[email protected]
ROBIN ESROCK - BESTSELLING AUTHOR, SPEAKER, TV HOST
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • BOOKS
  • SPEAKING
  • BLOG
  • TV
  • PARTNERS
  • MEDIA
    • PHOTOS >
      • Favourite Photos
      • Esrock in Photos
      • Download Bio Photo
      • VIDEO
  • CONTACT

The World's Best Local Food

2/13/2013

0 Comments

 
When people talk about travelling for" the food", this is what they're referring to. ​
Picture
Nasi Kander - Malaysia
Nasi Kander is a northern Malaysian dish that combines a variety of elements – meat, rice, vegetables – and smothers it with various types of sweet-spicy curry sauces.  Served in buffet-type street stalls,  the result is a gift to 
your taste buds.   Eggplant, beef, chicken, squid, peppers, and okra are all flooded with flavour, soaked up by coconut rice and scooped with the right hand.   
Picture
Ceviche - Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica
You can get ceviche around the world, but not the way they make it here.   Raw fish, shrimp and calamari are drowned in limejuice, herbs and spices. The acidity of the lime cooks the fish, creating a mouthwatering delicacy that is served in the finest restaurants, all the way to roadside shacks.   In Peru, it is often served with giant corn, and people sometimes order the leftover juice on its own, called Tiger Juice.  In Ecuador, and other parts of the continent, ceviche is served with crackers.  My favourite ceviche of all time is served out of a big tub in a tiny ice-cream store in Santa Theresa, Costa Rica.
Photo: Sam@flickr
Picture
Borscht - Russia
I struggled with the food in the Russia, easily reaching my limit of boiled meat and potato.  One thing I never got tired of however was the borscht – a soup made of beetroot, with meats, dill and sour cream.   Considering how bland Russian cuisine can be, the complexity of taste in well-prepared borscht is staggering.   Sweet, sour, tangy, and always ready to warm you up on a cold day.   My favourite borscht was served in Irkutsk, Siberia, where a vegetarian friend and I ordered borscht without the mystery meat, and it still knocked our socks off. 
Photo: appaIoosa
Picture
Biltong - South Africa
The easiest way to describe biltong is to compare it to beef jerky, but that’s like comparing a Prius to a Porsche.    South Africans have been making biltong for hundreds of years, spicing, salting and hanging strips of raw meat until it dries out, but not too much.   No sugar, no preservatives, no neat wafer thin slices.  Biltong is served in chunks, sometimes wet (rarer) and sometimes dry (tough).   It can be salty, spicy, fatty or lean.  Choosing the right piece is part of the fun.  It makes the perfect accompaniment to any sports game or road trip.  
Photo:  rubalo
Picture
Farofa - Brazil
If you visit a Brazilian churrascaria, where a never-ending stream of meat is served until you’re ready to explode, you might notice a bowl on the table of something that looks like breadcrumbs.   Brazilians eat it with everything – meat, fish, stews, roasts.  It’s not breadcrumbs, but rather manioc flour, fried with butter.   Somehow it adds something to the dish – more substance, certainly, but also a way to carry the taste a few yards further.   It took me a while to get used to it, but these days, when the BBQ is firing, there’s always a bowl of farofa on my dinner table.  
Photo beckstei
Picture
Ika Mata - Cook Islands
Cook Islanders have created their own little slice of culinary heaven, using a resource that surrounds them in abundance - fish and coconuts.   Similar to ceviche, raw fish is marinated in limejuice and spices, with the addition of coconut milk.  It’s not quite as tangy as ceviche, but just as fresh.  The coconut milk softens the spices and also tenderizes the fish.   It goes down smooth on a hot island day, a rich treat available just about everywhere you go on the islands.   ​
Picture
Awaze Tibs and Injera - Ethiopia
Awaze tibs is a lamb or beef stew, cooked with onions, peppers and spiced with awazare, also known as berbere.   Berbere, which features in many Ethiopian dishes, is a ground spice made of garlic, chili, ginger, basil, pepper, and fenugreek.  The stew is slow cooked and served with injera, a spongy pancake-like flat bread made with teff flour, the taste almost sour.  Using your hands, you scoop up the meat and sauce with the injera, creating a perfect blend of flavour. ​
Picture
Pide - Turkey
Kebab shops around the world now serve pide and for good reason.   A thin oval bread is covered with ground lamb, and seasoned with tomato paste, red peppers, garlic and spices.  It might be topped with eggs, fresh mint, and lemon juice.  The pide is baked much like a pizza until the crust is crispy, and cut into strips.  It’s so good it’s hard to order only one. Meat, bread and tasty vegetables in every bite. 
Photos:  roboppy
Picture
Roo Burgers - Australia
It’s sometimes difficult for tourists to understand, but kangaroos can be quite a problem for Australians.  They breed like rabbits, destroy the countryside, and are often referred to as pests.  No surprise then that kangaroo features on the menu, meat that has become increasingly popular in recent years.  It tastes gamey, kind of like venison with a touch of rabbit mixed in there as well.   Much like ostrich meat, kangaroo meat is healthy and lean.  If only they didn’t look so damn cute. 
Photo: Renee S
Picture
Meat Pies - New Zealand
In New Zealand, every garage station, bakery or corner store sells savory meat pies.  They’re cheap, they’re tasty, and they come in surprising varieties:  Tandoori Chicken, Bacon and Egg, Thai Beef.  With flaky crusts and thick filling, pies are a sense of pride across New Zealand.  There are various competitions for the Best Pie, and intense customer loyalty for bakeries and brands. All for under a fiver.  
Photos:  Robbi Baba
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Greetings. 
    ​Please come in. Mahalo for removing your shoes.


