street cuisine

One of my all time favorite snacks are arancini. A Sicilian speciality of fried rice balls with various fillings. I've put them on the menu as an appetizer at a few of my restaurants and was excited to try "the real deal" when I was in Palermo.

Palermo Central Station

Nearby Market

Newstand

Arancini means "little oranges" in Sicilian and they can be found all over Palermo but the best ones i had were at the train station. Saffron coloured rice is formed around a ragu of tomato, meat and peas, coated in breadcrumbs and fried until golden brown. They're about the size of a baseball and a great deal for €1.30 at several kiosks in the station. Soft and crispy at the same time, the arancini here are a bit messy, because the filling is so juicy. They taste amazing, but take a couple of napkins from the stand

Arancini can also be filled with cheese, prosciutto, or seafood. In restaurants I serve mine stuffed with mozzarella di bufala and served with a sundried tomato arrabiata sauce. In Rome these are known as supplì al telefono, because when you break them apart the strings of cheese in the center resemble telephone wires.

Here is my recipe for mozzarella stuffed arancini:

300g Carnaroli or Arborio rice
750ml chicken stock
250ml tomato juice
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp chopped garlic
a few strands of saffron
200ml white wine
50g grated parmesan
150g fresh mozzarella cut in 1cm cubes
1 cup dried breadcrumbs
salt

Saute garlic and rice in a large pan for one minute
Add white wine, saffron and half the stock and simmer until liquid is absorbed
Add the rest of the stock, tomato juice and about 1 tsp salt and stir until the liquid is absorbed again
stir in Parmesan and remove to a bowl until cool enough to handle
divide the risotto into approximately 3 tbsp portions. form the portions into ball shapes.
Press a hole into the center of each risotto ball and stuff the center with a mozzarella cube
Close the risotto around the cheese and roll in breadcrumbs
Deep fry in vegetable oil until golden brown

Serve with arrabiata sauce and fresh basil

see more photos of Palermo at AdventureFood Photo Blog

Pani cà Meusa Stand

If it's traditional regional cuisine I'll try it. Pani cà meusa is a local Sicilian sandwich. Cow spleen is sliced thinly and slowly stewed in lard and served on a burger style bun with grated caciocavallo cheese and a squeeze of lemon. You can also order it maritato "married", which comes topped with ricotta cheese as well

I had never tried spleen, but i like liver so I ordered one on the way home from a wine bar. It was OK, but it's not in my top ten late night snack experiences. It's popular though, there was a line-up at midnight.

Here is a video about a pani cà meusa stand in Vucciria Market

After several years eating pølser in Denmark I figured it was time to see what was going on in Sweden. I had heard about hotdogs with mashed potatos on top, and shrimp salad and the famous tunnbrödsrulle so i was excited to taste these exotic hotdogs across the Øresundsbro.

swedish hotdogs

Hotdogs are called korv in Swedish and are served from a korvkiosk. korv was first served in Stockholm in 1897 by "korv ladies" carrying trays of hotdogs around their necks, then sold from kiosks in the 1950's. Most kiosks are stationary, unlike carts in America or Denmark.

swedish hotdogs

My first stop was "Pølsemannen" a mobile kiosk selling a limited selection of dogs in a large "Chicago" bun. This was a pleasant suprise because in Scandinavia the regular bun you get is so small I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I was first served one. I had a chorizo with mustard and crisp onions. A tame but tasty start to the day.
swedish korvkiosk

My next stop was a larger korvkiosk serving all types of korv as well as burgers and ice cream. This time i tried a korv topped with räksallad (shrimps in mayonaise). It was messy, but good.

swedish korvkiosk

After a few beers on an outdoor patio we moved on to another place and tried a korv with mos and bostongurka as well as the swedish specialty köttbullar with lingonberry sauce. Both were good, but very filling.

swedish korvkiosk

Unforunately I left the biggest for last. Tunnbrödsrulle is a monster. Two korv wrapped inside a tortilla like flat bread with mashed potatos, shrimp salad, relish, mustard, and ketchup. This is the classic late night after pub food.
I was too full. It was too much, even for me. I promise I will go back soon and try one with the chocolate drink "pucko", but not today!

Thanks to Mia Hargreave for her hotdog photography

I've been eating a lot of hotdogs recently, during my research for my upcoming Danish pølser post, and the hotdogs at Løgimose Grillbar in København are something special.

Handmade sausages in fresh baked bread are topped with gourmet versions of typical Danish condiments. Onions sauteed in duck fat and rosemary, wild mushroom remoulade ( pickled vegetable mayonnaise), French cornichons, and baby watercress. The flavour combination is very good.

You can enjoy it at a small eating counter inside or get it takeaway in a small wooden boat for 49kr. Løgimoses is located in the newly designed Nimb restaurant complex across from the central train station.

NOTE: Løgimoses is now called Andersen Bakery here's an article on Andersen

I intend to go back and try their version of a fransk hot dog. It's a bit too early to judge, but I'm sure Løgimoses will make the Street Cuisine "Hotdog Top 5" in the future.

gourmet danish hotdog copenhagen denmark

Here's my recipe for gourmet Danish style remoulade for hotdogs.

