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(11/07/12 2:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Combine seaweed, sticky rice, spicy tuna, cucumbers, soy sauce and a spoonful of teriyaki sauce and you have my favorite sushi roll. I’ll take it tempura, to go.It seems the Japanese art of sushi caters to everyone’s cravings when rolled up right. The best part is that making it yourself is not so hard. Trying different types of rolls keeps the dish diverse and delicious.All the way from the Tsukiji Market in central Tokyo for breakfast sushi at 4 a.m. to working from scratch in my home, I have been lucky enough to try sushi from a variety of vendors.The freshest fish I ever had was in Tokyo as I watched different buyers auction off tuna products arriving from around the world as early as 3 a.m. Surrounded by vendors, buyers, tourists and sushi chefs, I watched the whole preparation process begin. It happens right at the market where customers bid and buy, exporting their purchases across the globe for the highest quality.Bloomington has a bustling sushi scene. There is nothing more satisfying than finding a roll that is filling and suits your taste buds. From a simple avocado roll to a crunchy caterpillar roll, there are so many good ways to go. When buying rolls, try and get a variety of flavors, styles and sauces to complete your experience. I like to combine a potato tempura roll for a crunchy and sweet sensation, a tasty but less extravagant Philadelphia roll and a spicy caterpillar roll with extra avocado on the outside.Experimenting with differently wrapped rolls will have you coming back for more or taking on the art and becoming a sushi chef at home.Sushi is a fun, quick and delicious fix you can personalize to your own preferences. Make it for friends, and you will receive a hearty “doumo arigatou gozaimasu” thanking you in return. Enjoy.— espitzer@indiana.eduBaked salmon avocado rollYou will need:A sushi mat1 package seaweed nori sheets 1 cup sushi grade rice1/4 cup rice vinegar4 oz. salmon1/2 avocado1 Tbsp. salt1 Tbsp. sugarBlack sesame seedsRecipe:1. Wash the rice and boil until tender. 2. Mix vinegar, sugar and salt together. Mix in the rice until it is cooled. Let the rice sit for a few hours.3. Spread out your sushi mat and lay down plastic wrap. Put down half a sheet of the nori. Cover it with a thin layer of rice, pad it evenly across the nori sheet and leave a small part uncovered to seal the roll later. Turn the nori sheet over and do the same rice coat on the other side.4. Cut the avocado into long slivers and place two or three pieces across the roll in the center of the paper. Cut up baked salmon pieces and add a thin line across the paper, parallel to the avocado. You can also add carrot or cucumber slices, as well as a little sriracha for an extra kick.5. Starting at the edge of the mat, roll up the nori paper so the roll is packed tight. You can use rice vinegar to make the edge of the paper stick.6. Pour some black sesame seeds on the outside for decoration and slice your roll with a sharp knife into eight to 10 pieces.7. Serve with soy sauce, ginger and wasabi. Try some green tea or sake on the side.
(10/31/12 3:42am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There is no time like Halloween to forget my self-control and increase my chocolate consumption. Guilty pleasure, weakness, reward — call it what you want.From a smooth, milk chocolate Hershey’s Bar to Toblerone white chocolate to dark raspberry Godiva truffles, chocolate has me at the wrapper.Crowd your candy dish with a variety of chocolate treats when Halloween candy goes on sale. Chocolate isn’t just meant to be eaten. It should also be enjoyed with all five senses.Whether you are digging into dark chocolate from the finest French chocolatier or giving yourself a break with a Kit Kat Bar, use your five senses to elevate the enjoyment.Once you taste chocolate like an expert, you can find your chocolate niche. Figure out the flavors that enhance the cocoa just the way you like it. Chocolate can be enhanced with everything from ginger to sea salt to even wasabi.Whether going door to door for tricks and treats or hosting fondue fun, make chocolate an even sweeter experience. Taste like an expert, today.1. LookYour eyes should be the first tools for detection. Is the chocolate smooth, ridged or bumpy? Tempered chocolates are shinier, better for molding and dipping for an aesthetic final appearance and glossiness. Ask yourself if there are other ingredients being infused with the cocoa to give it a certain look. Color can tell a lot about how the chocolate has been stored and if it is at the correct temperature for tasting.2. SmellAs with wine, your nose knows how to detect taste and the combination of flavor. Like that familiar smell