Tasting Cultures

Happy New Year from TCF 2012

2012-01-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Buddha at Ajanta and Ellora Caves

May the new year bring you great peace,

joy and happiness.

Warmly, Sarah and the Tasting Cultures Family

Happy Holiday Greetings from TCF 2011

2011-12-24T09:15:00.000-05:00

We offer you petals and flowers destined for the Ganges as our TCF Happy Holidays Greeting

a south indian meal, more art&food from sarah's updated art website

2011-12-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

from 'a south indian meal'

Visit my artist's website

sarah k khan art&food

"Praise Tasting Cultures, Attain Sal-I-vation" 2011, TCF 5-set poster series available now

2011-12-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

"Praise Tasting Cultures, Attain Sal-I-vation"

It is the time of year where we give thanks to our supporters, seek new ones, and give back by offering art in return for your support. Here is the first of 5 posters for our 2011 hand letter press poster series. You can see last year's posters at theTCF Food Culture Crossroads Press. Each poster is unique with differing colors, layers, and backgrounds. You can order 2010 and 2011 posters by linking to our Network for Good Donate page. Order early to ensure timely delivery, they make great gifts, and you support our programs: small places where people diligently and creatively grow culinary and biocultural diversity!

"I Make Art 5 x Day, Including Snacks" TCF 2011 LetterPress Poster Series

2011-12-06T12:29:00.001-05:00

"I Make Art 5 x Day, Including Snacks"

It is the time of year where we give thanks to our supporters, seek new ones, and give back by offering art in return for your support. Here is the first of 5 posters for our 2011 hand letter press poster series. You can see last year's posters at the TCF Food Culture Crossroads Press. Each poster is unique with differing colors, layers, and backgrounds. You can order 2010 and 2011 posters by linking to our Network for Good Donate page. Order early to ensure timely delivery, they make great gifts, and you support our programs: small places where people diligently and creatively celebrate culinary and biocultural diversity!

Chef Sunhui Chang chronicles his family kimchi, FuseBox, Oakland Calif.

2011-11-30T06:24:00.001-05:00

Kimchi 'che'

In the northern hemisphere, the fall season has seeped into our bones, and cool-weather vegetables abound. Cabbage and its many siblings are plentiful. Cook them too long, and some find the funky sulfur compounds reek, unbearably. But, if you are not bothered by the funk factor, consider Napa cabbage, Brassica rapa subspecies pekinensis, a cabbage variety that is the foundation of kimchi. Read more...

Frankie Lee Michael, Michael Pecan Company, Cleveland Mississippi

2011-11-23T09:48:00.000-05:00

Michael Pecan Company, Cleveland MS from Sarah K Khan on Vimeo.

Frankie Lee Michael of Michael Pecan Company in Cleveland MS talks about Delta pecan history, shares his Choctaw heritage--he was adopted--and the history of his daddy's restaurant, fur trade and pecan business. He informs us why pecan cultivation is changing, and he gives thanks.

What is Cooking on Wall Street, #Occupy Wall Street

2011-10-11T12:39:00.001-04:00

What is Cooking on Wall Street? from Sarah K Khan on Vimeo. Who is donating, feeding, and storing food for the activists? Last week (8 Oct '11), Sarah Khan of Tasting Cultures visited Liberty Park in the financial district of Manhattan to get a sense of what's cooking in the park.

What does a family recipe mean to you?

2011-10-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

Though I don't remember my Nano, my mother's mother, when I re-create her mango pickle dish, I taste her memory....read more

Video: Ximena Sosa, Sewing Clothing to Feed Families, Arts of Latino Foodways

2011-09-12T12:59:00.001-04:00

Watch Zulay Febres-Cordero, Artistic Director of Latino Arts Inc., and Sarah K. Khan of The Tasting Cultures Foundation, as they explore the multimedia art work, "Daisy Soup" by installation artist Ximena Sosa from Chile.

Video: Dual Use Tortilla/Printing Press, Ireri Topete, The Arts of Latino Foodways

2011-08-22T08:16:00.000-04:00

Watch Zulay Febres-Cordero, Artistic Director of Latino Arts Inc., with Sarah K. Khan of The Tasting Cultures Foundation, as they explore the multimedia art work of Mexican artist Ireri Topete and her dual use tortilla/printing press.

The Patels grow a South Asian garden next to their Gordo Hotel in Alabama

2011-08-06T10:00:00.004-04:00

South Asia, often referred to as the subcontinent, is for food lovers affectionately called the subcondiment. I was in Gordo, Alabama to work with the letterpress printer Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. back in November. He told me about an Indian guy at the end of the road, who ran The Gordo Motel, and had a bountiful garden...Read more...

Video: Corn Culture in Christian Muñoz's "Herencia/Heritage," Arts of Latino Foodways 2011

2011-08-03T12:47:00.001-04:00

Christian Muñoz, Arts of Latino Foodways 2011 from Sarah K Khan on Vimeo.
Watch Zulay Febres-Cordero, Artistic Director of Latino Arts Inc., and Sarah K. Khan of The Tasting Cultures Foundation, as they explore the multimedia art work of Christian Munoz, a Milwaukee artist of Chilean origins. Corn, the umbilical cord of Latin America, is celebrated; and the diverse indigenous cultures/languages that gave rise to maize diversity are lovingly represented.

Video: Start with the Bees-The Arts of Latino Foodways highlights artist Kaylynn Sullivan TwoTrees & "Descansos for the Bees"

2011-07-26T13:21:00.000-04:00

Watch Zulay Febres-Cordero, Artistic Director of Latino Arts Inc., and Sarah K. Khan of The Tasting Cultures Foundation, as they explore the multisensory art work of Kaylynn Sullivan TwoTrees. Descansos for the Bees, a memorial to the bees globally, who are disappearing because of colony collapse disorder. A good place to begin the Arts of Latino Foodways Exhibit, for without the bees to pollinate our crops and foods, we have nothing.

…”so even today, as the bees are struggling and hives are collapsing, a taste of honey or the hum of bees in my garden re-enlivens my belief that the sound of nature’s dreaming is the hum of bees and the sound of the hive”… Kaylynn Sullivan TwoTrees

Okra: The People's Vegetable!

2011-07-06T07:54:00.000-04:00

Okra's names around the world include luscious lady's fingers, glorious gumbo (Bantu) and beautiful bhindi (Hindi-Urdu) and bamia (Arabic). This tradition-rich, slimy Southern food is much more versatile than a side dish. It's an antioxidant powerhouse with anti-inflammatory properties and a soulful disposition. Its importance as a cultural symbol and its role as "the people’s vegetable" make it even more noteworthy. Read more...

An 'okra tree does not grow taller than its master.'

Krio Proverb

Check out our new TCF website, explore our programs, and grants

2011-06-21T14:09:00.001-04:00

We have spent quite a few weeks updating our Tasting Cultures Foundation website. We have modals that you can click on to see, hear and experience some of our past programs, like the Arts of African American Foodways exhibit in Charleston, South Carolina from 2009.

Or you can visit some of our current programs, like the Arts of Latino Foodways that will be up until the end of July 2011. Just visit our TCF programs and watch several short videos. Finally, take a look at our Meal By Meal Seed Grants. These are small grants for 2011 that broadly support food security, nationally and globally. We are looking to build a long-term and meaningful relationship with our grantees. Thanks for visiting, spread the word, and we look forward to your comments, suggestions and feedback.

TCF has a TastingCultures Channel on Vimeo, Check it!

2011-06-17T13:14:00.001-04:00

Greetings, happy summer to all. We have been working through the spring season and into the summer to update our website (in the next few weeks) and introduce you to our TastingCultures Channel on Vimeo.

Here is one of many clips related to our TCF programming this past year on food, culture, and the arts, The Arts of Latino Foodways in Milwaukee WI with Zulay Febres-Cordero and Latino Arts, Inc. Ximena Sosa's Daisy Soup.

The Revolution begins in the Kitchen! Karimi & Comrades hit Milwaukee, 20 May 2011 Thank you Latino Arts Inc & TCF!

2011-05-18T15:04:00.000-04:00

Check out the video clip of Karimi and Comrades Comedy Cooking Show and get a taste of the show. A little amuse bouche for your soul.

Read a great review of the show by ThirdCoast Digest. Tickets still available, you can purchase them here and enjoy a Friday Fish Fry beforehand!

"All Food is Ethnic," "The Sub CONdiment" & "When in Doubt, Marinate": 3 new TCF letter press posters

2011-05-09T13:42:00.000-04:00

We just spent 5 days with a fine letter press printer, Amos Paul Kennedy, "Dixies' Prints Charming" and completed the first of two sessions for our 2011 TCF poster series. Here is a sampling of three of the posters:

The Arts of Latino Foodways, 2 great reviews & a 3-min video with photos of Artists' Works

2011-05-05T10:00:00.002-04:00

The Arts of Latino Foodways show is up until July 20th 2011 at the Latino Arts Inc. gallery housed at the United Community Center on the south side of Milwaukee. Various media outlets have interviewed Sarah Khan (TCF) and Zulay Febres-Cordero (Latino Arts Inc.) about the exhibit. Here are some links to some great reviews that opened to our delight with Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca.
Rosy Ricks of Third Coast Digest wrote a thoughtful review entitled: 'Abejas, Arroz y Arboles: Latino Arts’ “Tasting Cultures”; and Evan Rytlewski of Express Milwaukee wrote "Latino Arts Explores Food as Social Bond."
You can also watch Sarah talk on a local Milwaukee station in more detail about the opening, see some of the art works, and learn about TCF's work to promote education about food and culture.

Arts of Latino Foodways Opening Interview w/ Fox6 News Milwaukee WI, 4 Mar 2011

There is still summer time to catch the Arts of Latino Foodways Exhibit and stay-tuned for Latino Arts and TCF's up-coming Comedy Cooking show with Karimi and Comrades on May 20th, 2011.

TCF works with "Dixie's Prints Charming," Amos P Kennedy Jr, Gordo AL

2011-04-28T12:27:00.001-04:00

Kennedy Prints! continues its partnership with The Tasting Cultures Foundation, Inc.

TCF is finishing up its 5-day intensive to produce the first of our 2011 TCF collectible poster series.

The sub-continent, South Asia, has been playfully called

The SubCoNDiment

Visit TCF's Press page and click' read more' to see our past TCF 2010 Poster editions.

Happy Spring to all, and stay tuned to our TCF Facebook Photos page for updates and more photos of our new posters...

