Like most other people in the UK and many parts of the world we haven’t been able to go travelling this year *sad face*. Instead of things getting me down I’ve used food to connect with countries and cultures around the world and go ‘travelling’ though food during lockdown from my home. Here’s some of the food I’ve made around the world.
Spain
The last trip I made before lockdown back in February was to Barcelona with my parents. One of our favourite parts of the Spanish cuisine is tapas. So I decided I wanted to give it a go. I picked about five tapas dishes which weren’t too hard to make. This included ham and cheese croquets, melon balls, mini pizzas and my personal favourite patatas bravas with aioli. It was so nice to enjoy something different and we had a great time! We even put on some Spanish guitar music which we’d seen whilst we were there which really completed the atmosphere and took us back.
Austria
For Eurovision this year a group of friends and I decided to pick a country each to support and represent by dressing up and by cooking their food. I chose Austria and knew exactly what I wanted to cook, Wiener Schnitzel. It was actually much harder than I thought and completely burnt my first one oops. But then when I tried again they actually turned out alright. Along with it I had one of my favourites, käsespätzle which is the Austrian/German version of mac and cheese and then just some salad.
Japan
One of my favourite restaurants to go to is Wagamama’s. So much so that a few years ago I was gifted their cookbook so I could make their food from home. Some of my favourite things to make are dumplings as a side or starter, ramen, teppanyaki or donburi. These can be really simple, quick and easy to make and absolutely delicious too.
Food is a great way to immerse yourself with a country and its culture. The smells, texture and taste can really take you back to a country. So why not get a cook book out or look on the internet for recipes which can take you back to where you wish you could be.
Enjoy travelling through food during lockdown from home!
Rebecca xx