of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven, we become familiar with different textures and types of treats. Even the seemingly insignificant sprinkles of additional ingredients and spices that have been added for enhancement.Take the piece of chocolate and rub it with your fingers. Holding the chocolate to your nose, try and detect the different flavors.Almonds, peanut butter, ginger and chili powder can alter taste intensity and sweetness. Milk chocolate might give off a smell of milk, while dark chocolate is likely to have a rich, earthy smell. An unwanted odor might warrant a check on the expiration date.3. FeelTexture can give you hints about what the bar is made of, when it was made and the ideal temperature for enjoyment.It can also indicate what the chocolate will taste like.Smooth chocolates will be creamy, making for a melt-in-your-mouth moment.4. SoundSnap the bar or piece of chocolate in half. It might sound silly, but a hard, quick snap is found in most dark chocolates. A fine chocolate mixture should break without any extra crumbling.5. Taste Break off a small piece of chocolate and place it on the center of your tongue. Wait for the flavors to disperse as the chocolate melts on your tongue, noticing how long it takes to break down. Different flavors and feels might hit you at different times. The chocolate might start with a certain saltiness, followed by more sweetness.A truffle might entice you with a hard shell but a smooth center, filled with a differently collaborated cream. Notice the other flavors, ranging from fruity, nutty, tart or even spicy. You might sense a blend of different cocoa beans, maybe even some infused alcohol. Take the time to piece the piece together and get the full-fledged feel.— espitzer@indiana.edu
(10/24/12 3:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Mouthwatering aromas accompanied a full buffet, a celebratory musical dance performance with hand drums, costumes and prayer. There is nothing quite like getting a taste of Tanzania during fall in Bloomington.For its third-annual celebration, IU’s Kilimanjaro Education Outreach chapter organized “A Taste of East Africa.”An auction featured art work, artifacts and clothing from Tanzania to help support KILEO’s mission.In 2009, Walter and Shawn Miya founded the non-profit organization to improve educational opportunities for Tanzanian children, provide HIV prevention education, build infrastructure and supply communities with everyday necessities such as books and clothes. Together, the group of Tanzanians and Americans have supported struggling communities in Eastern Africa while dedicating themselves to keeping the culture alive.Sweet smells, Swahili, song and celebration completed the event, giving attendees a fresh perspective on Tanzanian culture.Megan Rogers, IU alumnus and peace corps volunteer in Tanzania, organized this year’s event. She became involved with KILEO after she returned from Barjomot, Tanzania, and attended last year’s event. Rogers said she wanted to continue to interact with Tanzanians, help with the organization’s mission and honor Tanzanian culture. She said “A Taste of East Africa” provides students with a chance to experience East African food and music.“The event shares East African culture by giving them a taste of the food, allowing them to meet the people from eastern Africa, get to know the culture, hear the music and keep the Tanzanian traditions alive,“ Rogers said. Swahili dishes infused with African spices and customary combinations enhanced the entire event.A tasty kachumbari salad of diced tomatoes, onions and chili peppers was served alongside a full and flavorful tomato meat sauce.Everything from rice and beans to mandazi, a traditional fried breakfast dough, and chapati, a staple flat bread.Rogers said Tanzanian people have chai tea — often served with milk and sugar — with sweet mandazi dough around 10 a.m. every day.Samboosas — pastry shells full of meat or vegetables including potatoes, carrots and peas — were served spiced with curry powder.“The samboosas are quite luxurious in Tanzania,” Rogers said. “They are kind of expensive and are less available in remote areas.”A performance group beat its drums to rhythmic African celebratory songs and practiced the traditional dance steps, making it hard to believe we were still sitting in Bloomington.“In African dancing and singing, a mistake is just a new type or variation,” announced the leader of the group. “We are here to celebrate community and happiness through clapping and a circle of prayer.”After some participatory dancing and singing and an appetizing arrangement of cuisine, I left feeling like I was on top of Mount Kilimanjaro.— espitzer@indiana.edu
(10/16/12 4:12am)
Get creative with tailgate food.
(10/16/12 4:10am)
IU fans tailgate near Indiana Ave.