Danish Mushroom Remoulade

½ cup chopped mushrooms
1 diced shallot
¼ cup finely diced carrot
2 finely diced sweet pickles, or 5-6 diced pickle slices
1 tsp chopped capers
1 tsp chopped tarragon
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp wine vinegar
½ cup mayonnaise

Saute mushrooms, shallots, carrots in a little butter browning them slightly.
add the vinegar and reduce all the liquid
add the Dijon, capers and pickles
let cool and mix with the mayonnaise

photo From Wikipedia

I love discovering unique hotdogs from around the world. Galette saucisse is a speciality of Rennes in France. A buckwheat pancake is wrapped around a fresh grilled sausage and served from carts in markets.

from Oh The Places You'll Go

It is very popular and is a tradition to eat them before football games. The local team Stade Rennais has a song involving the galette saucisse. You can read the lyrics and hear it HERE.

I made some for staff at work using a simple recipe for Galette bretonne and some good veal and pork sausages I bought at a butcher in Kensington. I spread a mixture of Dijon mustard and mayo on the galette before wrapping the sausage. They were great.

My Galette Saucisse

I found this interesting video of a man making these snacks on a Haute-Bretagne tourist site:

La galette saucisse de Rennes en Ille-et-Vilaine (Bretagne) from Hautebretagne on Vimeo.

Here's a recipe for the crepes if you want to try these at home.

Galettes de Sarrasin

½ cup buckwheat flour
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp water

Whisk all ingredients together and let rest for an hour. Heat a non-stick 8 inch pan. Pour 3 to 4 tbsp of batter into the heated pan while tilting to spread the batter over the bottom of the pan. Turn the crepe over when the edges are dry and crispy and cook for just a few more seconds before taking it out of the pan.
To make the galette saucisse, spread the hot crepe with mustard and wrap around your favourite sausage

A Stand in Rennes

Danish hot dog stand polsevogn street food

Hotdogs and hotdog stands are popular almost everywhere, but I don't think anywhere takes the concept of sausage and bread as seriously as the Danes. A Danish hotdog stand called a pølsevogn can be found on almost any major street or torv in Denmark. Much larger and more involved than a typical North American hotdog cart, the pølsevognis more like an outdoor mobile kitchen along the lines on an imbiss in Germany.

from slagterimuseet.dk

The first hotdogs were officially sold on the street in 1910 and quickly grew in popularity. There were over 400 pølsevogn in Copenhagen by the 1950's. Rødpølser one of the first types of hotdog sold, is a long skinny wiener that was originally dipped in red dye as to hide the fact that they could be "day old" and looked more fresh. They are still traditionally dyed that colour today and over 100 million are eaten each year in Denmark. Pretty impressive for a country of 5.5 million!

from NarSissi

Pølservogn menus are fairly standard and posted with pictures on the side of the stand.

The first time I ordered a hotdog pølse in Copenhagen they asked me if I wanted bread. I said "of course" having never eaten a hotdog that wasn't in a bun. When I got this tiny dinner roll on the side I couldn't help but laugh out loud, but this is how most sausages are served. Whatever sausage you choose comes on a plate with a squirt of mustard and hotdog ketchup (a ketchup with a texture and flavour that's unique) and a bun on the side.

Standard Danish Hotdog Configuration

A ristet hotdog does come inside a bun and is topped with pickled cucumber, crispy onions, mustard, ketchup, and remoulade ( a sweet mayo pickle and herb sauce)

Ristet Hotdog

Possibly the most popular item sold is a fransk dog which is a hollowed out baguette filled with a special tangy mayo and a hotdog stuffed inside.

picture by su-lin

a medister pølse is a sausage that's spicier and more like a bratwurst and a pølse i svob is wrapped in bacon. All types are traditionally eaten with a cocio chocolate milk

A pølsevogn is usually motorized and can be driven from place to place. In the mornings these slow moving vehicles can cause traffic jams, but everyone seems to except it as part of city life. here is a video of a typical Danish hotdog stand.

Pølsemanden are considered a special breed in Denmark and can always be relied on for interesting conversation. Young and old can be seen eating hotdogs day and night in Copenhagen. You must visit a pølsevogn if you ever visit Denmark. See more pictures of pølsevogn at my photoblog

Danish hot dog seller polsevogn street food

Friendly Pølsemand

French fries with mayo would be considered a standard snack in Belgium, Scandinavia and many other places in Europe, but only in the Netherlands does this cultural fusion exist. In Dutch patatje oorlog means "war chips" and is a tasty combination of French fries, mayo, raw onions and Indonesian sate sauce.

Sate is one of Indonesia's most famous dishes. A spicy mix of peanuts, turmeric, ginger, kecap manis, chili and other regional spices are blended with coconut milk as a sauce for various meat skewers. The colonial spice trade brought this dish back to Holland, and like rijsttafel has been assimilated into Dutch culture.

from http://simplyjacy.com/food/a-dutch-street-food-patat-oorlog-224/

.Most often these fries are served in a cone and are available at schnellimbiss all over The Netherlands

I make a gourmet version at my restaurant in Toronto, and it's a big hit.

I don't have a relevant video for this post, so watch this crazy Dutch commercial.

patatje oorlog toronto amsterdam patat oorlog

January is a slow time for us at work, so we decided to make what is possibly the world's largest Big Mac for staff meal.

A homemade giant burger bun, 10 sliced dill pickles a liter of "special sauce", 2 heads of iceberg, 2 5lb beef patties, and 48 slices of cheese were used to put this monstrosity together.

We didn't have a scale big enough, but we figure it was around 20lb in total weight. After fooling around taking pictures we ate it, and it had a very authentic taste. More than 10 people participated and we still couldn't finish it.