Calming Cardamom--Origins in South Asia & Cultivated Globally, Eat to Heal

2011-03-31T12:30:00.000-04:00

Calming cardamom soothes the body. Its subtle flavor reminds me of quiet evenings with my mother, sipping her version of cardamom-infused tea, or kava; and then a late night dessert of her slightly sweet firni (rice pudding), laced with crushed cardamom seeds and a dash of keora essential oil (from the piney Pandanus species). Most modern-day cardamom cultivation, however, drastically reduces biodiversity while farmers skirt the edges of poverty. Yet opportunities to go organic may not only protect agroforest diversity but also improve cultivators' livelihoods. Read more...

A Video of WI students Dancing to Lemvo & An Appetizer of The Arts of Latino Foodways, Open until 21 July 2011

2011-03-19T11:51:00.000-04:00

Greetings TCF supporters and readers. We had a fabulous opening of the Arts of Latino Foodways that began with Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca who graced Milwaukee with several performances for middle and high school students, for the general public and at the Milwaukee zoo. Here we have a video clip of rural Wisconsin students dancing to the sounds of Lemvo and Loca!
In the coming months, Tasting Cultures will highlight the artists in the The Arts of Latino Foodways Exhibit that will be up in Milwaukee until 21 July 2011. Here is an appetizer of our celebratory opening and our fun-filled extended weekend (3-6 March 2011) with the rich multicultural communities that Milwaukee offers. For larger and more photos, visit the Tasting Cultures Facebook Page.

"Descansos for the bees," Detail, 2010. NM, USA, Kaylynn Sullivan TwoTrees

"Chocolate Trance," 2011. Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, Eneida Sanchez

"Herencia/Heritage" Detail, 2011. Cristian Munoz

"Extremos Mixteco, Mixtecan Appetizer," Milwaukee WI and Mexico. Francisco Mora

"Del Tlayoli a la Tlaxcalli y a comer Tlacopan," Porta Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico 2011. Irere Topete

The Arts of Latino Foodways, Opens March 4th 2011, Milwaukee WI

2011-02-15T08:25:00.000-05:00

Tasting Cultures Foundation, The Latino Arts Council, and United Community Center/Centro de la Comunidad Unida in Milwaukee, WI have curated The Arts of Latino Foodways exhibit. We have nearly 25 artists represented from Latin America and the United States; and four months of multimedia interactive educational programming to dazzle your eyes, and stimulate your minds and taste buds.
And we kick off on March 4th 2011 in Milwaukee, WI with an evening performance by the inimitable Congolese salseiro, Ricardo Lemvo and his Makina Loca.

Ricardo Lemvo, Makina Loca

So come stretch your leg, and let dance catch it!

'Descansos for the bees'

Kaylynn Sullivan Twotrees 2010

A Cinnamon Stimulus Plan

2011-01-28T12:57:00.002-05:00

Cinnamon red hots remind many of us of childhood, when the tiny crimson morsels had an irresistible allure. Pop a handful into our mouths, and we'd experience a burst of spicy sweetness. We didn't know it then, but that bold flavor derives from a phenolic compound found in the cinnamon species called cinnamaldehyde. Cinnamomum verum originates in Sri Lanka, but has become a widespread species and is one of the most common spices in kitchens around the world. Although cinnamon is prized for its medicinal and culinary benefits, traditional methods of cinnamon cultivation are hazardous to the workers' health. Today, in the land of its origin, innovative Sri Lankans are working to establish organic production processes and improve the lives of the marginalized castes who cultivate this essential spice. Read more at www.zesterdaily.com ...

Cinnamomum aromaticum Cassia or Chinese cinnamon

FRLHT Pioneering In Situ Conservation Strategies for Medicinal Plants & Local Cultures, Bangalore, India

2011-01-20T19:04:00.000-05:00

India’s Foundation for the Revitalization of Local Health Traditions
Pioneering In Situ Conservation Strategies for Medicinal Plants and Local Cultures

by Sarah K. Khan, N. Mohan Karnat, and Darshan Shankar--first published in HerbalGram 2005

As medicinal plant use has become more popular worldwide, concern about plant conservation and sustainability has increased. According to the Medicinal Plant Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), more than 20,000 plant species are used medicinally worldwide. Nearly half of these species are potentially threatened by either over-harvest or loss of habitat.¹

Biological diversity includes a wide spectrum of types and levels of biological variation. This spectrum ranges from genetic variability within a species, to the plant life of some selected region in the world, to the number of evolutionary lineages and the distinctness among them, to the diversity of ecosystems and biomes on the earth.² Southwest American native culture and botanical expert Gary P. Nabhan argues that most biodiversity on Earth today occurs in areas where cultural diversity also persists.³ This principle is also recognized in the Declaration of Belem produced at the International Congress of Ethnobiology in Belem, Brazil, in 1988.⁴ Nabhan states that 60% of the world’s remaining 6,500 languages are spoken in 9 countries. Of the 9 countries, 6 of them are centers of mega-diversity for flora and fauna: Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, India, Zaire, and Australia. In short, where many cultures have coexisted within the same region, biodiversity has also survived.³

India is among the most important countries regarding ancient healing traditions. Its rich array of medicinal plants is used both in commerce and by local populations. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of these medicinal plants are cultivated. The rest are often destructively collected from the wild with little attention to conservation. This short-term plant collection strategy poses a serious threat to the viability of already threatened Indian medicinal plant species. One leading scientist in the field of medicinal plant conservation, Peter Raven, PhD, Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, concludes that in situ (natural habitat) conservation of medicinal plants is the conservation method of choice.⁵

India has responded with a solution that may serve as a model for other countries. The Foundation for the Revitalization of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT), founded and directed by the third author of this paper (Darshan Shankar), is engaged in the field of in situ conservation of India’s medicinal plants with a multi-faceted, innovative approach. Against the backdrop of increasing world attention on the need for sustainability of medicinal plants, the authors present the story of FRLHT’s pioneering in situ conservation project to promote the future of India’s rich biodiversity.

To read the entire article, go to HerbalGram.

A Dynamic Woman on a Mission to Grow Healthy Gardens & Healthy Kids Across the USA!

2011-01-16T13:06:00.002-05:00

Our New Year resolution at the Tasting Cultures Foundation is to identify and support those green businesses that embody what we believe in: (1) educate about biocultural diversity through the arts and (2) ensure safe, nutritious and healthy food for all. To reach that goal TCF has partnered with Garden in the Koop (GITK).
Garden in the Koop is a dynamic business based in Hillsborough, NC. Laura Baldwin is the dynamo behind the GITK's Giggling Garden Project. She wants to get her organic and heirloom seed packets in every school in the United States. This way kids will have the tools to grow their own food, and get healthier.

In addition to that, Garden in the Koop is donating a generous percentage of the revenues to The Tasting Cultures Foundation. We are grateful and excited to gain support and at the same time support organic and heirloom seed farmers across the United States. For both GITK and TCF, this is a perfect marriage and a win-win!
So forward, tweet, and share this blog post, encourage your friends and family to grow their garden this spring with Garden in the Koop's Giggling Garden Seed Packets. We will all benefit and your seeds will grow so much more than plants.

Our inspiration is food, culture & the arts at TCF, what's yours?

2010-12-28T14:38:00.000-05:00

Food, culture and the arts are our passion. Through our programs, we raise awareness, reveal connections, educate, and inspire. Here are 4 things (though there are many more!) that inspire us:

1) Accra Shepp's The Tobacco project. He portrays Mexican migrant laborers who work on tobacco farms in the US south. One of his powerful images, shown below, raises the question: Who knows the land, who owns the land? He is one of the artists in the Tasting Cultures:Arts of Latino Foodway Exhibit in 2011;

2) The songs of Theaster Gates and the Black Monks of Mississippi. They sang and amplified the legacy of Dave the Enslaved Potter/Poet from 1830s Charleston, SC, at the annual Southern Foodways Symposium 2010;

Street Meditations: Theaster Gates and the Mississippi Monks perform at the 2010 Southern Foodways Symposium from UM Media Documentary Projects on Vimeo.

3) Robert Pierce's hands. He cultivates farm fresh food on the south side of Madison, WI to improve the health of families in his community; and

4) Our TCF supporters. You understand that there is a vibrant connection among food, culture and the arts, and with those dynamic connections revived, we can move beyond monocultures and mono-minds.

So Donate to TCF, we thank you greatly, and let us know what inspires you?

Watch a 2-minute Video about TCF where Sarah talks about TCF's vision.

Puerto Rican 'Eggnog' to warm you during the holidays.

2010-12-23T08:07:00.001-05:00

Skip the usual eggnog and try a sip of Puerto Rican-inspired coquito to stay toasty – and healthy -- during the festive season. Freshly grated ginger is the key ingredient in this version of the holiday beverage based on spiced rum and coconut milk. It'll get the tropics pulsing through your veins – even if you're just taking a "staycation" in a frosty region....Read more...

Sliced ginger, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla bean, ground nutmeg after steeping in rum

For a series of photos on how to make this Puerto Rican inspired Coquito, visit the TCF Fan Page.

Our TCF website is updated & meet Lola C. West, our newest TCF Board Member

2010-12-06T07:28:00.000-05:00

We have updated our TCF website with our expanded TCF programs and our easy donation page where you'll find our TCF Posters 2010 as a premium. Our supporters page grows, and we are grateful to all who are helping TCF expand, in so many ways. And finally we'd like to welcome Lola C. West to the Tasting Cultures Board, we are excited to have her on our already dynamic TCF team!

Lola C. West is a Managing Partner with WestFuller Advisors. For more than 9 years, Lola was a Senior Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch and senior partner of LWF Wealth Management Group. Lola continues to advise clients on building a vision for the future and oversees the achievement of all such financial goals and aspirations. Read more...

Support Our MealByMeal Grants & Receive Food & Culture Art! TCF expands its programs w/ your help in 2011

2010-12-02T14:14:00.000-05:00

Scroll through our one-of-a-kind posters, choose what you like, and visit our Donation Page to support our programs and receive some food and culture art. Our TCF team thanks you, kindly.

Theaster Gates & The Black Monks of MS: Street Meditations, Southern Foodways Symposium 2010, Oxford MS

2010-11-23T12:44:00.000-05:00

The Tasting Cultures Foundation proudly supported Theaster Gates and the Black Monks of Mississippi final performance at the Southern Foodways Symposium 2010. This year's theme was The Global South in the World. Sparse and deeply rich, melodic and jarring. The performance confirmed, for many, arts ability to transform, profoundly.