(10/16/12 3:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There’s no time like tailgate time. Especially at IU, we always score sensationally during the precursor tailgate party even if we don’t score on the field. From the family-fun end to the crowded cluster of geared-up greek students, Hoosiers who take to the field bring a whole different kind of team representing crimson and cream. No matter which hoard of Hoosiers you share your Saturday tailgates with, it’s never quite game time until you’ve had a hot dog.It’s essential to keep tailgate tasty, and hot dogs are the key. After you’ve had your hot dog grilled just the way you like it, there are more possibilities for topping it off than just the timeless crimson-colored Ketchup. To keep things interesting, it’s time to visit some topping variations while the football stadium remains standing. Pick your favorite find and you can keep them coming through our best season, basketball season.So here they are, the 10 best toppings for Big Ten buns.10. Relish-iousUse some of your favorite, different kinds of pickles to make a nice relish and to top off your dog. My favorite relish is made from bread and butter pickles, cucumbers, white onions, garlic, green peppers, vinegar, turmeric, sugar and salt, all soaked together in ice water for 3 hours. Sweet pickle relish is another way to go.9. Munch and crunchIf you haven’t yet added the perfect savory, salty snack to your bun, be ready for a fulfilling fit. Any chips on top of your dog will do, but pick a kind that usually gets you going. My favorite are ruffled Lay’s with ketchup, sour cream and onion or barbecue chips.8. Just chili-ingMake your meal a little meatier. Stew up ground beef, onions, kidney beans, tomato sauce and chili powder for your chili and top it with some sour cream, cheddar cheese and chives.7. Guaca- marvelousNothing is as awesome as avocado. Mash up some of the green goods, slice up red onions and tomatoes and mix it all up with lime juice and salt, along with some jalapenos if you like an extra kick. Don’t be afraid to be generous when spooning guacamole onto your bun.6. Mac-attackMac and cheese madness is nearly twice as terrific when mixed with a hot dog. Make a batch of your favorite mac and lather it onto your barbecued meat for a messy but magical mix.5. The comfort comboWant to feel like you are getting comfort food? Cut up cabbage, carrots and onions and mix in mayo, mustard, sugar and vinegar in a winning cole slaw. Bring on the baked beans, combine it with the cole slaw and enjoy the full on flavor.4. Kicking and Cheesin’If you like cheesy, crunchy and hot, try getting some pepper jack cheese, crispy onions and a few jalapenos. If you are feeling completely courageous, let the cheese melt on your hot dog before tasting the heat.3. The B-L-hot dogEveryone loves a good BLT, so why not a BLT-dog? Try it with some fresh strips of bacon or turkey bacon, lettuce and tomato. Spread some ranch on your hot dog and you are in for a fan favorite.2. The Breakfast Club comboIndiana loves celebrating with Breakfast Club, so why not keep the brunch buns coming? Prepare hash browns and scrambled eggs and load up your hot dog, adding extra ketchup and a little Tabasco if you want a kick. Perfect for a morning game, this one is the breakfast of champions. 1. Hoosier hot dog?For the number one, divine crimson and cream dog, layer with a line of mayo, ketchup, caramelized onions and some crispy potato chips. This one will represent your home team colors and leave you cheering with savory satisfaction.
(10/10/12 2:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With any meal, there’s nothing like getting all that grub and a bag of chips. I can’t think of a snack as crunchy and crumbly that comes in so many varieties, satiates a craving and manages to add an extra spark of flavor. Our culture satisfies that snack craving with everything from a ridged, baked, sweet-barbecue or salt-and-vinegar potato chip. It has become a global fad to feast on chips of every kind. While I was abroad, the spectrum of flavors from spicy to sweet shocked me.My friends and I would enter each convenience store, competing to find the most unique chip flavor.Where did this munchie madness begin?The Snack Food Association states that the french fry came first and the potato chip soon followed in August 1853. In Saratoga, New York, a man complained his fried potatoes were too thick.Out of spite, cook George Crum served the customer a batch of potatoes sliced paper thin, fried them to a crisp and with a few extra pinches of salt. The crispy creation was a whole new concept for a generation that had never used their hands at the dinner table. Just like today, once people started eating them, they couldn’t stop. The chips became a savory specialty and were first packaged, sold and shipped around the New England area.Potato chips stayed plain, spiced with nothing but salt until the 1950s. It’s hard to imagine that sour cream and onion wasn’t an option until the owner of an Irish chip company decided to add more robust flavor.The first potato chip varieties were cheese and onion or salt and vinegar.Flavor varieties are now found around the globe. You can get your fruit fix with kiwi and lychee-flavored chips in Tokyo or grab a bag of the teriyaki-mayonnaise flavor. One can dine on chicken-tikka-masala-flavored chips in India, bruschetta-flavored chips in Italy and a hot-chili-squid variety in Thailand. Other Asian countries munch on seaweed-flavored spuds. I even heard that Australia has meat-pie-and-tomato-sauce chips, as well as a Vegemite variety. If anyone wants to send me, I am willing to fly over for a taste test. I will be sure to bring back a bag. — espitzer@indiana.edu
(10/10/12 2:04am)
A vender sells snacks at a shop in Shenzen, China. The snack and flavors of chips available are similar to popular Chinese dishes.