It was a fun day. I wonder what we'll do next.

I was lucky enough to go to George Brown Culinary when it was still in Kensington Market in Toronto. One the great cheap eats in the area were the $1 Saigon subs they sold at a shop near Dundas and Spadina. Since those days the Bánh Mì sandwich has become popular all over Toronto and any major city in the States with a South East Asian population.
Originating in the colonial French cities of Saigon, Vientiene, and Phnom Penh, these sandwiches consist of a French style baguette called bánh mì in Vietnam, khao jee in Laos, and nam pang in Cambodia.The Bánh mì baguette recipe was modified to include rice flour to help it stand up to the heat and humidity in this region making them extra light and crispy. These special baguettes are filled with locally flavoured meats, pates, and cold cuts as well as chili, coriander and a carrot daikon salad known as do chua and sold on the streets and markets. For an interesting and in depth look at the French baguette in Indochina please read this article at http://wwwbaguetteindochina-somkieth.blogspot.com/

Baguette Cart in Luang Prabang

Travelling from town to town in Laos can be a bit of an ordeal, and the long bumpy truck rides at 6am were always a bit better if you got a couple of khao jee pate sandwiches to go. The Laotian version has a thick layer of spreadable pate and is much wetter and less spicy than it's Vietnamese counterpart. Cucumber slices are often used instead of the carrot and daikon as well. Most carts also sell the baguette with condensed milk to go with the thick morning coffee served in the region.

Typical Khao Jee Ingredients, photo from baguetteindochina-somkieth.blogspot

Here is a video of a khao jee pate sandwich being made in Vientiene.

Nam pang in Cambodia is not necessarily eaten as a sandwich. In market stalls it will be served separately with a platter of of the various meats as well as shredded green papaya, carrots, tomato and cucumber. It's more of a do-it-yourself deal and comes with a selection of great spicy condiments. I find these to be a much better deal than the pre-made versions you get in Phnom Penh, but communication can be a problem as the owners aren't use to dealing with foreigners.

from migrationology.com

Most Bánh Mì shops in North America are based on the Vietnamese style sandwich and have similar menus. This menu is from Banh Mi Bale in Toronto

1. Thap Cam or Dặc Biệt ( Combination orSpecial )- a mix of pork roll, pate and cold cuts
2. Pha Lau - Pig ear and pork belly
3. Nem Nướng - garlic ground pork patties
4. Thịt Nướng -Vietnamese marinated grilled pork usually pork shoulder or pork butt.
5. Gà Chà Bong or Gà Nướng - shredded or grilled chicken
6. Xíu Mại - soft pork meatballs cooked in a sweet tomato based sauce.
7 Tau Hu Chay - tofu and vegetarian style
9. Bì - shredded pork skin
10. Batệ Chà- Viet- flavoured pork pate

Chả Bi made in Toronto

One of the most popular cold cuts in a banh mi is Chả Bi or Chả Lụa (Pork Roll). Ground up pork is packed into a roll and wrapped with banana leaves then steamed or boiled, hence producing a dense bologna type “pork roll”. These can be bought in the refrigerator section of most Asian markets.

Nem Chua

Nem Chua (Sour Pork) is also common. Little squares of sour pork meat are seasoned with a mixture of vinegar, yeast, fish sauce, garlic, salt, sugar and pepper. The mixture is then wrapped into small squares and left to pickle and ferment for about 7 days.

Chả Bi sliced

Many banh mi shops sell pre-packaged cold spring rolls and flour rolls and other small takeaway items, and some, like Banh Mi Bale in Toronto sell noodle soups and small rice dishes.

waiting for banh mi

where I go most often

selection of cold takeaway items at Nguyen Huong on Spadina

To make banh mi at home, any selection of cold cuts like bologna and chicken loaf or BBQ pork, topped with chili sauce, coriander and homemade do chua on a baguette will taste pretty authentic.

Do Chua Recipe
Makes about 2 cups

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 small daikon peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tbsp fish sauce

1. Place the carrot and daikon in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt . Toss the vegetables and let sit for about 5 minutes.
2. Drain and rinse under cold running water, then press gently to expel extra water.
3. To make the brine, combine the sugar, vinegar, fish sauce and the water and stir to dissolve the sugar.
4. Pour over the vegetables. The brine should cover the vegetables. Let the vegetables marinate for at least 1 hour

One of the first things I felt I needed to do when I got to Berlin was to try currywurst. Luckily the hostel I was staying in was just a couple of blocks down from the Berlin's oldest currywurst place Konnopke's Imbiss in Prenzlauer Berg. Currywurst is a pretty simple but tasty snack that seems to be loved by everyone. A German style pork sausage usually bockwurst is deep fried, cut into pieces, and topped with a ketchup-like tomato sauce and curry powder, and usually served with french fries or a bread roll. This combination was invented in 1947 by Herta Heuer, who was influenced by American and British soldiers who loved ketchup and curry powder respectively. A plaque has been erected on Kantstraße in the Charlottenburg area of west Berlin in her honour.

from wikipedia

When you order your Currywurst you can ask for it skin on "Currywurst mit Darm" or without skin "Currywurst ohne Darm". Apparently mit Darm is more popular in West Berlin and ohne Darm in the East. If you order it "scharf" extra cayenne powder is sprinkled on top. If you get currywurst with fries, mayonnaise is usually added.

from jaunted

Like most local delicacies there is a debate over who serves the best currywurst in Berlin. I ate at Konnopke's, Curry7 in Kreuzberg, Curry36 also in Kreuzberg, and at Alexanderplatz from a "grillwalker". In my opinion Curry7 was the best, but it was after bar hopping at the many bars and patios in the area. Most cite Curry36 as the best. A map of popular currywurst locations in Berlin can be found here: http://gridskipper.com/.