Street Meditations: Theaster Gates and the Mississippi Monks perform at the 2010 Southern Foodways Symposium from UM Media Documentary Projects on Vimeo.

The Smell of Burnt Butter & Printers' Ink, Gordo, Alabama

2010-11-22T07:04:00.000-05:00

Kennedy Prints!!!
I finally got to Gordo, Gordo Alabama that is, where Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. (APKJ), and his Kennedy Prints Studio is located. I have known APKJ since he studied at UW-Madison for his MFA in the mid nineties. I have a snake shaped necklace that I 'liberated' from my husband that he made, a hand-made book with printed proverbs about women and strength, that I wear to this day. APKJ was born and grew up in Louisiana but now lives in Gordo AL. For a hilarious look at a sliver of APKJ's life, I highly recommend the documentary 'Proceed and Be Bold'. I journeyed to Gordo AL when I was already on a tour in the South to attend the Southern Foodways Symposium 2010, and colleagues in Memphis, TN, Hillsborough, and Chapel Hill, NC.
APKJ kindly agreed to allow TCF to use his studio to create Poster Editions as a premium for fund-raising. I arrived on a Tuesday afternoon at 3pm and was on the Vandercook Printing Press by 4pm. By 7pm, I had created about 200 posters with the first backgrounds, and then was served Amos' homemade chili-garlic-tomato sauce laden over pasta for dinner. From early morning to late night, and in between over 2500 turns of the Vandercook crank, Amos made coffee from one of his 53 Italian-designed espresso makers (that is how many I counted on the wall!) each morning. Daily, we savored home baked croissants and breads with his cultured yogurt and preserved pear jams. One day he made another batch of croissants, some pecan-loaded cinnamon sticky buns, and special chocolate chip cookies with a touch of my Memphis salted pecans mixed in. At one point melted butter spilled into the oven, and smoked the apartment and the entire print shop with the acrid sharp burnt butter fumes that mingled with the chemical printer's ink...

We seamlessly cooked or printed. There was not a difference between the two endeavors. I traveled from the Vandercook to the kitchen, and cooked lunches and dinners of fresh vegetables in a coconut red Thai sauce one evening, and a vegetarian tagine with simple ras al-hanout on another. All the butter drenched carbohydrates served me well as I cranked out over 600 posters! Five different poster editions. Here is a glimpse at the first two editions.Each edition has 90 versions.

TCF Edition 1

TCF-Claim Your COOKITTUDE, Edition 2

To see all Five TCF Editions for 2010, visit our TCF Fan page Photo Albums. To support TCF's multimedia programs on food and culture and our MealByMeal Grants program, visit our TCF support page to get your posters and support our innovative programs. Stay tuned to see the other three 2010 editions and for next year's 2011 TCF poster editions. Sarah and Amos thank you, kindly!

Southeast Asian Immigrant Nutmeg married American Pumpkin & produced Pumpkin Pie!

2010-11-13T16:52:00.002-05:00

A key ingredient in pumpkin pie, nutmeg can also be found in traditional remedies and modern medications.
What do quatre épices, pumpkin pie, sausages and béchamel all have in common? Nutmeg. This once-expensive commodity from the Spice Islands (part of modern-day Indonesia) became a prized New England flavoring, and for many the aroma still summons up fall in the American Northeast, with the bright oranges and reds of turning leaves....To read more...

Sarah Khan, Founder, Tasting Cultures Foundation, Talks TCF vision, programs & reasons

2010-10-30T13:04:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the Alumnae Association of Smith College for highlighting their alumnae!

"Honoring Triumph: Food Offerings" Painter: Bolaji Campbell, The Art of African/American Foodways

2010-10-19T12:45:00.001-04:00

"From the sidewalks of Brooklyn Bridge in New York to the back waters of Miami Beach in Florida; from Congo Sq. in New Orleans to the Battery on Charleston Harbor in SC, devotees of orisa gather periodically to worship and celebrate their departed ancestors with food, songs and dance as votive offerings perfectly fitting for their delicate and exotic palate. In similar ways, my paintings explore the metaphoric food offerings collectively presented to the orisa, on sacred altars in the open or in private communal shrines for worship and devotion. Both literally or figuratively these offerings celebrate and honor the collective ancestors, elders, fathers and mothers, grandparents or god parents, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters who walked on this land long before us whether as indentured servants or as enslaved individuals forcefully taken against their will, yet endured much in the face of overwhelming odds and somehow managed to survive. These paintings honor and salute their collective spirit of endurance, resilience, patience, dedication and the countless strategies invented to overcome and triumph."

Promiscuous Basil, Eat to Heal Series

2010-10-12T13:15:00.001-04:00

Fall is here, and the backyard garden is a messy tangle. The last few tomatoes are thick-skinned and no longer fragrant. But delicate leaves still top the stiff stalks of basil, and rubbing them gently releases volatile oils that leap into your nose. Sweet basil's balanced fragrance of cinnamon, clove and anise evoke a steaming bowl of pasta bathed in pesto....Read more at ZesterDaily about basil's many benefits...

"Out of Her Gourds She Tells Stories" Artist: Michele Tejuola Turner, The Art of African/American Foodways

2010-10-06T07:51:00.002-04:00

“I first encountered gourds moving to Atlanta in 1979 when I became more aware of my African history and noticed that the gourd was always around in some form. A friend of mine made shekeres, a beaded gourd used as a musical instrument. He would carve the neck of the gourd before stringing the beads onto the base. During the same period of time I saw two West African kora players performing in Atlanta. The kora is a beautiful instrument made from a gourd. I was also becoming more aware of gourds from different parts of Africa that were beautifully carved, painted and burned. These encounters sparked my interest and in 1986, several years after moving to Atlanta, I began documenting myths and folktales onto gourds by engraving and painting them. I never imagined that in 2009 I would still be using the gourd to tell all types of stories about my life and the life of others. Whenever possible I try very hard to purchase gourds from Nigeria because I have found them to have the absolute best quality, very thick, large, and simply beautiful. Another source that I rely on is in Georgia at a huge gourd farm. Driving up to road to the farm, seeing the piles and piles of gourds on palettes always brings a huge smile to my face!”

Spice Mixtures along the Ancient Spice Routes: The Levant & North Africa

2010-09-30T10:15:00.001-04:00

Spice mixtures: Levant and North Africa

On Tuesday night, I and an always changing and gifted crew of chefs-in-training at the Natural Gourmet Institute, created several spice mixtures that we then roasted or ground and included in some typical Levant and North African dishes. We began with mixing up and lightly roasting Z'atar. As an appetizer, we dipped warmed pita in olive oil and then in the z'atar to savor herbaceous thyme, sour sumac, whole sesame seeds, and salt.

The students then mixed Baharat, black pepper, all spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. We also assembled a Ras al-Hanout that included over 15 spices such as lavender and rose petals. A parsley and mint-laden rustic tabbouleh introduced many to a more coarse bulgar variety. From North Africa, we demonstrated how simple it is to preserve lemons, blended up some spicy harissa to add some heat to our meal, and made two tagines: chicken and chick pea both with preserved lemons and olives. The evening ended with charmoula-laden fresh baked cod steaks. After all the intense flavors, our tastes buds enjoyed the more subtle flavors of fresh chopped parsley and cilantro mixed with garlic, lemon juice, and such spices as saffron, all baked to create a flaky white cod fish. We discussed the simple science behind taste and flavor, how to cook and store a wide range of fresh and dried spices and herbs, and their medicinal properties. The crew at NGI, as always, is stellar in their professional skills and enthusiasm.

For more recipes on Middle Eastern cuisine, read Annisa Helou and Clifford Wright, two fine culinary historians. For more photos on our spice mixture class visit our Tasting Cultures Facebook Fan page. And stay tuned for more classes coming up on spice mixtures of the world at Natural Gourmet and other locations.

Jean, Rojelio, Sarah, Ryoko, Ashley, Daniel, Rasana

Chicken tagine with preserved lemons, olives and vegetables

"I Put Ink On Paper" Artist/Printmaker: Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr., The Art of African/American Foodways

2010-09-27T09:42:00.005-04:00

The Tasting Cultures Foundation and The Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture curated a show entitled "The Art of African/American Foodways" with the support of The College of Charleston/Society of Economic Botany 50th year Celebration. To highlight the artists in the exhibit for those who could not attend the conference or visit Charleston last year, TCF periodically presents an artist and her/his work. This is the fourth installment and we are featuring Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. (APKJ). Mr Kennedy created the poster below for our 50th year celebration, and the proceeds went to support student travel to the annual conference. Thank you Mr. Kennedy!

When asked to send 150-word statement about his work, APKJ sent an email entitled "150 Words Exactly" saying "Capt'n, Dis is de best dis old boy can do:"
"150 words about my work. Well, I don't work. I play. I explore. I be. To write 150 words about putting ink on paper is damn hard. It is more fun to put ink on paper and I would rather be putting ink on paper. You would probably rather look at the ink I put on paper than read my rambling. But I am required to write 150 words. About what? Writing isn't that what writers do? Do we ask writers to print a poster about their writing? Why do I have to write about what I do? What sense does it make? I put ink on paper. I put ink on paper. I put ink on paper. I put ink on paper. I put ink on paper. I put ink on paper. I put ink on paper. I put ink on paper. I put ink on paper [150 words exactly]"

"Nature's Lucid Dreaming" Artist/Writer/Performer: Kaylynn TwoTrees: Bees, Honey, Food...

2010-09-15T12:54:00.001-04:00

Nature’s Lucid Dreaming

Bees being…

Land and life dreaming

Ancestors singing

Whole remembering

"Regeneration comes from dreams, where the energy from a sense of possibility is stronger than the fear of the unknown. So even today, as the bees are struggling for survival and hives are collapsing, a taste of honey or the hum of bees in my garden re-enlivens my belief that the sound of nature’s dreaming is the hum of bees and the sound of the hive.

Paw-Paw found bees by some secret power that he told me was hive magic. He said the hive sang to him when the earth was dreaming. The fact that he brought home honey and sometimes a few stings from following the sound of nature during its dreaming, made his gift all the more mysterious and magical.

Both sides of my family used honey like gold. They bartered with it to get more food on the table or to multiply good deeds. When there was new honey brought home we rejoiced with Dessert. Grandmother Mabel soaked days old cornbread with goat’s milk and drizzled it with honey while we watched the sun set. Grandmother Myrtle was renowned for her skillet biscuits with butter and honey comb honey.

The hive is a link to the land and the cycle of growing food. The bees bring nature’s lucid dreaming to the senses and to my table and keep the remembering strong, vibrant and sweet. My part is to remember—in the sound, in the taste, in the garden and in the grocery store—that I am nature and part of the dreaming."