(10/01/12 3:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Happy harvesting!The Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates the lunar harvest holiday on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar.Called Zhong Qiu Jié in Mandarin Chinese, the festival commemorates nature’s abundance during harvest time.First found in a written collection from the Zhou Dynasty about 3,000 years ago, the festival has been made a public Chinese holiday.The IU Chinese Student and Scholar Association filled Dunn Meadow Saturday to commemorate the full moon with music, games and delicacies.Chinese and Vietnamese people celebrate the full moon and the legend of the archer Houyi and his wife, Chang’e, the moon goddess of immortality.There are many variations to the tale of how Chang’e became the moon goddess told every harvest festival.Most versions involve a potion that Chang’e took to make her immortal.When Chang’e floated to the moon, she still felt a close connection to the community on Earth. As she drifted into the heavens, she sought shelter on the moon.The story says the moon shines especially bright during the festival because Houyi makes his yearly visit to his wife. Chang’e represents the “yin” and feminine quality of the moon, while Houyi represents the sun and “yang.”To commemorate Chang’e, the festivities emphasize enjoying the bright moon, admiring and making tributes to the gifts of nature with historical and cultural practices. The most recognizable traditions during the festival are making sacrifices to the full moon, dancing with lanterns and the moon rabbit and eating rich, delicious mooncakes.Mooncakes, or yuè bing, are offered at family gatherings to eat while enjoying the full moon. Made with various different fillings, a mooncake is a pastry with a printed pattern on the outside and paste filling on the inside. Different flavors and fillings are popular in various regions, but they are most traditionally made with a lotus seed paste filling and an egg yolk in the center to represent the full moon. Some mooncakes contain four yolks in the center, representing the four phases of the moon. They often include walnuts, pumpkin, red bean paste, almonds and dates.Other fillings include nuts, fruits and even ham. Some modern flavors have chocolate and green tea fillings. Ice cream has become a successful selection in Taiwan.Making moon cakes for the brightest full moon of the year isn’t easy. It is considered a sacrifice to prepare and share the pastry. Prep up this delicious, sweet mooncake variation ahead of time and share with friends while enjoying the moon.RECIPE Yields about 24 moon cakesDough ingredients:4 cups all-purpose flour1 cup sugar1/2 cup dried milk powder3 eggs1/2 cup shortening3 tsp. baking powder1/2 tsp. saltPaste ingredients:1 can pre-made tiramisu or chocolate lotus paste (store bought)1/4 cup finely-chopped almonds24 salted egg yolks (store bought)Egg wash ingredients:1 egg yolk1 Tbsp. water1 Tbsp. milkDirections:1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.2. Mix the lotus paste with chopped almonds. 3. Kneed the dough to a thin circle. 4. Surround the egg yolk with a few tablespoons of the paste, and place it inside the piece of dough.5. Wrap the dough into a ball or square shape. 6. Use a fork to make specialized designs on the top of the moon cake.7. Spray the top with a little water and brush with the egg wash.8. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes total until the moon cakes are a golden-brown color. The cakes should be taken out every 10 minutes for another coat of egg wash to keep the design from cracking. — espitzer@indiana.edu
(09/25/12 2:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Let me take you to Tibet.With only a week in China this past spring, I decided not to travel to Tibet for the time being.I have always dreamed of visiting the high-altitude climate and the breathtaking Himalayas.I have dreamed of studying the course of the Dalai Lama’s footsteps in cultivating the dense history of the Tibetan people. Unfortunately, the Chinese communist take-over has left very little leisure activities for tourists, and it has become nearly impossible to be given a visa. The Arab Spring caused panic that the people would revolt, and even journalists and students are being denied entry to Tibetan temples and towns. They are being drowned out by communist control.Instead, I decided to get a taste of Tibet right here in Bloomington at Anyetsang’s Little Tibet. I stepped into a cozy, comfortable restaurant elaborately furnished with Tibetan decorations and photographs of Tibetan people and landscapes and was welcomed by the warm and wise owner, Thupten Anyestang.Anyestang was born in Tibet. After the Chinese government came into power in 1959, he crossed the Himalayas at age 9, traveling to India for hopes of freedom. One of 100,000 refugees following the Dalai Lama, Anyestang and his 11-year-old brother spent a month fighting the freezing cold before being welcomed into a Tibetan school in India. For the last 14 years, he has managed Little Tibet here in Bloomington. The restaurant is intended to educate people about the history, culture and traditions of his people.