-winning cafe
that celebrates local produce. Munch on a Welsh ham
and chutney sandwich or opt for a thirst-quenching G&T
made using Dà Mhìle gin. thehoursbrecon.co.uk

4 White Rose Book Cafe, Thirsk
This family-run bookstore in the North Yorkshire
market town of Thirsk is a great spot for a light lunch,
with its large cafe and garden terrace. On offer are soups,
sandwiches and pastries made with local and seasonal
produce; the White Rose Savoury Tea — a toasted
cheese scone accompanied by wensleydale cheese,
chutney and a pot of Yorkshire tea — is a must-try.
whiterosebooks.co.uk

5 Scarthin Books, Cromford
Tucked away in the village of Cromford, in Derbyshire,
this decades-old institution has all manner of books
— from fresh-off-the-press novels to dusty antiquarian
tomes — crammed onto its many shelves. While away a
couple of hours in its cosy reading room or grab a bite at its
old-school cafe, which offers several vegan and gluten-
free options. Try the savoury homity pie, a firm favourite
among loyal customers. scarthinbooks.com

From top: The London Review Cake Shop; soup and
sandwiches at The Aberfeldy Watermill; Scarthin Books

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