Most currywurst sellers have their own special recipe for the curry ketchup, but stores also sell ready-made curry ketchup, which is nothing like you get at a proper imbiss. Hela seems to be the most popular brand. I used to buy it at Aldi in Copenhagen and find it strangely addictive in it's own right. "scharf" is the only way to go.

A "grillwalker" sells wursts from a mobile kitchen strapped around his neck, a bit like a old time cigarette girl. I don't know if their unique to Alexanderplatz, but I didn't come across them anywhere else. Here is a video of grillwalkers in action.

Over 800 million currywurst are sold in Germany a year, mostly in little snack shops called imbiss. Imbiss usually sell other types of sausages on their own with condiments like thepølsevøgn in Denmark serve, as well as hotdogs, wiener schnitzel, frites, and sometimes burgers and döner kebab ( Berlin's other famous street food).

The Deutsches Currywurst Museum at Schützenstraße 70 near Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin is dedicated to everything currywurst and has fun interactive installations and events. For a more "upscale" experience similar to eating gourmet poutine in Toronto or gastro bánh mi in New York, you can have currywurst served on chinaware with champagne at Bier's Kudamm 195 on Kurfürstendamm in Charlottenburg.

Curry7 on Schlesische Straße in Kreuzberg

Konnopke's in Prenzlauer Berg opened in 1930 - photo by Geir Halvorsen

Curry36 is one of the most popular night time currywurst places - photo by sophposh

I have put this of the menus of several places in Toronto. I sourced locally produced knockwurst and make my own version of curry ketchup to top it with. Here's my recipe:

Currywurst Ketchup

1 can tomato paste
2 roma tomatoes diced
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 white onion diced
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup corn syrup( this gives it a bottled ketchup consistency)
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1 tbsp madras curry powder
couple of shots of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp salt

1. Fry the garlic, onions, and curry powder in a little oil

2. add tomato paste and fry some more

3. add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes

4. Puree with a hand blender

Homemade Curry Ketchup

Another interesting currywurst video:

My Currywurst

Visiting Nice was great. I had some good food and fun times. The Cours Saleya market in old town is as touristy as it gets and I along, with many others, was eager to try the socca at Chez Theresa in the heart of the market. Socca is flatbread made of chickpea flour, olive oil, water, and salt. The batter is cooked over a charcoal filled drum in a large meter wide cast iron pan, cut into slices and served hot. originally from nearby Genoa it is known as farinata in Italy

Socca Pan

Theresa is known as "the queen of socca" and she looks and acts the part. Singing songs and telling jokes she entertains the crowd waiting for the next batch of socca to be ready. Her stall has been in the market since 1925 and Theresa has been running it for the last 27 years.

Sign at Chez Theresa

Here's a video of Theresa doing her thing:

Make sure you visit her place if your ever in Nice.
See more pictures of my trip to Nice at Adventurefood Photo Blog

Tourrettes-sur-Loup is a small medieval village set in the hills about 15km from Nice, France. The village is famous for cultivating violets which are used in the perfumes made in nearby Grasse as well as in specialty confectioner shops in the area. A "violet festival" is held every march when the flowers bloom. A parade as well as a "bataille des fleurs", where villagers throw flowers at each other, celebrate the occasion

It's a nice place to walk around and in the centre of town is a boulodrome to play petanque (a French version of lawn bowling). It's a relaxing place to hang out and you can drink a coffee or pastis while watching the locals play.

Ice cream flavoured with Flowers is popular in Côte d'azur, and in Nice Fenocchio is famous for it's rose, orange blossom, and jasmine flavours. In Tourrettes-sur-Loup a small glacier called Tom's uses the local violets in their ice cream. A cone of violet flavoured ice cream with a crystallized violet garnish costs about 2 euros. I found it quite perfumey, but it doesn't taste too strong. Tom's is a tiny place, but Tourrettes is small, so if you ever happen to be there it won't be hard to find.

See more pictures of my trip at Adventurefood Photo Blog

Every summer a phenomenon known as Ribfest takes place all over North America. Professional "rib teams" travel across the country competing in rib cook-offs against one another for top spot in several categories including: Best Ribs, Best Sauce, Best Pulled Pork, and the Peoples Choice Award. In the past 10 years the ribfest has become an increasingly popular event drawing thousands of visitors and creating a circus/carnival atmosphere wherever it stops.

All the teams surround their BBQ pits with colourful banners proudly proclaiming the pedigree of their wares. "Best Ribs Louisville 2006" says one. "Best in Show Nashua New Hampshire" proclaims another. Out front of each pit stands a tout drawing the customers in to try the ribs, or chicken, barbecued to perfection by the waiting teams.
Coleslaw, beans, girls in cowboy hats, and bands playing ZZ Top or B.T.O all accompany the stacks of ribs on the grills.