“I love the peacefulness of Bloomington, but my heart is in Tibet,” Anyestang told me over a cup of bodja, a salty tea made with butter and milk before churned. “By opening a restaurant, I have educated people about the current situation and have made my business like a Tibetan family and a home away from home.”Anyestang, who has served food to the Dalai Lama himself several times, took me through some of the most sensational, authentic Tibetan treats he prefers, reminding me that a special meal in Tibet can have more than 18 courses.“Tibetan food has a unique taste,” Anyestang told me. “It’s not very rich or oily or strong, but it is healthy and simply tasteful.”Because of the exceptionally high altitude, Tibetans rely on meat protein to invigorate their strength, most often beef and lamb. “It is better to kill a large animal that can feed many than take the life of a fish or shrimp for just a small gratification, out of respect for life and the animals,” Anyestang explained. A staple food in Tibet is homemade dumplings, called momo, which are most often filled with ground beef and steamed to perfection. Momo is prepared by chopping up beef and mixing it with spices and onions. It is rolled into special dough, cut and flattened into a precise dumpling shape and steamed for about 20 minutes.Anyestang said making momo for someone indicates you have a lot of respect for that person. It is considered a special offering because it takes a long time to prepare correctly. There are different variations of momo, including chura momo, a popular vegetarian variation filled with cheeses and Tibetan seasonings and often dipped in a spicy sauce.One of Anyestang’s favorites for winter weather is kham amdo thugpa soup, stewed to relieve colds and other sicknesses in the Himalayas. He said the hearty dish can relieve anyone of illness if made at the correct temperature and flavored with daikon, flour noodles, radishes, tomatoes, green onions and beef and garnished with cilantro and green onions.A special Tibetan treat is a dessert called dresil. At the beginning of the Tibetan new year, Losar, which occurs during the month of February on the solar calendar, Tibetans dress in decorative clothing. Women cover themselves in embellished jewelry and scarves. They head to the mountain tops to make offerings of incense, hanging prayer flags while making blessings for the new year. After the mountain ceremony, dresil, sweetened rice, is served in celebration. .The rice is mixed with different kinds of raisins, dried fruits, sugar and nuts, infused together for a light yet satiating sweetness. This dish is often served with khabes cookies, rich with sugar and butter and fried until freshly golden.The opportunity to escape and get a taste of authentic, appetizing spices left me inspired to keep the good karma coming and share some of the brilliance behind the cuisine.
(09/18/12 3:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Shanah Tovah ‘oo Metukah! Those celebrating the Jewish New Year proclaim this Rosh Hashanah greeting to wish “A good and sweet new year” as we embark on another full circle. Like most religious or cultural celebrations, there are several savory foods that signify the holiday, but Rosh Hashanah is all about celebrating sweetness. Apples and honey are some of several symbolic foods used to start off the new year. These help connect the physical world and the spiritual world during the high holidays. It is traditional to eat round challah bread instead of the normal braided bread. The circular shape signifies continuity and the cycle of life. When blessing the bread, it is dipped in honey for sweetness. The flavor reminds us of the past year’s milestones and difficult days.The foods are cooked to represent aspirations for the next year. The food that fuels you can spice up your actions and attitudes in the same way they satisfy you on the inside. Other customary foods include dates, cooked leeks and pomegranates. Many households place the head of a fish on the table and say a blessing. It is a reminder to act as the head, not the tail, during each day’s challenges and conquests.From country to country, Jewish communities create varying side dishes to symbolize hope and harmony. Most use honey to accent the flavor of the food and mood.In Turkey, a honey cake called tishpishti is satiating. Persian Jews dine on pancakes made from chickpeas glazed in a honey and lime sauce.Indian and Israeli cuisines are fused to create a special holiday dish called apple sabzi, apples cooked in spices and coconut.Here at home, we love our apples dipped in honey and any sweet version of a noodle kugel.To start off on a sweet note, I always make a roasted honey applesauce. This simple, savory recipe is a healthy, enjoyable and easy tradition that my mom made a Rosh Hashanah favorite.Every day should have a little extra emphasis on sweet, just like the Jewish New Year.