Kalylynn Sullivan TwoTrees

And

The Hive: Bret Breton, Joan and Carl Chesick, Rose-Lynn Fisher, Karen Hansen, Sarah Khan, Lorie Loeb, Linda O’Toole, Robert Pierce, Debra Roberts, Sister J SpiritVoice, Lisa Swansbrough

Kaylynn is one of several contributors to the soon to be released edited volume entitled: Hope Beneath Our Feet: Restoring Our Place in the Natural World including such luminaries as Michael Pollan, Francis Moore Lappe, Howard Zinn, Alice Walker and more...For more information about Kaylynn visit her website.

Thyme, bay leaf, & parsley: A savory bunch with a medicinal punch

2010-09-07T17:56:00.001-04:00

A Classic French 'Bouquet Garni': Parsley, thyme and bay leaf

The end of the summer bounty is upon us in the U.S. In a temperate region that means potted herbs are mature for picking, aromatic gardens overflow, and farmers markets brim with copious amounts of fresh and dried herbs. The widespread herbs thyme, bay leaf and parsley are the basis for a classic French bouquet garni. Individually, or as a neatly tied bunch, these delicately scented plants impart a savory flavor and a powerful medicinal punch....to read more click here for my monthly "Eat to Heal Series" @ZesterDaily

"Autumn," Artist David C. Driskell, The Art of African/American Foodways

2010-08-26T08:44:00.000-04:00

The second installment in the "Art of Foodways" Series: Artist David C. Driskell.

"When I was a child growing up in the back woods of the Appalachian Mountains in western North Carolina in the late 1930s and 40s, I took great pride in following my mother, Mary Lou Cloud Driskell, into the forest in search of medicinal plants as well as those that could be gathered as food. My mother's racial admixture, mostly African and part Cherokee, gave her a head start at knowing what to gather and brew as medicines as well as what was edible in organic form from nature. I delighted in learning about the poke berry plant: its tender young leaves we used as boiled greens, the berries we used as wine and from them we make a magenta dye for quilts, and from the plants poisonous root was brewed a balm for tired feet.

Autumn

Over the years, I have recounted the use of many of these wild plants over and over again by drawing and painting them as subjects in my work. "Autumn" celebrates the beauty of the wild apple that grows abundantly on Deer Isle, Maine. Other plants have appeared from time to time in my work that recount the days when we were more dependent on nature as a variable life force."--David C. Driskell
David C. Driskell was born in 1931 into a family of Georgia sharecroppers and is today a renowned painter and collector of art, as well as one of the leading authorities on the subject of African American art and black artists in American society...read more at The David C. Driskell Center. His painting, Autumn, was featured in The Tasting Cultures Foundation and The Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture sponsored show entitled "The Art of African/American Foodways" with the support of The College of Charleston/Society of Economic Botany 50th year Celebration, June-October 2009.

"Divine Rice," Artist Sonya Y. Clark, The Art of African/American Foodways

2010-08-22T22:33:00.002-04:00

Divine Rice 2009

Rice, ceramic plates

"Across the oceans we came with seeds in our hands. We planted the seeds and showed others the ancestral knowledge we had embodied--a gift that quickly became subverted. Rice, a major cash crop in the late 1600s and early 1700s on the coast regions of South Carolina, would not have been so profitable without the free labor and intelligence of enslaved Africans. But, by the late 1800s Emancipation and natural disasters effectively ended rice production in the Southeast. Perhaps Oya avenged the unjust toil of her children and sent hurricanes to pummel the coastline and its cash crops.

In this piece rice grains honor ancestral knowledge. These seeds hold wisdom and stories that survive well beyond our years. Here, they represent the principles of Yoruba Ifa divination that have guided the spiritual practice of many of the same folks who worked the Southeastern rice fields many years ago, their progenitors, and their descendants." --Sonya Y. Clark

Eat to Heal: Cilantro and Coriander

2010-08-10T14:56:00.002-04:00

Read about cilantro and coriander (Coriandrum sativum) and learn how to eat to heal, Cilantro's Edgy Power. This is part of my monthly "Eat to Heal" Series at ZesterDaily. I look forward to your feedback, comments, ideas and recipes.

Spice Cultures Colonize London's Palate: Borough Market, Spitalfields and Brick Lane

2010-08-08T06:51:00.002-04:00

Spice Cultures Colonize London's Palate: Borough Market, Spitalfields and Bricklane

It is summer in London, and farmers' markets abound. Luckily, London's palate teems with culinary cultures rich with produce, taste and spice. A review of three more touristy markets reveals a movement more grounded in local, sustainable (like Borough Market), and more reflective of a truly globalized city (Spitalfields and Brick Lane).

For more photos, check out Tasting Cultures Fan page for a look at Persian Sweet sellers, Arab Foods and Foodways, Argentinian empanadas, and more...

Borough Market

Borough Market Butcher: Need I say more?

Borough Market: Pies with a wild twist, local

Borough Market: Three types of curry served up here Indian, Caribbean and Southeast Asian

Bricklane: Bangla food

Spitalfields: Jamaican Patties and Rum Cakes

Spitalfields: The Art of Meat Pickles

Joe Cuba, a Latin music aficionado, known worldwide for his excellent taste in world Latin music at Spitalfields

The Nutrition Environment in a "Food Desert," CORE/EL Centro, Latino Health in south Milwaukee, WI

2010-07-27T17:31:00.001-04:00

CORE/El Centro & UW Department of Family Medicine Partner to Improve the Nutrition Environment in south Milwaukee among Latinos

As with the general US population, obesity is a major health issue for Latinos. Nationwide, nearly 30% of Latino adults are obese and 64.5% are overweight. There is little research, however, on Latino's eating habits and nutritional options. That's why Sarah Khan, an assistant scientist in the Department of Family Medicine's (DFM) Integrative Medicine Program, is leading a public health research project to document the nutritional environment in one south Milwaukee neighborhood...Click the following link to read more about the Latino Community Nutrition Environment, South Milwaukee at CORE/El Centro.

Stephanie Calloway, Sarah Khan and Tatiana Maida

CORE/El Centro and DFM partner to improve health

Dry Chilli Sauce, Xalapa Style, Mexico 3/3

2010-07-16T11:38:00.001-04:00

Dry jalapeno peppers simmered in oil before grinding with garlic

Smoke, spice, garlic, fat, and salt. The dry chilli sauce is my favorite of the three sauces we learned in Xalapa, Mexico Oaxaca Style Water Chilli Sauce and Yucatan Piquin Chilli & Tomato Sauce. Bold, strong and full of heat, the dry chilli sauce could be used as a simple dip for corn tortilla chips. I imagine many more uses, for example, you could add a tablespoon to simmering beans at the end of cooking to add heat and flavor; thin with more oil and use as a marinade with meat or chicken for baking or grilling; or lightly drizzle over steamed vegetables and add a twist of lemon juice. Please share any other ways you might use the Xalapa Style Dry Chilli Sauce in your cooking.

Ingredients for Xalapa Style Dry Chilli Sauce

250 grams dry jalapeno chillis

2 medium sized garlic cloves

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Salt to taste

Procedure: Simmer the whole dried chillis in oil until they expand (approx 1/2 hour); Blend the softened chillis in the blender with garlic cloves (make sure to wait until it cools, and cover the blender to avoid oil splattering); Pour the mixture back in pan and simmer in oil again (for about 1/2 hour); Add salt to taste; Bottle the sauce and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Strips of "Water Chilli" in Lemon with Thyme, Oaxacan Style, Mexico 2/3

2010-07-09T15:13:00.001-04:00

Strips of "Water Chilli" in Lemon with Thyme, Oaxacan Style

On a recent trip to Xalapa, Vera Cruz, Mexico, I attended the 51st Society of Economic Botany Annual Conference, a society dedicated to research and publication on the many uses of plants and their relationships to people.

Dr. Araceli Aguilar Melendez, at the Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, University of Vera Cruz, is an ethnobotanist who studies and celebrates Capsicum, the plant family from where chille peppers derive. Dr Melendez and her colleagues organized a chille diversity festival and a cooking class with Yucatan, Oaxacan and Nahuatl women.

Chilli de Agua

The pepper variety used is called water chillis (chilli de agua) and is mild, and certainly not as spicy as the piquin chillis we used in the Mexico 1/3 post. Roasting caramelizes the carbohydrates and brings out the sweet, smoky and burnt flavors. I love any type of raw onion: scallion, vidalia, yellow, white, or chives. In the fullness of the summer season, I would use Vidalia onions. The addition of lemon juice and salt make it a refreshing summer condiment.

Oaxacan Style Strips of Water Chilli in Lemon

5 'water chillis'
2 lemons--juice of two lemons
1 sprig thyme or oregano
2 medium onions sliced thin
Salt to taste

Roast the chillis until skin is mostly black; Place in a paper bag to sweat, and let cool, save flavorful chilli water; Peel off skin, remove seeds and stems, cut in thin strips lengthwise, place in jar; Add onion slices and lemon juice; Add thyme or orgenao and salt; Mix ingredients and store covered in the fridge.

Turmeric: More Food as Medicine

2010-07-02T09:31:00.003-04:00

Read my latest article on turmeric, health, and healing: Turmeric @ZesterDaily. I look forward to your feedback, comments and suggestions.

Turmeric, Curcuma longa, fresh, cut

Piquin chilli & tomato sauce with cilantro, Yucatan style, Mexico-Part 1/3

2010-06-22T15:28:00.010-04:00

Ingredients:
200 grams of cherry tomatoes
50 grams of piquin chilles
Chopped fresh coriander

Preparation: Roast the tomatoes and the piquin chilles on a flat griddle or directly on charcoal, rinse, and grind in the molcajete; add chopped coriander and salt to taste; mix and serve with corn tortilla chips

chille piquin

final mix with cilantro added

Tasting Cultures along the Ancient Spice Routes: Persia & South Asia @ Natural Gourmet Institute, 14 June 2010

2010-06-17T12:29:00.003-04:00

On Monday night at the Natural Gourmet Institute (NGI), I and the great NGI crew of students and interns made three spice mixtures and then created a savory meal with each spice mixture. The Tasting Cultures Spice Mixtures Series showcased Persian and South Asian spices. Advieh, a Persian spice mixture that includes rose petals or flowers, cumin, cinnamon, and green cardamom pods. A garam masala mixture of black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, clove, and black cardamom seeds. And a South India sambar podi mixture. The podi included three lentils, coconut, and many spices that were pan roasted to integrate the flavors.