On June 3, 1972 the first formal barbecue cook off, The World Championship Cow Country BBQ Cookout in Uvalde, TX, started the ball rolling and barbecue cook-offs have sprouted up all over since then. Chicago is said to be the home of the first ribfest, but major events are held from Dallas,Texas to Timmins, Ontario. The Toronto Ribfest draws about 150,000 people to Centennial Park every year.
Vendors selling corn, candy apples, and blooming onions, as well as children's carnival rides tow their rigs from town to town every weekend. One couple from Florida I spoke to spends their whole summer earning tuition for school working these events. Maybe one year I'll become a "rib carny" for the summer and join the BBQ circus.

There is no way I can give you my rib sauce recipe. Not because its secret, but because I don't measure any ingredients and it comes out different every time. Coleslaw is the perfect side for ribs and the coleslaw they make in North Carolina known as Lexington Red Slaw is one of my favourites, So I'll give you my recipe for that instead. Lexington slaw uses ketchup and hot sauce instead of mayonnaise to give it extra tang.

Lexington Red Slaw

2 lb white cabbage shredded

1 red onion chopped

1 red pepper diced

1 cup cider vinegar

1 cup ketchup

1 tsp smoked paprika

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

few dashes of hot sauce

combine and serve with grilled ribs and baked beans

You can see more photos of Toronto Ribfest 2011 at my photoblog - http://adventurefoodiephoto.blogspot.com/2011/07/toronto-ribfest-2011.html

Traditional Danish fast food unfortunately is declining in popularity. Hotdogs at pølsevogn on the streets are still quite popular, but classic grillbarmad is slowly being replaced by more exotic foreign fast foods like falafels, bagels, pizza and american burger chains.
Grillbarmad is a style of food served in grillbars, small neighbourhood hole in the walls that serve simple takeaway food rooted in Danish culinary tradition.

Similar to chippys in the UK, grillbars often cater to the after club scene and provide comfort food for hangovers the next day.

Here are some classic items on a typical grillbar menu:

Pølser - various types of Danish hotdogs
Bøfsandwich - a Danish burger with ketchup, crispy onions, remoulade and pickles
Ribbensandwich - thick slices of roast pork, red cabbage, and pickles on a bun
kyllingesandwich - grilled chicken with lettuce, tomato, and mayo on a bun
fiskefilet - breaded fried fish with pommes frites and remoulade
Frikadellesandwich - danish meatball burger with red cabbage, crispy onions, remoulade and pickles
Biksemad - a fry of small beef cubes, potato, and onion served with beets and fried egg
Pølsemix - french fries topped with cut up hotdog pieces, raw chopped onion and curry ketchup
Brændende kærighed - fried bacon cubes and caramelized onions in gravy over mashed potatoes
Boller i karry - pork meatballs in mild curry sauce on mashed potatoes
Buggi burger - a very large burger (up to 1 pound) with tomato, lettuce, and mayo (no one seems to know what "buggi" means but it is used on menus all over Denmark)

Pølsemix and Biksemad

There are several different styles of grillbar and what they offer varies.

• Pølsevogn. I wrote an earlier article on Danish hotdog stands you can read here
• A pølsebod is like a korvkiosk in Sweden offering hotdogs as well as pommes frites and bøfsandwiches
• A Pavillion tends to be in the countryside near family campgrounds and parks. It serves the above plus ice cream and breakfast items
• Havnegriller lie outside harbours in coastal towns and have plated items like battered shrimp and fries, wienerschnitzel, pølsemix, and frikadeller
• Gryden such as "Vikinegryden" and "Den Sorte Gryden" can be found in larger towns and serve all the Danish grillbar items as well as steaks and roast pork for takeaway

Danish Kinagrills

a Kinagrill offers pølser, ribbensandwich, and sometimes biksemad as well as old school Chinese food for Danish tastes, like sweet and sour pork balls, chop suey, giant eggrolls and of course boller i karry

The other major type of grillbar is a shawarma grill which offers middle eastern food with pommes frites as well as kyllingesandwich and fiskefilet. In Copenhagen, Vesterbro and Nørrebro have a rivalry over who has the best shawarma. I side with Nørrebro.

Flyvergrillen

A unique grill bar by the Copenhagen airport is Flyvegrillen. This grillbar has been operating on the edge of the runways since 1972 catering to plane-spotters and families. It offers all the classics and has model airplanes hanging from the ceiling.

Recipe For Frikadeller Sandwiches

Frikadeller is the national dish of Denmark. I used to buy frikadeller sandwiches at a smørrebrød takeaway at Nørrebros Runddel, but it's long gone now. I translated this recipe from 'Frøken Jensens kogebog' which was released in 1901 and is considered the definitive source of 19th century Danish cuisine.

Ingredients

200gr ground veal

200gr ground pork
100-150 ml flour
300-400 ml. milk1

2 eggs

1 finely diced onion
2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

1. Beat the pork, veal, flour and onion together in a mixer until well blended

2. Slowly add the eggs and milk a little at a time while mixing

3. A good frikadeller farce needs to be homogeneous and well blended

4. Let the mix rest in the refrigerator for an hour

5. Form into oblong egg sized balls

6. Fry in butter on both sides until well browned and cooked in the centre

To make the sandwich you need the standard Danish condiments pickled red cabbage, bread and butter pickles, crispy onion bits, ketchup, and remoulade. Remoulade is a danish specialty which is difficult to find outside Denmark. Blending tartar sauce with some mustard and finely chopped gherkins is a close approximation. If you live in Toronto Hansen's Danish Bakery on Pape ave sells bottled remoulade from Denmark.
Slice the frikadeller in halve and serve on a toasted kaiser roll topped with the condiments.