    ​After years running a behemoth of a blog called Modern Gonzo, I've decided to a: publish a book or eight, and b: make my stories more digestible, relevant, and deserving of your battered attention.

    ​Here you will find some of my adventures to over 120 countries, travel tips and advice, rantings, ravings, commentary, observations and ongoing adventures.

    Previously...

    April 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    May 2024
    March 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012


    Categories

    All
    Adrenaline
    Adventure
    Africa
    Airports
    Albania
    Alberta
    Anguilla
    Animals
    Antarctica
    Arctic
    Argentina
    Art
    Asia
    Australia
    Awards
    Backpacking
    Bali
    Beaches
    Belgium
    Belize
    Bike
    Boats
    Bolivia
    Books
    Botswana
    Brazil
    British Columbia
    Bucket List
    Bulgaria
    Cambodia
    Canada
    Caribbean
    Central America
    Chile
    China
    Climate
    Colombia
    Commentary
    Contests
    Cook Islands
    Costa Rica
    Croatia
    Cruise
    Cuba
    Culture
    Czech Republic
    Denmark
    Diving
    Ecuador
    England
    Estonia
    Ethiopia
    Europe
    Family
    Family Travel
    Finland
    Fishing
    Flying
    Food And Wine
    France
    Galapagos
    Gear
    Genealogy
    Georgia
    Germany
    Gift Guide
    Great Britain
    Greenland
    Halloween
    Hawaii
    Hike
    History
    Holland
    Hong Kong
    Horse
    Hotels
    Hungary
    Iceland
    India
    Indigenous
    Indonesia
    Industry
    Interview
    Iran
    Ireland
    Islands
    Israel
    Issues
    Italy
    Japan
    Jordan
    Lakes
    Laos
    Latvia
    Lithuania
    Malaysia
    Malta
    Mancations
    Mauritius
    Mexico
    Mongolia
    Mountains
    Movies
    Myanmar
    News
    New Zealand
    Nicaragua
    North America
    North Korea
    Norway
    Nunavut
    Panama
    Papua New Guinea
    Peru
    Philippines
    Photo Galleries
    Portugal
    Quirky
    Rafting
    Reviews
    Rivers
    Road Trip
    Romania
    Russia
    Sailing
    Saudi Arabia
    Scotland
    Ski
    Slovenia
    Snowboard
    South Africa
    South America
    South Korea
    Speaking
    Sponsored
    Sport
    Sri Lanka
    Sustainability
    Sweden
    Taiwan
    Technology
    Thailand
    The Netherlands
    Tibet
    Tourism
    Train
    Transylvania
    Travel Tips
    Tunisia
    Turkey
    Ukraine
    United States
    Usa
    Vancouver
    Venezuela
    Victoria
    Vietnam
    Volcanoes
    Water
    Weird
    Winter
    Zanzibar
    Ziplining

    RSS Feed

Picture

Subscribe

​
​Subscribe to my newsletter for infrequent inspiration
​

    Sorry about the hurdles, it filters out the $#!% spammers! ​

Subscribe

Coming Fall 2025

Picture

Quick Links


Books

About

Speaking

Media

TV

Photo

Contact

 Copyright Esrock World Media 2005-2024 

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • BOOKS
  • SPEAKING
  • BLOG
  • TV
  • PARTNERS
  • MEDIA
    • PHOTOS >
      • Favourite Photos
      • Esrock in Photos
      • Download Bio Photo
      • VIDEO
  • CONTACT