(09/18/12 2:52am)
Jerusalem, Israel
(09/11/12 3:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The season of sickness has begun. Between the Bloomington-induced allergies and head colds, tissues are certainly in season. A remedy is needed. While visiting Vietnam, I caught the same cold that is always passed around IU. Luckily, I had pho, a traditional Vietnamese soup, at my disposal.It was the perfect fusion of tastes and spices to revitalize my senses.Rice, the country’s staple crop, is the key ingredient to pho noodles and made me unable to resist the soup.I witnessed workers in traditional rice hats harvesting the rice in the moist soil at the Mekong Delta in southwestern Vietnam. An incredible amount of rice comes from this agricultural center. Pronounced “f-uhh,” the name is often butchered. Pho can’t be compared to any other soup because it contains a unique mix of spices and an ability to alleviate sickness.Cilantro, onion and often cinnamon accompany a thin light broth. Ginger is added to soothe the stomach.I was told to add additional ginger and pepper for a stronger remedy that clears out the sinuses. Bean sprouts, hot peppers, green onions and limes are provided on the side of pho for each indulger to add to their preferred taste. Once you’ve eaten it, you can’t keep away. Made with rice noodles, broth and basil, pho recipes vary between Vietnamese regions. Regardless of season, it is celebrated globally.Pho is a combination of French and Chinese flavors and has been dished out for about 100 years. Pot au feu, the French version of beef stew, includes vegetables and meat. It uses Chinese ingredients such as rice noodles, fish sauce and garnishes.Today, specialized restaurants offer variations of pho that mix different meats, spice levels and seasonings.From pho ga, chicken noodle, to pho cay, spicy beef noodle, there are no limits on the possible variations. My favorite pho experience was in a small restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam. I ordered a spicy chicken bowl variation. It was with a chicken broth made of charred ginger, onion, fennel seeds, cinnamon and hot peppers. Small cutlets of chicken breast were added to the sensational broth and soft rice noodles. I garnished it with basil, chili peppers, lime and hoisin sauce and added cinnamon for sweetness.Being sick stinks. A remedy as fulfilling as pho, easy to prepare just the way you want, can take you from sneezing to breathing better from the fresh herbs and warmth. Have some fun and try to make your own pho fusion.
(09/11/12 3:26am)
Pho soup boils in Vietnam.
(09/05/12 4:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Nothing says “happy Labor Day” like a magnificent mesquite barbecue. Our day of celebrating workers, economic growth and societal success couldn’t be done right without our favorite foods smoked and grilled to perfection. Believe it or not, the United States is not the only country that takes a day to celebrate its labor force. International Workers’ Day is celebrated on May 1 in more than 80 countries. Regardless of the date, other cultures preserve similar cookout traditions. Barbecue is best in Brazil. Brazilians know how to cook up cattle with sensational seasoning, no matter what the occasion. Brazilian barbecue has been a staple since the Portuguese began raising cattle. Cowboys in the south of Brazil — known as gauchos — lived off their barbecue, or “churrasco” in Portuguese.Barbecue has since evolved into one of Brazil’s most celebrated and world-renowned cuisines. While I was visiting Brazil, a local friend told me there were four things I had to do in order to die happy: visit a Brazilian beach, see a samba show, watch a local soccer game and visit a churrascaria. Churrascarias, or Brazilian steak houses, specialize in authentically brilliant barbecues.Brazilian barbecue is made brilliant by the way it’s prepared. Originally, churrasco was cooked on skewers over coals. A home barbecue pit was decorated with designs and tiles and would be used for almost any occasion. Now, Brazilians cut meat into small slivers and enjoy tastes of different delicacies with numerous side dishes for a meal that can last for hours.The secret to the magnificent taste is the meat’s freshness and cut. The sauces, salads and side dishes help bring out the spicy sensations that have any diner wanting more. When I visited a special steak house in Brazil, I never thought I could eat so much. I pushed myself to my eating limit, but saying no to more meat was nearly impossible. Waiters came by with an unlimited supply of skewers