Our amazing & talented NGI cooking crew included: Rojelio, David, Josephina, Sunji, Sarah, Luna & Isabelle (missing from the photos: Angela)

Before we began creating the spices mixtures, I lectured about some of the ethnobotanical, culinary, and medicinal history of the spices.Then we delicately scented the brown and white basmati rice with advieh; and marinated chicken thighs in yogurt, garam masala and other spices and then baked it. The ground sambar podi was added as a final ingredient in a rich and flavorful lentil dish that also included fresh minced curry leaves and browned onions. In addition we served up a Persian roasted eggplant and yogurt dip; and a fresh herb-scented salad of cilantro, parsley and mint. A cilantro chutney with tamarind and dried pomegranate seeds provided the perfect balance of salty, spicy, tangy and sweet flavors. Special thanks go to cookbook authors Najmieh Batmanglij and Neelum Batra for their excellent recipes.

The Tasting Cultures Foundation, Inc. Updated Website

2010-05-19T00:17:00.001-04:00

Our new The Tasting Cultures Foundation website is up and running and we welcome you to take a visit and give us your feedback.

The Foundation looks at the world through the lens of food and foodways. We focus on artistic, social justice, environmental, climate, food security, political and community issues among diverse populations. The foundation develops educational material, multimedia programs, and events in collaboration with artists, culinary, agricultural and sustainability experts and educators, chefs, and scientists. We work with all types of communities and institutions to influence attitudes and policies that will support sustainable practices for people and the planet. We encourage communities to remember their own food and foodway traditions—to “taste” memory, “taste” tradition, and “taste” culture—to experience forgotten foods in new ways. While we educate about foodways, TCF also provides Meal by Meal Seed Grants to increase food security—when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.

Black Pepper: When food is medicine and medicine is food

2010-05-13T14:04:00.001-04:00

See my latest article on black pepper, Piper nigrum.

Black pepper (article @ZesterDaily).

Bilqis's garam masala with black cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, cumin and cloves.

Colman's Mustard Shop & Museum, Norwich, UK

2010-04-29T18:51:00.002-04:00

Colman's Mustard Shop & Museum located in Norwich UK, producing fine quality mustards since 1814.

Aids Digestion

Cures grumpiness and moaners

And even snorers!

Visit Norwich UK and the Colman's Mustard Shop and Museum located in the arcade building, downtown.

Karimi and Castro Performance Artists: Cooking up a Comedy! Iranian, Guatemalan, Filipino Foodways!

2010-04-19T09:31:00.000-04:00

Check out Karimi and Castro's Cooking Show Trailer and then check out another link below for "War Causes Indigestion" and more...

For more food comedy, listen to an interview with the chefs where they talk about "War Causes Indigestion," "Working Classidias," and their Iranian, Guatemalan, Filipino Food Focus, click here: Chefs Karimi and Castro

Goodbye Dane County Winter Farmers Market, Madison WI--USA

2010-04-06T17:25:00.001-04:00

Check out an article I wrote for ZesterDaily! "Winter's Last Brunch" at the Dane County's Winter Farmers' Market. Last brunch is this Saturday April 10th, 2010 at the downtown Madison Senior Center. Read more for details here

Zantye's Cashewnuts, Goa, India 2001

2010-03-30T09:10:00.001-04:00

Introduced by the Portuguese from eastern Brasil to Goa, Zantyes's spicy cashew mixes rule!

Masala Power! Food, Culture, Politics and the Playful Potential of Spices!

2010-03-11T07:24:00.004-05:00

Happily Unmarried is a great design company and fun group. They have a store in Khan Market in Delhi, and have recently produced these posters to sell their Salt n Peppa weights.

Power to the Spice! Read, laugh, visit!

Sarmad the Sufi inspires Tejpal, The Food Seller, Meena Bazaar, Old Delhi

2010-03-08T11:42:00.003-05:00

Food Culture Poverty

Lokesh Jain, my friend and guide through Chandni Chowk and Old Delhi, has worked with several NGOs that use theater as a form of activism to engage and educate all types of communities. Lokesh has worked creatively and collaboratively with children, the homeless, the poor and prostitutes in Old Delhi. We had already visited the Sabzi Mandi (vegetable market) and seen where many come to buy in bulk for their restaurants and/or catering businesses. But I wanted to glimpse a different economic reality and how the homeless survive. So on this day, Lokesh showed me Meena Bazaar, a part of Old Delhi where the poorest negotiate survival. Our day was an uplifting and sobering lesson in how the poor feed the poorer.

Early morning, near the Dilli Gate where locals feed the birds amidst the sleeping homeless

Meena Bazaar where homeless live

Sarmad the Sufi inspires Tejpal

Alongside street vendors on the steps of the largest mosque in Asia, the shrine to Sarmad the Sufi sits where a stream of worshipers of all castes, religions and socio-economic backgrounds come to pay their respects.

Sarmad the Sufi, a complicated Sufi figure, beheaded by the Mughal Aurangzeb for blasphemy, has inspired many to follow a path of total renunciation.

One fellow we met and interviewed, Tejpal, had made a living (bought a home and was able to marry two of his sisters) selling cheap snacks to the homeless who live in and around Meena Bazaar. He buys these snacks, mainly salty 'namkeens', in Chandni Chowk in bulk. The namkeens are usually made of 'besan' or chick pea flour, high in protein and then deep fried and sprinkled with spice mixtures. Starting at 4am and after an hour of meditation, Tejpal walks Meena Bazaar and the area around the Old Mosque selling these small eats for a few rupees. And for the past 5 years, he has been able to take care of his family and make a living.

Above Tejpal explains to Lokesh how he meditates daily, learns about all the infamous sadhus, sufis and saints; he does not drink, go see movies nor engage in gossip. He also scoffs at being called crazy for his beliefs and disciplined lifestyle. He takes a moment, gazes at Sarmad Dargah in the background, and says, if I speak my mind too loudly, can't you see what will happen? I will be martyred just like Sarmad the Sufi who lies there.

'Miang Kham', Make-Your-Own Betel leaf tasty snacks, Bangkok, Thailand

2010-02-25T08:36:00.002-05:00

On the streets of Bangkok, I snacked on 'Miang Kham', these make-your-own betel leaf morsels found everywhere. This variety of betel leaf (Piper sarmentousm) is different from the one traditionally eaten as a stimulant (Piper betle) in Thailand and India. A bag filled with a savory, sweet, thick, and dark sauce usually a mixture of shrimp paste, galangal, coconut, dried shrimp, shallots, ginger, palm sugar, and salt. The sauce is dribbled onto your betel leaf that contains fresh chopped onions, small fresh lime pieces, shredded roasted coconut, dried shrimp, small hot chilies, diced tiny fresh ginger pieces, and topped with crushed peanuts.

Make-Your-Own betel leaf snacks packet

Condiments in the betel leaf snacks at Amphawa Floating Market with ginger, onions, lime, chillies, dried shrimp, peanuts, and roasted coconut (clockwise)

Wrapped betel leaf snacks on a thin wood skewer

Here is a link to fantastic photos of Miang Kham and the equally wonderful Eating Asia website Miang Kham.

Video: The Art of Foodways: Paan with a flourish in Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi

2010-02-23T07:14:00.002-05:00

Paan is a ubiquitous food, mouth refresher, stimulant, and digestive found all over South and Southeast Asia. A betel leaf (and sometimes other plant leaf varieties) is spread with mineral lime paste and filled with areca nut, fennel and other food/spices such as coconut, anise, cinnamon, clove, saffron and occasionally spiked with tobacco and chewed. The betel leaf and areca nut combination are a strong stimulant that is smoothed with the addition of lime paste. The stylized paan-making ritual reached its apex and was popularized by Queen Noor Jahan. Yet the stimulating factors alone, more probably, contributed to its enduring popularity then and today.

Mutton biryani w/ saffron & black pepper on the steps leading to Jama'a Masjid, Old Delhi

2010-02-20T09:21:00.002-05:00

Biryani on the steps of the Jama'a Masjid, Old Delhi

In the early 1940s my father and his family spent a year in Old Delhi, specifically in Chandni Chowk near the Urdu Bazaar. The population of Delhi at the time was no more than 6 or 7 lakhs (1 lakh = 100,000). In early 2000s, I spent quite a bit of time exploring Simla and Amritsar (I have yet to visit Srinagar) where my father also grew up. In retracing his steps, like many immigrants' children, I connect/ed to something intangible, sometimes imagined, and often fleeting, one history, one part of my ancestry, one home. I use food memories to taste ancestral memories. And my time in Chandni Chowk stimulated me on numerous levels. More than the five senses, I reveled in diverse street foods of the many South Asian cultures, in particular, the steaming biryani on the steps of Jama'a Masjid.

Biryani

The word biryani is derived from the Farsi word beryā(n) (بریان) which means roasted or fried. There are many theories about how biryani diffused across the subcontinent. Biryani and its many tasty versions (Awadhi, Hyderabadi, Sindhi, Kacchi, and more) in South Asia and Southeast Asia certainly flourished during the Mughal period. One salient difference between biryani and pulao/pilav(f) is that rice in biryani is often rinsed or soaked first to remove the starches and make the rice non-sticky, and then cooked separately, roasted or fried. Traditionally the preferred meat was mutton. These days mutton, lamb, chicken, seafood and vegetables are all interchanged and appealingly cooked to reflect local tastes, spices, and flavors. The warm savory biryani cooked in large copper pots on the steps of the Jama'a Masjid warmed me on the cold winter morning with biting black pepper.

Simple Map of India's Select "Must Try" Foods by State

2010-02-06T09:00:00.001-05:00

Thanks to The Food Map--India's Best Kept Secret Blog

How can there be bitterness emanating from a sweet shop? Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi

2010-02-02T08:35:00.003-05:00

Chandni Chowk is one of the oldest parts of Old Delhi that is multi-layered with Mughal, Persian, Hindu, Jain, Muslim culinary food traditions. Chandni Chowk is also the place where rural immigrants from all over India come to seek their fortune or barely eke out a living. With the Red Fort on one side and the Jama'a Masjid on another, the Chowk is teaming with scents and street food delights that are seasonal.

100 year old Mughlai Caterers marinating chicken and lamb in yogurt and spices

Basing their products on the harvests and festivals, the Chowk vendors squeeze into the narrow lanes and gulleys and reveal at every corner chaats, sweets, marinated meats, namkeens, parathas, and so much more to serve every palate. Along with the the diverse foods and peoples, race, class, caste, religion are all played out on the streets.