I was at the Caribana Festival in Toronto this weekend and happened upon a stand selling Bake 'n' Shark, a sandwich invented and made famous at Maracas Beach in Trinidad. Seasoned and deep-fried pieces of shark are stuffed inside fried batter bread and topped with cabbage, lettuce, onions and pineapple pieces. A large variety of condiments are available to flavour the sandwich as you will.

I've never been to Trinidad , but the sandwich I had was very tasty and the woman who sold it to me swears it is the authentic recipe just as you would get at Richard's stand at Maracas Beach. Richard's started making Bake 'n' Shark in the early 80's, and since then many stands have started selling the same thing, making it a kind of tradition in the area.
After receiving my sandwich I immediately headed for the condiments and topped mine with tamarind sauce, scotch bonnet, and shadow bennie sauce. Shadow bennie is an herb specific to the Caribbean and similar to coriander leaf.

The sustainability of shark meat is not very positive right now so kingfish, tilapia or another dense meaty fish would be a good alternative if you want to make this at home. Personally I think the enjoyment of the sandwich is the texture of the bread and the sweet and sour condiment mix you top it with so I could recommend deep fried chicken bits or even alligator meat as a good alternative.

The recipe for the "bake" is from secretfoods.blogspot.com and works great. The tamarind sauce recipe is something I've been making for years for samosas and goes well with this dish.

"Bake" Trini Fried Bread

This is the bread that is served with shark to make the famous Maracas Bay shark and bake. The bakes are simple and quick to prepare. Yield: 4 to 6 bakes

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup butter

1 teaspoon sugar

Water

Vegetable oil for frying

Preparation:

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and sugar, and mix with a fork. Add enough water to make a dough and knead gently. Cut the dough into 4 to 6 pieces (depending on how large you want the bakes to be) and roll each piece into a ball. Let stand for a few minutes.

Flatten the balls of dough until they are about ¼ inch thick, and fry in hot oil until they are brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Kind of like a pita bread.

Tamarind Sauce

½ tamarind pulp
1 cup water
½ cup sugar

1 finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove
1 or 2 shakes scotch bonnet sauce
chopped fresh cilantro

mix all ingredients in a sauce pot and simmer for about 15 minutes. Puree with hand blender and chill.
Cut your protein ( kingfish, chicken, etc.) into 1 inch pieces and marinate in some lime juice, sprinkling of sugar and salt. Dredge in flour and deep fry until crispy. Slice open the "bake" and fill with meat pieces shredded cabbage and pineapple. Top with tamarind sauce and any other condiments you think will go well and enjoy.

In 1999 I spent 2 months travelling from Muang Sing at the China-Laos border down to Don Det by the Cambodian border making my way along the entire length of Laos by bus and boat. By bus I mean something with a motor and wheels.

various methods of trasportation in Laos

The number of different ways to get around Laos is incredible and one of the most memorable experiences one can have. Every time I meet someone who has been to Laos we eventually get to swapping horror stories about getting from one place to another. Our truck got stuck in a ditch trying to pass an elephant. The bus was so crammed with rice and textiles I couldn't feel my legs. The bus broke down and we had to wait in the middle of nowhere for 7 hours until a truck full of pineapples picked us up. there were live chickens tied together by the legs in the seat next to me. The stories go on and on.

It is advisable to pick up a couple of khao jee pate sandwiches in a market before you leave as most of the time the only breaks you get are quick stops to put something on or off the vehicle at small towns and villages. Usually the only food and drink you can get are sold by hawkers shoving their wares though the open windows of the bus. Something on a stick is the most popular choice with many options available. Roasted eggs, spicy cockroaches, chicken hearts, water rat, and the tasty and more familiar ping gai chicken. I've tasted them all, and other then getting cockroach wings stuck in my teeth, it was a pleasant experience.

Barbecued Rat for Sale. Photo from http://www.tienchiu.com/travels/laos/laos-random-photos/

Cockroach Vendor

Ping Gai Chicken photo by Recovering Vagabond

Ping gai is a flattened and marinated chicken piece skewered on bamboo and grilled. In Thailand it is called kai yang and is often sold by Isaan vendors street side with sticky rice and som tam, a spicy and salty green papaya salad. Isaan people come from the North East of Thailand bordering Laos and the Mekong river and have a similar rural lifestyle and culture to the Tai in Laos, the major ethnic group in the country. Urban migration has brought many people to cities like Bangkok and the Isaan food vendors have become familiar and popular to all Thais.

Here is a video of som tam being made the traditional way at a floating market in Bangkok. a good recipe can be found here: http://www.thai-info.net/thaifood/somtam.htm

Ping gai is a fairly simple dish with just a few ingredients, but the flavours are bold and delicious. Like som tam and many other street foods there is no specific measurements or recipes and one learns by doing. When I googled ping gai to see what other people's opinions were, I was pleasantly surprised to find The Queen Mother Cafe in Toronto to be a top source for recipes on the web. The Queen Mother/Rivoli was one of my first jobs out of George Brown in 1987. I had the pleasure of working with Noy Phongnanouvong, a great woman who has been cooking Laotian style food with some of her family at the Queen Mum and the Rivoli since 1978. I can therefore vouch for the recipe's authenticity and use it as the base for my own, which is slightly more elaborate with elements of the traditional dipping sauce jiao mak len incorporated into the marinade.

