Exploring new food experiences is one of the joys of traveling. There is such a wonderful variety of gourmet delights that one can’t possibly hope to experience all of them. So, I’d like to suggest that one consider tasting 8 world-famous peasant foods as a starting point instead of focusing only on elegant chef-created fare. Peasant foods are the kinds of foods prepared for family meals throughout the world. Here are some examples of popular peasant foods.
• India’s Masa la dosa is a simple crêpe that encases mashed potatoes and is dipped in coconut chutney, pickles, and tomato-and-lentil based sauces.
• Som tam from Thailand is a mixture of dried shrimp, peanuts, tomatoes, string beans and green papaya tossed in a sauce of tamarind juice, fish sauce and lime juice flavored with crushed garlic and chilies. Good with rice.
• The Polish love Pierogi-dumplings filled with all kinds of fillings from potatoes, sauerkraut, to meat or cheese topped with butter, sour cream or fried onions.
• While in Turkey, be sure to try Yalanci dolma, a mixture of rice, pine nuts, raisins and herbs wrapped in vine leaves.
• Champ is a popular Irish dish. Mix mashed potatoes with spring onions, butter, salt and pepper. That’s all there is to this filling dish.
• South Africans treasure their Bunny Chow. They hollow out quarter loaves of bread, fill them with spicy curry and they’re ready to eat.
• In Canada almost every restaurant serves Poutine. Fatty but good. It consists of a stack of French fries smothered in cheese curds and rich brown gravy. If that’s not fat enough for you, they will add beef, pork and other accoutrements.
• On the leaner side is Goi cuon, a Vietnamese dish consisting of pork, shrimp, and rice vermicelli wrapped in rice paper accompanied by a special Vietnamese sauce for dipping.
These are a few of the abundant world-famous peasant foods. If you have a favorite I would love to hear about it. Please share.
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