Namkeens, salty savory spicy mixtures made from pulses, nuts, seeds, chick pea flour, puffed rices...

For every news flash about religious or caste strife, there are hundreds of daily examples of people eating and sharing across religious, caste and cultural divides, seamlessly. As my friend and 8th generation Chandni Chowk resident, Lokesh Jain, and I ruminated...How can there be bitterness emanating from a sweet shop?

Shereen Bhavan Sweet Shop: Carrot Halva made with white carrots, black halva dense with dried fruit for winter strength, aloe halva also for strength

For more photos from Chandni Chowk visit Tasting Cultures TCF FB Page.

Video: A bit of Ethnobotany, Warli Painters of Maharashtra: Plants/Foods used in the Arts

2010-01-28T06:25:00.002-05:00

Rice and Reeds an integral part of the Warli art form

Warli artists come from tribal region in the state of Maharashtra just north of Bombay. Traditionally only married women painted the walls of their homes. A mixture of rice and water was used as the 'paint' and applied to dung covered walls that were mixed with red ochre. The rice paste was applied with a reed brush from the 'Baharu' tree. Today, the modern painters are predominantly men who use artists' paints and create their works on canvas. Here, as part of the Craft Museum permanent outdoor exhibits, the artist is updating the traditional Warli house with new images and themes reflective of their daily traditional culture.
An excellent and detailed history of Warli painters is Painted World of the Warlis: Art and Ritual of the Warli Tribes of Maharashtra, by Yashodhara Dalmia. Lalit Kala Akademi 1988

KARE Ayurvedic & BKS Iyengar Yoga Retreat, Mulshi Lake, Pune, 16-23 Jan '10

2010-01-24T12:07:00.003-05:00

I am in India to set up an exchange program between the University of WI Center for Global Health and The Foundation for the Revitilization of Local Health Traditions located in Bangalore (I will post on FRLHT later in the month). Since 1998 when I began (and later completed) my PhD program in Traditional Ecological Knowledge Systems/Ethnobotany, I focused my research on Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicines' treatments for late onset Diabetes mellitus.

Dhanwantri, God of Ayurveda

I also completed a 4-month course in Ayurveda to understand the basic concepts for field research (Gujarat Ayurvedic Research Center in Jamnagar-GAU) and a 4-month yoga teacher training course (Bihar Yoga Bharati, Munger, Bihar-BYB). Since that time when in India, I explore different Ayurvedic, yoga, and meditation (Vippassana) modalities found throughout the subcontinent. KARE, the Kerala Ayurvedic Research and Rejuvenation Establishment, located on Mulshi Lake in Pune, is the most recent establishment I have visited.

A Typical Day at KARE

A friendly and professional staff greeted me; I enjoyed a light dinner and headed straight to bed after the long day's journey. After tea the next morning, I delved into the first of two Iyengar yoga classes held daily. The yoga teachers (especially Dr. Shetty) are excellently trained and focus on proper form and alignment foremost to avoid injuries. I had a detailed consultation with the Ayurvedic practioner, Dr. Rohit, and he designed a week-long program that focused on a mild detoxification process called Virechana. Unlike some larger Ayurvedic hospitals that I have experienced, KARE is small, intimate and highly personal. The food is light, fresh, and made specifically for your particular prakruti (vata, pitta, kapha or any combination).

For the next week, I woke at 6:30 had a light tea, headed to 2.5 hours of yoga, then a warm oil massage infused with specific Ayurvedic herbal combinations. All the massage therapists are well-trained, responsive to individual needs, and highly personable. At 1pm we were served our individualized lunches where sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent tastes had to be present in each meal. Normally in the afternoon we had a shorter massage treatment (I had an herbal 'potli' dipped in warm herbal oil and gently rubbed and massaged on specific problem areas). By 3pm, we headed to our second 1.5 hour yoga class where we stayed in the gentle asanas for longer periods of time (up to 15 minutes). Our days ended with another communal yet individualized dinner at 7pm. At the end of each meal, resourceful Uttam would serve us our prescribed pills, liquids and pastes depending on our unique program.

The fact that yoga is integrated into the Ayurvedic treatment plan makes this a unique and special place. And sets it apart from other retreats that focus on Ayurvedic treatments alone. I look forward to returning for periodic treatment in the coming years.

Chote Chitre, nearly 100 year-old Restaurant, Old China Town, Bangkok

2010-01-21T04:37:00.001-05:00

Chote Chitre Restaurant, Prang Pu Thron area

I visited Chote Chitre because of a fine review in the NYT (NYT article). The small family-run five table establishment looked like many ordinary restaurants that dot the Bangkok landscape. Yet, the food we gobbled up here stimulated every taste bud: sweet, savory, salty, bitter, and sour. See the main ingredients below in each dish and imagine.

Fresh squid with raw onions, cilantro, bathed in a sweet cool lime juice sauce.

Tom Kha soup, local Ruby fish with miso, fried Thai basil leaves, makrut leaves, greens, scallions, and green chilies.

Banana bud salad with chicken and shrimp in a coconut red curry light peanut sauce, with dried red chilies, and cilantro.

Large river prawn in a sauce of garlic, cilantro root, pepper, chopped shrimp, eggs, fish and soy sauces.

The owner and chef!

This will be my final post on my time in Bangkok. This is just a sliver of the many culinary adventures I experienced. I will occasionally post here or on the Tasting Cultures TC Fan Page more Bangkok photos with descriptions. Next posts will focus on South Asia, and in particular, Delhi. Thanks for following, commenting and passing this blog on to your friends, colleagues, and family.

Amphawa Floating Market, outside Bangkok near Wat Amphawa

2010-01-18T04:06:00.001-05:00

Amphawa Floating Market
Over the last ten years, floating markets are reviving and are no longer just the domain of foreign tourists. The Amphawa Floating market has resurfaced and now serves predominantly Thai tourists. One early Friday, I had the pleasure of visiting this small market where families floated and cooked along the banks, creatively serving up a myriad of home-cooked delights.

Along the banks, numerous food stalls also crowd the passage ways. Some of the foods are many types of sea and river foods. Here are just a few visual snippets.

Fresh grilled squid.

Dried squids are also an integral part of Thai food culture.

Same dried squid rolled and flattened, and eaten as a snack.

For more photos of the Amphawa Floating Market, join the Tasting Cultures Fan Page.

Egg, Cassava, Tamarind, Persimmon-More Bangkok Street Foods, Feast your Eyes!

2010-01-15T00:37:00.000-05:00

Bangkok street foods represent the crossroads of people and foods. Get a protein fix of egg, then savor warm grilled cassava (origins in the Americas), fresh tamarind pods (origins in tropical Africa), and finish with a dried persimmon (origins in China). The Bangkok streets embrace the foods of the world!

The ubiquitous egg, present in every culture as a convenient source of protein.

The source of tapioca, found in many Thai foods (Thailand is the second producer of cassava after Brazil). And also grilled on the streets as a quick source of energy. Read an overview of cassava, a plant that originates in the Americas here: Cassava overview.

Fresh tamarind variety pods, a common seasonal street food munched on fresh. A plant with origins in tropical Africa. Tamarind facts.

Dried persimmons, also seasonal, native to China. Persimmon facts.

For more photos of Bangkok street foods, join the Tasting Cultures Foundation, Inc., Facebook Fan Page.

Butterfly Pea Colors Thai Desserts, Farmers' Market across JJ Market, Bangkok

2010-01-13T12:03:00.003-05:00

The butterfly pea, a legume found in Asia and the Americas, is used to color water and foods. The brilliant and coolly satisfying blue delights the eyes, and I imagine the stomach, as it anticipates such a lovely color coming down the pipeline, so to speak. Here rice flour and rice desserts, at the 'Marketing Farmers' Market', are colored with green, usually derived from the many green leafy plants and brilliant pale blue from the Butterfly Pea.

Video: Light, clear, steamed rice paper stuffed with seasoned meat & vegetables, Chatuchak (JJ) Market, Bangkok

2010-01-11T13:53:00.001-05:00

Elegant, Innovative, Adept
Chatachuk Market on the weekends in Bangkok is an international modern-day crossroads for merchants, travelers and cooks. Watch how this particular cook adeptly and elegantly steams the rice flour to make a thin, and almost clear, stuffed rice flour crepe. With ease and art, she creates steaming morsels topped with dried fish for all to savor.

Food, Culture, and Healing in a Hot Pot, Bangkok-Style@M.K.Gold Restaurant

2010-01-11T00:48:00.000-05:00

Hot pot Thai Style!
The history and lore of hot pots starts in the middle kingdom, China, and/or northern Mongolia, and subsequently spread through Asia. In Bangkok, the Japanese Sukiyaki has influenced the Thai hot pot. The broth base recipe is often a well-kept secret and may include daikon root, a chicken, beef, lamb or pork stock. On the side, Thais add a spicy red sauce that includes a rich dose of minced green and red chilies, freshly minced garlic, and cilantro. What a perfect way to eat fresh, and savor the ever-changing rich broth throughout the entire meal.

MK Gold Restaurant is a Thai restaurant chain that is always packed, and where the 'Gold' stands for the upscale version. Here families, friends, and varied groups converge to have their eyeglasses fog, as the hot pot bubbles and boils everything you add. Some schools systematically add their ingredients, while others dump all the contents in. We ordered plenty of Thai 'morning glory', scallions, carrots, lotus root, a dark seaweed, two types of mushrooms, fish balls, finely sliced chicken, rice noodles and special green noodles.

Mini taro/rice and pumpkin/rice balls simmered in slightly sweet coconut milk

2010-01-08T20:30:00.001-05:00

Mini taro-pumpkin balls

We peeled, cut and steamed taro and pumpkin. Once steamed, we mixed it with rice flour. With a bit of tapioca powder on our hands, we made very small balls. The smaller the better. So more labor-intensive. We added the yellow and white balls to slightly sweetened simmering coconut milk. And then served at the end of the meal. Warm, smooth, light, delicate.

7 Types of Noodles (rice & wheat), All presented on banana leaves, Central Bangkok

2010-01-07T23:00:00.004-05:00

Street Food: Oodles of Noodles-Central Bangkok

Thai Red Curry Coconut Sauce, Broken Down

2010-01-06T23:07:00.001-05:00

Red curry sauce ingredients are like some multiple-spiced and seasoned sauces worldwide, replete with numerous colors, textures, tastes, and different plant families and varieties. I once gave a lecture about how I recreated my grandmother's mango pickle recipe, and why it represented food and medicine in a jar. We could systematically research and reference all the medicinal properties of each of these ingredients separately, but why do that? In my opinion, it is not fun and removes all the spirit from the process and discovery of cooking. Furthermore, it takes into account such a small sliver of cooking and culinary culture. I certainly value the medicinal properties of all the foods we consume but I prefer to focus on the cultures that created these dynamic and ever-evolving mixtures.