with chicken, sausage, beef, lamb and even chicken hearts to satiate anyone’s craving. Feeling as luxurious as royalty, I asked my waiter how to bring the Brazilian barbecue experience back home. He said the seasoning is simple: sea salt and ground garlic. It seemed too straightforward to be so scrumptious. I took note on the side dishes to bring the taste of barbecue with me.An easy, sweet relish for any barbecue can be created by combining cinnamon, cane sugar, brown sugar and lemon juice. Serve it on the barbecued meat with pineapple slices. If you want something spicy, try serving a salad of hearts of palm and tomato. Top it off with the magical molho a campanha, a hot sauce made of diced tomatoes, onions, vinegar, salt and hot jalapeno peppers. For a satiating side dish, try a corn, roasted potatoes, steamed carrots and cabbage salad marinated with olive oil and parsley. Equally as tasty is a special lima bean salad, marinated with lime vinegar and olive oil.A Brazilian barbecue experience can make you the cultural chef of your next tailgate. These recipes are as simple as sea salt but as sensational as a samba celebration.— espitzer@indiana.edu
(09/05/12 2:30am)
A girl at Churrascaria, a Brazillian steakhouse where waiters walk around with different types of meats barbecued in the authentic Brazilian style.
(09/05/12 2:29am)
A dish from Manaus, Brazil in Amazonia. There are many indegenous poeple still living in Amazonia today.
(09/05/12 2:29am)
Pineapple is a wonderful compliment for Brazillian BBQ. Trying cuts with fried apples, cabbage salads and beets is also popular.
(08/29/12 3:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Although we can practically taste the first tailgate, hot and humid days have invaded Bloomington. We have a few more weeks of sunshine to keep us smiling, but it keeps us sweaty, too. Lemonade stands lingering around the neighborhood seem to be any child’s best business plan, and the stands always seem to be in high demand. Frozen lemonade is the most complementary addition in my book, and the sweet soother is popular on both sides of the equator.Whether using limes or lemons, I found a variation of our sensational sweet-and-sour favorite recommended to me across countries during my semester at sea.Starting in Brazil, I could never have enough lime caipirinhas, Brazil’s national cocktail. Made with Brazil’s finest sugar cane, fresh limes, a dash of cachaça rum — for those of drinking age — and sometimes a spoonful of honey, the drink is served over crushed ice. A local informed me the word caipirinha comes from the Portuguese word caipira, which signifies the countryside. The drink, traditionally a folk remedy, relieves cold and flu symptoms, and the delicious healer is now celebrated in Brazil as an authentic cultural concoction.Since limes are abundantly grown in Haiti, another place I stayed, I came home to ji sitwon every day. The freshly squeezed lime juice is mixed with water, sugar, honey and sometimes ginger to remedy stomachaches, making me feel good as new. I would pick and squeeze the limes myself and add the perfect amount of sugar to make an unbelievably fresh squeeze from scratch.Summer in Israel would be incomplete without limonana, my favorite beverage. In Hebrew, the word means “lemon mint.” The combination of lemon juice and mint leaves has become a celebrated favorite created in Israel and is popular throughout the Middle East.Mint is often used as an herbal remedy to treat nausea and heal digestive disorders. Commonly added to teas and treats, mint is an easily harvested herb in almost every Israeli’s backyard. You can easily buy mint leaves and add them as the perfect addition to dozens of dishes in need of a quick kick. Mix a cup of lemon juice, a cup of water, three cups of ice, half a cup of mint leaves and three to four tablespoons of sugar or lemonade mix into a blender. Blend for about two minutes, and you will feel freshly minted. For a perfect IU refresher, I made myself a crimson limonana with a cup of lemon juice, half a cup of mint leaves and a cup of cherry juice. From one country to the next, I found handfuls of heat-remedying variations of everyone’s favorite simple, soothing sweet treat. I suggest you play it up with other herbs, including lavender and rosemary, and get crazy with some frozen fruits, too. Maybe you can keep cool from Bloomington’s boiling days and find the remedy for stress from homework overload. Drink up!— espitzer@indiana.edu
(08/29/12 2:44am)
A market place in Manaus, Brazil sells the key ingredient to a Capirinia, fresh limes.