Ping Gai Recipe

Cut three chicken legs into drum and thigh and marinate in the following for a couple of hours.

4 cloves crushed garlic

1 tbsp cracked black pepper

1 tbsp chopped lemongrass

1 tbsp ground palm sugar

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp sambal oelek

1 bunch chopped coriander leaf

substitute brown sugar for palm sugar if it is unavailable

Soak 6 chopsticks in water while the chicken marinates, then skewer the chicken pieces and grill on a barbecue. serve with som tam and sticky or jasmine rice.

A Jamaican patty is a flaky turmeric flavoured turnover filled with a Caribbean spiced beef, vegetable, or sometimes salt cod stuffing. They are available almost anywhere a large Jamaican expat community resides. Jamaican patties are one of the most common and popular street snacks in Toronto. Unlike London UK where patties are found mostly in the areas with a large Caribbean population,
Jamaican patties can be found city wide in convenience stores, gas stations, and even the subway. People are very opinionated about who makes the best patties here, and you can find many blogs and forums with long discussions on the subject. In general most people agree that Randy's patties at Oakwood and Eglinton are the best, with Tinnel's and Allen's representing the East end and Patty King and Caribbean Queen of Patties being two of the downtown favourites. I used to get them at Rap's when I lived up at Eglinton and Marlee, and at Alberts when I lived on Vaughn Road.

Having some of Matouks Calypso sauce to dip in makes the patties even better and a Grace ginger beer rounds out the Toronto patty experience. Frozen Jamaican patties are available in almost every supermarket with Patty King being the best of the brands

I think some of the best patties come from inside the Bathurst and Warden subway stations at Bakery on the Go. Many people agree and these 2 places sell great patties as well as coco buns so you can make a coco bun/patty sandwich which is delicious, cheap, and filling. Slice a coco bun in half and stick a patty inside. It's both sweet and hot.

Coco Bun Patty Sandwich Photo by bionicgrrrl

A Toronto Patty Sandwich!

Although coco bun patty sandwiches are well known and quite popular in many places, there is a type of patty sandwich that I believe is a unique Toronto invention and possibly one of the only truly Torontonian contributions to the culinary world besides back bacon sandwiches. The "Toronto Patty Sandwich" as I will call it, is a Jamaican patty split and filled with lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo, and some kind of coldcut. It's a real thing and was available in independent donut and snack shops all around Toronto. It was a clever way to use day old patties with the lettuce and tomato re-moistening the pastry. I used to buy them all the time at a donut place at College and Grace in the early 90's. These Toronto Patty Sandwiches are more of a legend now, as chain donut shops and coffee places take over downtown and push out the independents. But I'm sure you'll able to find them still, probably in some little strip malls tucked in various corners of the city. Please comment if you know of any places that serve these.

Anatomy of a Toronto Patty Sandwich

Toronto Patty Sandwiches are an odd guilty pleasure that many people find repulsive. Here is a funny video of a guy in Toronto admitting he likes them with a worried friend talking to him about the situation via a phone message.

street food spicy asian barbeque pla pao thai cuisine

Sometimes simpicity is best, and the salt grilled tilapia that you get at the markets around the Tonlé Sap lake in Cambodia is one of the fish dishes I've enjoyed the most. I spent a month touring the towns along the south bank of the lake and had this lemongrass stuffed whole fish wrapped in a banana leaf to go several times.

The Tonlé Sap is the largest fresh water lake in South East Asia, and the 3 million Cambodians living around the lake depend on fish for 70 percent of their protein intake. The markets are full of fish. Fresh and dried, large and small. The snakehead fish and tilapia are the most common large fish in the lake and are used in many of the most famous recipes in Cambodia.The snakeheads are usually sold alive, wriggling around in bins. A woman will kill it and clean it for you right on the spot. This makes a lot of sense as the heat would spoil the fish quickly. You will see smoked and dried fish in the region for the same reason. Smoked fish is a standard in congee, salads and many other traditional dishes. Every evening around 5pm the hawkers will set up their grills and serve dozens of exotic foods from amok to intestines for the locals to take home. Restaurants are not the norm in the smaller towns, so many times I would buy food at these stalls and take it to my guest house to eat. Everyone seemed amused at the farang walking around with little bags of fish and curries. I bought some plates and cutlery to keep in my backpack. I recommend it to everyone travelling in this area.

Here is a video I took of the market in Pailin. You can see the bins of live fish for sale

I spent a couple of days in Krakor near a special village called Kompong Luong. Kompong Luong is a true "floating village". The town is completely floating on water and moves around the Tonle Sap lake according to the seasons. It's between 2000 and 3000 people with shops, schools, hospital, pagodas, and workshops with waterways dividing everything into neighbourhoods. You can tour around on a motorized canoe, and stay in one of the 2 guesthouses in the village.

kompong luong cambodia travel asia floating village

During my tour, I ran into the "meat lady" selling her meats from door to door. She wouldn't stop laughing! To see more photos of Kompong Luong check out my photo blog

The Meat Boat

Besides eating grilled tilapia , I had fried frogs, smoked fish papaya salad, and stir fried clams. everything was delicious and it was fun trying to communicate with locals, as no one knows English. It was a relaxing few days and nice to hang out and do nothing but watch the boats motor past.