Red Curry Sauce

So in a deep stone mortar and pestle, we began with grinding the black pepper with the skin removed, added sliced lemon grass, the skin of one kaffir lime, sliced shallots, and garlic cloves, sliced galangal, soaked chilis, and soaked dried shrimp. And we pounded, pounded, and pounded. Based on Thai food lore, the mortar and pestle should make a 'ting-ting-ting' musical sound as opposed to my mostly 'thud-thud-thud' rhythms.

After quite some time, we added all the pounded paste to the simmering coconut milk (first hand pressed/squeezed, so it was good and thick). To this we added fish sauce, palm sugar, and coarsely pounded peanuts. According to my Thai colleague, Newey, the sweetness should hit your tongue first, then the spice. And it did.

Special thanks to my colleague from the Sustainability Institute Newey (Phonchan Kraiwatnutsorn), her two delightful friends Aki and Megumi Yamoto, all foodies who welcomed me in their home to cook, chat, and chew. For more photos of the process, you can join the TCF Facebook page at Tasting Cultures.

Roti Man on the east side of Bangkok

2010-01-05T12:00:00.001-05:00

Simple flour 'roti' cooked on an oily hot surface, folded adeptly into a square, and drizzled with sweet condensed milk. South Asian cuisine is just one of many diverse culinary traditions you find mixed into Bangkok culinary culture.

Yes, We Have No "Kerala" Bananas!

2010-01-02T00:20:00.002-05:00

Banana chips. Snap, crunch, salt, savor. That is the Kerala banana treat that I crave, more than french fries. But in Bangalore, I reveled in another banana treat. An orange Kerala banana variety, steamed, and then drizzled with a local Malnad honey. Kerala and other parts of South and South East Asia hold a large diversity of banana varieties.

Bananas in Kerala are an integral part of the cuisine: puttu (steamed rice powder and grated coconut eaten with fresh or steamed bananas), banana halwa (a hard jellylike sweet), and shakaruperi (fried banana chunks coated with jaggery and powdered ginger). There are also coconut banana curries in multiple iterations.

And all parts of the banana plant are used. The inner portion of the shoot is eaten as a vegetable, the fruits are either eaten fresh when ripe, or cooked as vegetable curries, sweet dishes and snacks. The purple flower of the banana tree is eaten as a vegetable and the green leaves are used as plates. The banana plant itself is considered auspicious and is used to decorate the entrance of venues for religious ceremonies such as weddings (quick source). Good article on banana conservation in Outlook magazine.

Food: Bangalore/Bangaluru, Eggplant & peanuts, South American Foods in South Indian Cuisine, & Bengali sweets

2009-12-31T09:57:00.005-05:00

The Origins of the Word Bangalore
According to Kannada folklore, Hoysala King Vira Ballala during one of his hunting expeditions near Yelahanka region in south India, lost his way. After wandering about, he reached the hut of an old woman. The humble woman offered the hungry King some cooked beans and a glass of water. The King gladly accepted the same. Happy with the hospitality of the old woman he named the place Benda Kaal Ooru (Town of Boiled Beans) (Reference). Gracy and Vijay relayed the similar story about the origins of the word Bangalore.

Bangalore Dinner
Vijay and Gracy, one of my hosts in Bangalore, created a savory meal representing a small sample of contemporary Karnataka foods. Interestingly, Vijay is translating a book from Kannada into English written in the 1950s that documents some of the many foods in South Indian cuisine that are originally from the Americas. The standard boiled bean variety 'avare kaalu' dish, like North Indian dhal, accompanied the meal (top left). On the right side of the avare kaalu dish is the 'badnekai enngai', a northern Karnataka dish, an eggplant dish in a red sauce that includes onions, tomatoes, and ground peanuts , sauteed in peanut oil (tomatoes, hot chilis and peanuts are all of South American origin). Next is sauted chayote (a plant of South American origins also) with mild spices and shredded coconut. The tomato gojju is a type of chutney that also sweetened the meal. In the bottom right you see three types of roti: akki (rice), ragi (millet variety), and jowar (millet variety)

To complement our savory meal, I made sure to bring the famous K.C. Das Bengali sweets (KC Das), located directly across from Koshy's restaurant (Koshy's), in the heart of Bangalore.

Food: Bangalore, homemade divine dosa and coconut chutney

2009-12-28T23:29:00.003-05:00

I grew up with a culinary palette that reflected the north "subcondiment". Our home meals in the US northeast included my parents' tastes from Lahore to Amritsar with Srinagar and Simla taste memories mixed in. So research trips to southern India over the last 10 years provided me the chance to expand my palette with not just street food but also the home-cooked meals of friends from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.

The dosa is a crepe-like pancake that is crispy when made correctly. The dosa is normally a mixture of different rice and lentils. In this case my friend Gracy (who is from Bangalore and speaks Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, and English-talk about linguistic diversity!) soaked some Kerala red rice, some idli rice, and urad dhal (with methi seeds) separately; and blended them separately. Once blended, she mixed them together and let the mixture ferment over night. From this slightly fermented mix, she adeptly pours the mixture on a hot tava with peanut oil.

The crispy dosa is served hot with coconut chutney (and can be served with other condiments). Coconut milk, coconut oil, grated coconut, coconut chutneys, and simple refreshing coconut water abound in every meal (if you like), and coconut is just fine by me, in all its many forms. In the photo below you see grated coconut blended with cilantro, ginger, green chili, a bit of tamarind paste to add a slight tang, and salt. On top she pours a type of 'tadka' that is black mustard seeds and curry leaves heated in hot peanut oil, poured over the cool coconut it crackles and smokes; and sends your taste buds watering.

Thali of Nagaland Food @ Dilli Haat

2009-12-27T01:09:00.002-05:00

North East India comprises seven states: Arunchal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, and Mizoram. The cuisine is a blend of diverse culinary traditions and distinct from the rest of India. The cuisine is pedominantly non-vegetarian, watery, less oily, more bland, and rice and fish-based. The Nagaland eatery at Dilli Haat offers a tasting thali that you can see below. Rice with a dhal, a chicken curry midly spiced with a dry bitter gourd and eggplant dish to complement the lightly boiled greens in a salty water broth. A light salad accompanied the meal made of spring onions and bamboo in a lemon salt marinade. The extremely hot chili pickle was mixed with a fermented fish that added all the needed zing.

Merry Mini Masala Mobile, Bangalore, Karnataka 23 December 2009

2009-12-24T06:29:00.002-05:00

Bangalore, Karnataka, India
As the year comes to a close, I want to wish you all a very peaceful, spicy, uplifting end of the year. And I send you wishes that we may all join the "merry mini masala mobile" and meet in the coming year.
Pure and Fresh

Himalaya Haat at Landour Bazaar, "Local production for local consumption"

2009-12-23T00:21:00.002-05:00

Mussoorie, Landour, India March 2001 In 2001 in the foothills of the Himalayas, I and my husband traveled from Delhi to Mussoorie in the month of March. We spent three weeks in the area, and our daily walk led us past Himalaya Haat, a store replete with all local produce, pickles, achaars and spice mixtures. The Society for Integrated Development of the Himalayas (SIDH) is based in Kempty, 12km outside of Mussoorie in the Central Himalayas. Located in the Jaunpur block of the Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, SIDH is committed to providing meaningful, relevant, and holistic education to local children and youth. SIDH’s primary mission is to use education as a tool for social change and to encourage a more meaningful exploration and dialogue, not only in the social and political spheres but also within individual mindsets. Himalaya Haat is one of many endeavors SIDH has developed.

Here are photos of the store and close up shots of some of the products.

Navdanya at Dilli Haat: Organic, Slow Food in India, founded by V. Shiva

2009-12-22T01:13:00.003-05:00

Navdanya (nine seeds/gifts), founded by the activist V. Shiva, has a store at Dilli Haat (What is Dilli Haat?) where locals may purchase and support farmers' producing all sorts of fair trade grains, seeds, lentils, beans, rices, oils, fruits and vegetables.

There are many non-governmental organizations all over the country that are engaged in exciting work around food and culture. Organizations that address water rights, seed saving, indigenous knowledge systems, biocultural diversity, organic, fairtrade, conservation of dynamic ecosystems, and educating the country and world about the richness of South Asia's cultural knowledge base as a source of innovation. It is a pleasure and privilege to work with dynamic communities and individuals who rely on their own knowledge base as a source of inspiration, and as a source of social change. In the course of the blog, I will highlight those that I have the opportunity to learn about.

Paris: Restaurants Miel et Paprika 12e & Au Bon Acceuil 7e, Marche Aligre 12e, Dec 5-7, 09

2009-12-17T13:01:00.007-05:00

Restaurant Miel et Paprika in the 12th arrondisement

First meal in Paris (except for a strong cup of cafe outside of our hotel in the 14th) was with my old friend from Smith College, Marina Caruso and her husband Mike Bergmeyer. They live in the 11th arrondisement and we stumbled upon this eight-week old nouvelle cuisine bistro, Miel et Paprika. I gobbled up the baby lamb on a bed of eggplant ratatouille. The smoke from a dried sprig of rosemary wafted from the plate. Best aromatherapy while eating. I wiped the plate clean with still-warm-from-the-oven whole grain bread.

Restaurant Au Bon Acceuil in the 7th arrondisement
Amuse-bouche

I scanned Patricia Well's webite for some good bistro fare. I did not have a chance to go the Le Severo in the 14e because the reservations were booked. I did return to Au Bon Acceuil (web)after three years and had an excellent lunch of salad and fresh cod on a bed of sauteed carrots and parsnips. Perfect portions, balanced salt and savory sauces, and fresh! Even had the chance of meeting a NYT photographer, Owen Franken, who was shooting the upcoming Christmas meal!

Fresh Cod Salad

Marche Aligre 12th arrondisement

Although the day turned cloudy, I rambled through the open air Marche Aligre 12e (web), and also around the closed market at the center. Outside, I share the shots of food instead of people. In the closed market, you can see some of the diverse non-French local offerings and some wild game.