Morning at the docks of Kompong Luong

Whole grilled salted fish is a great dish for the BBQ and not too difficult to prepare.Here's a recipe:

Serve with jasmine rice and lots of fresh Thai basil and mint

sheep head scandinavia iceland reykjavik svið smalahove

I find that when I'm at a bus or train station wherever I travel, I find some kind of unique local food. Arancini in Palermo, currywurst in Berlin, or noodle bowls in Asia, they can be both tasty and authentic. But the bus station in Reykjavik, Iceland has the most interesting dish I've come across so far. Kjammi.

Svið Fljótt og Gott reykjavik iceland fast food

Kjammi, or svið is a halved and boiled sheep's head usually served with mashed potatoes and turnips, or as part of a selection of traditional Icelandic dishes during the winter festival called Þorrablót. At the canteen Fljótt og Gott in Reykjavik's main bus station, the kjammi are sitting on the counter pre-plated waiting to be ordered. Apparently it was a popular drunk food and people used to head here after the clubs to have a kjammi og kók, like most people get kebabs elsewhere, but this tradition is not that common anymore.

I've been to Reykjavik 3 times and it wasn't until I was leaving for the airport that I decided to buy one. Lugging the kjammi along with fermented shark and other delicacies to Copenhagen, I took a few photos before eating it with mustard and rhubarb jam on bread. The taste and texture is similar to dry pork rillettes, and if I buy one again that's what I'll make. Mix the pieces with seasoned duck fat, garlic and cognac. That would be delicious.

Fljótt og Gott claims to sell over 10000 portions of kjammi a year, which is over 30 a day, so I think they'll keep making them for the foreseeable future, but make sure to buy one the next time you're in Reykjavik, as these type of food traditions tend to fade away over time.

View from the airport bus to Reyklavik

Although Iceland is notorious for exotic foods such as hákarl or Svið, hotdogs could very well be considered the national dish. Like most of Scandinavia, hotdogs are serious business and pylsur stands are found everywhere. I've had layovers in Reykjavik a few of times and I always have a couple pylsur while I'm walking around. I like the air in Iceland. It's crisp and fresh, and it make me hungry.

Next to the indoor fleamarket is Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, Icelands most famous hotdog stand. Everyone eats here, and so did I. Ordering “ein með öllu” is how it done here, but "one with everything" is the proper way to get a hotdog wherever you travel, as far as I'm concerned. In Iceland everything means ketchup, mustard, remoulade, raw onions and crispy onions. Pylsusinnep is the sweet mustard especially for hotdogs. Remoulade is the king of condiments in Scandinavia, a sweet tartar type sauce. The set up is almost the same as a ristetpølse you get at pølsevogn in Denmark. The best thing about Icelandic hotdogs are the sausages themselves. Made of lamb, pork, and beef, their meaty, slightly smokey, and have a good bite. Sláturfélag Suðurlands seems to provide the SS Pylsur to almost all of the hotdog stands in Iceland including Bæjarins Beztu, and because the condiments are all store bought, the Icelandic hotdog experience is pretty much the same no matter where you go. So if the line-up at midnight on a Saturday is to long at Bæjarins Beztu don't panic, just go down the walking street and you will find the exact same thing at another place.

Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur

Icelandic style hotdogs are pretty good, but the condiments are too sweet, and too messy. Everything drips everywhere and soaks into the bun. Although it may upset Icelanders, Danish remoulade and Danish hotdog sennep are far superior. Thicker and tangy they cling to the hotdog and don't soggy the bun. At least Icelanders understand the concept of the bun, unlike Danes, who serve a tiny roll on the side and eat the hotdog with their fingers, dipping it in the condiments like barbarians. In Iceland the onions are placed in the bun before the hotdog. This stops them from falling all over the place. I put all the condiments on top in the lead photo to highlight them.

The Messy “ein með öllu” from Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur

Store Bought SS Pylsur

You can buy everything you need to make an authentic Icelandic hotdog at the airport when you leave, which is what I did. Make sure to buy a couple of packs of the SS Pylsur, even if you don't want to carry around the condiments to go with it.

Building an Icelandic Hot Dog

1. Poach SS Pylsur, or the best quality natural casing hotdogs you can find, in a bottle of hoppy beer. Yes beer.
2. Place the onions inside the bun and lay the hotdog on top. Fresh chopped as well as crispy dried. The dried shallots you find in Chinese supermarkets are as good if not better.
3. Mustard. Honey mustard is an ok equivalent to pylsusinnep, but Bavarian style Weißwurst Senf would be better.
4. Remoulade. This is hard to find outside Scandinavia. Mix English style piccalilli with Miracle Whip and blend as a substitute.
5. ketchup. I don't think Heinz is good on hotdogs. Aylmers Ketchup in Canada is much closer to the Scandinavian brands. Cheap generic brands in the USA are also better on hotdogs for some reason.

Verði þér að góðu!

Arancini in Palermo

Pani cà Meusa

The Swedish Korvkiosk

Løgimose's Gourmet Hotdogs

Galette Saucisse - Rennes Hotdog

The Danish Pølsevogn

Patat Oorlog - Dutch Street Fusion

The Biggest Mac

Bánh Mì - Indochine Sandwiches

Currywurst in Berlin

Socca in the Cours Saleya

Violet Ice Cream in Côte d'azur

The Travelling Rib Show

Grillbarmad - Danish Fast Food

Bake 'n' Shark - A Trini Speciality

Ping Gai - Laotian Grilled Chicken

Jamaican Patties in Toronto

Grilled Fish From the Tonlé Sap

Kjammi and a Coke

Pylsur - Icelandic Hotdogs