Food-Tuscany in Paris with Nona Clara Porta, Dec 4-7th 2009

2009-12-11T00:39:00.001-05:00

Nona Clara Porta from Barga, Lucca, Tuscany
I never knew my maternal or paternal grandparents, yet I have an Italian Nona (86 years old!) who lives in Barga, Tuscany. My husband and I have visited and cooked with her for nearly 15 years, picking wild greens, searching for porcini mushrooms in the alpes, or collecting salad greens from her garden. This time, we relished her food while we all stayed with our friend, Linda Fulponi, who is originally from Barga and lives in Paris.
Porcini mushrooms
Clara dazzled us with her preserved porcinin mushrooms in olive oil with garlic; a potato torte; and two mildly sweet tortes one made with rice and chestnut flour and the other made with walnuts and chestnut flour.

Potato Torte Walnut Torte

Rice Torte

Nona Clara insisted on bringing all the flours, nuts and rice from Barga, since in the past the French ingredients she used just did not taste the same.

Clara Porta

New Orleans, LA Nov 2009

2009-12-07T04:18:00.002-05:00

This mid-November as the cold descended slowly on Madison, WI in the Midwest, we headed south to New Orleans for a long awaited research/brainstorm weekend with my fine colleagues, Kaylynn Sullivan Twotrees (artist and environmental conceptualist-her website), Carolyn Finney (Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley on Race and Environment-her website) and Henry J. Drewal (Art Historian-his website).

Finney, Twotrees, Khan

Bill Fagaly (curator of African Art at the New Orleans Museum of Art—NOMA) hosted us in his New Orleans home that is a pack-filled “museum” in its own right. Bill left for an event at NOMA while Henry, Kaylynn, Carolyn and I headed to The Arthur Roger Gallery for a lively panel discussion entitled "Race and Identity in Contemporary Art,” with panelists Richard Powell, Lowery Stokes-Sims and Douglas Bourgeois.

My colleague and friend from the Southern Foodways Alliance, Pableaux Johnson, invited us to his home also in NOLA for his amazing Red Beans and Rice (Red Beans Show). His homemade pan cornbread soaked up all the ‘hummolade’, his version of hummus and remoulade mixed together. There we had a chance to view his striking and moving second line photographs and to visit with Lolis Eric Elie (a.k.a. ‘Lolis-cious’, according to me, his website) who made his special sweet red wine iced drink, and with the Lee Brothers who have an excellent new cookbook called ‘Simple Fresh Southern’ (Lee Brothers).

Lee Brothers

We ate at several New Orleans eateries. Most mornings began on Jackson Square for breakfast at Stanley’s (website). Stanley’s has a savory eggs benedict and, according to Pableaux, Stanley's has a designated saucier and that is why the hollandaise sauce is smooth. and light; and apparently the key ingredient is clarified butter (ghee); and the coffee delivered a thick, high-octane jolt every time.

Stanley's Eggs Benedict

At the Parkway (website), we all munched on sweet potato fries with ketchup and mayonnaise. The highlight, if you like large portions and plenty of fat, was the roasted duck po’boy at Crabby Jack’s in Jefferson. One evening, though, too overwhelmed to decide what to eat, where to eat, and whether or not we’d get reservations, we happily ordered fried chicken, potato salad, cornbread and slaw from Popeye’s. A quick fast-food fix and a reminder of why we indulge in fried fare so infrequently.

The discussions on race and identity ensued throughout the weekend among the many participants at dinners, cocktail parties, at the Tom Dent Congo Square Symposium: Crossroads of the Afro-Atlantic World, and at The Congo Square Rhythms Festival (Congo Square Symposium).

Finney, King-Hammond

Some symposium attendees:

Leslie King Hammond, Jose, Carolyn Finney,

Arturo Linsey, Kaylynn Twotrees, Henry Drewal

In December and January, I will be in Paris briefly and in South Asia and SE Asia and will send updates about food, culture and arts encounters; and my work at FRLHT in Bangalore.

More Foodways & Music, Southern Style, Part II/II

2009-11-13T08:53:00.003-05:00

Part II of II
Breakfast with Molly O'Neill and Grits Souffle made by Chef Taylor Bowen Ricketts
Molly O'Neill

Molly O'Neill, NYT Foodwriter and friend of Craig Claiborne talked about the finer points of cooking and preparing grits as she and Chef Ricketts made a creamy grits souffle.

Robert O'Meally, Alice Randall, Lolis Elie

Lolis Elie (Lolis' documentary-Treme), SFA Board member and writer for the Times-Picayune in New Orleans, introduced Robert O'Meally. Professor O'Meally is Zora Neale Hurston Professor of English and Comparative Literature, and founder and former director of the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University. He opened the SFA Symposium with a music-laden talk "From the Field to Your Ear". He shared his rich knowledge of African-American blues and their many references to food, survival, and work in the fields.Click to see/hear Robert O'Meally

While we ate cornmeal donuts and livermush sandwiches by chef Phoebe Lawless, we started Saturday with Otis Clay and his band singing some morning blues. Alice Randall, a writer and country songwriter, fed us roasted peanuts while she shared her research on Mother Maybelle Carter’s cookbook. Click here for Alice Randall and her work. I had a chance to catch up wth Pableaux Johnson, photographer and journalist, whose red beans and rice I'll be eating this coming week in NOLA-Click here for Red Beans Road Show, and Jessica Harris (Check out Jessica's books) a fine culinary historian.

Pableaux Johnson, Jessica Harris

The day continued with a slew of talented writers, journalists, and performers such as Zandria Robinson (Hip Hop Fish and Grits), Pulitzer prize journalist Brett Anderson (What New Orleans Music Taught me About New Orleans Food), Tom Piazza (Food and Fantasy, author of City of Refuge-Click for Tom's website), and Nick Marino touched on many chicken songs, in particular, "When a man loves a chicken..." The Food and Imagery in Song session ended with a hysterical performance by the prolific writer, Roy Blount Jr., on music and sex (Click for Roy's website).

Meals, snacks, drinks, small eats, and appetizers appeared miarculously at the appointed hour. We had a Catfish Degustation at Taylor's Grocery while Jason Ringenburg strummed and rocked. Chef David Chang of Momofuku served up a lunch of Benton's Ham and Baby Lettuce, Bo Ssam, Kimchi Brussel Sprouts, and Crack Pie! Our final breakfast at City Grocery and Southside Gallery by Chefs Bryan Caswell of Reef in Houston and John Currence of City Grocery, steamed with piping-hot white lily biscuits, big bad bacon and sausage, Gulf catfish with pecan and shallot cracklins, potlikker, and collards.

Cast Iron Goat Roast

Delta Divertissement & Southern Foodways Symp, Greenwood & Oxford, MS/28 Oct- 1 Nov 2009, Part I/II

2009-11-12T09:59:00.005-05:00

Music and Food: Exploring Interdependent Cultural Expressions

Southern Foodways Alliance Link

I recently attended the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA) Annual Symposium 2009 in Oxford MS, preceded with an excursion to Greenwood MS for the "Delta Divertissement."

The SFA is very, very serious about fun, and multi- and interdisciplinary perspectives where all knowledge is celebrated, paraded, and tasted. Fine story-telling abounds and diverse groups congregate to honor food. For the performer, singer, artist, poet, chef, cook, farmer, writer, waiter, foodie, or academic...it is a place to celebrate all that is food, and its infinite intersections...

In this first post of two, I will focus on the highlights of the Delta Divertissement.

Bread by Donald Bender

Our afternoon began with a visit to TurnRow Book Co. in Greenwood, MS, a delightful independent bookstore that acts as a repository for Southern Culture, activism, and much more. Kelly Kornegay, the co-owner discussed Southern food writing with a focus on "Craig Claiborne and the State of the Culinary Memoir." We snacked on cheese straws and sipped Delta Blues tea. Turnrow Books also houses a cafe that serves some of the best homemade savory and sweet breads and pastries by pastry chef, Donald Bender. TurnRow Book Co. Link

We then walked over to the Viking Training Center for a Boarding House Lunch with chef Elizabeth Heiskell.

Boarding House Lunch

Lemon Sorbet

We finished our day with a trip tothe BB King Museum in his hometown of Indianola MS where Brinda Willis and Scott Barretta hosted our tour. A highlight piece in the museum was one of BB King's sacred bottlecap guitars.

BB King's Bottlecap Guitar

We finished the night with dinner at Club Ebony, also in King's hometown. While we chomped on fried chicken, chittlins, and potato salad, we learned more about Club Ebony and Indianola from Carver Randle. With bellies full, we grooved and swayed to the music of the 89-year old, T Model Ford.

T Model Ford @ Club Ebony

Coming next, the SFA symposium in Oxford, and a trip to New Orleans...

The Art of African/American Foodways, Closing soon at the Avery Research Center, Charleston, SC

2009-10-29T10:06:00.013-04:00

The Art of African/American Foodways

For details visit Tasting Cultures and The Avery Research Center Avery

How do you taste memory? How do you connect to your history, your traditions and your ancestors? Up-rooted from ancestral lands, Africans arrived with their minds and cultural heritages intact despite the horrors of the “Middle Passage.” Enduring adversity, enslaved Africans put down roots in the soils of the Americas and grew new crops (as well as old) with resourcefulness and creativity. Africa’s contributions to the Americas are many. In particular, African American foodways, as expressions of multiple ethnicities and histories, mixed and stirred with Indigenous American, European, and Asian foods to create a distinctive mélange of culinary traditions.

Turner Kennedy

Campbell

The “main course” for this exhibition is the art of several African and African American artists inspired by their foodways and personal relationship with the land. The artists are: Sonya Y. Clark who, working with rice and beans, offers work that evokes her mother’s kitchen and favorite recipes, as well as sacred traditions of Yoruba people from West Africa; David C. Driskell distinguished artist and scholar of African American art and an avid chef and gardener has created a series of printed works infused with the spices and fibers of his youth;

Clark

Amos P. Kennedy Jr., printer and book-maker extraordinaire who is passionate about okra, has produced a series of prints with humor and wisdom; Kaylynn Sullivan Twotrees, visual and performance artist of Native American, European, and African descent, has created a series of handmade papers infused with beeswax and honey collected from all over the country to reflect our dwindling pollinators and the fate of our lands; Michele Tejuola Turner, renowned for her unique carved and painted gourd sculptures, has created memorials to her mothers a nd grandmothers, and to the land of their birth; and Bolaji Campbell, former Avery Research Center Fellow who now teaches at RISD in Providence, RI, has done a series of paintings on foods for the gods (orisa) among his ancestors, the Yoruba.

Driskell Twotrees