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20 Great
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Dishes from
Around the
World
that You May Have
Never Heard of but

Should
Definitely
Eat Before
You Die
Mimi Sheraton
 20 GREAT DISHES FROM AROUND THE
WORLD THAT YOU MAY HAVE NEVER HEARD
OF BUT SHOULD DEFINITELY EAT BEFORE
YOU DIE

Excerpted from 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die™

MIMI SHERATON
WITH KELLY ALEXANDER

WORKMAN PUBLISHING, NEW YORK

 Contents
Introduction
•••••••••••••••

Irish and Welsh

Colcannon and Champ
•••••••••••••••

French
Pigeons en Crapaudine
•••••••••••••••

Belgian and Dutch

Hutspot met Klapstuk, or Hochepot
•••••••••••••••

Italian
Buccellato
•••••••••••••••

Spanish
Huevos Estrellados
•••••••••••••••

German
Baumkuchen
•••••••••••••••

Danish
Krydret And med Flødepeberrodssauce
•••••••••••••••

Hungarian
Hideg Meggyleves
•••••••••••••••
 Jewish
Noant
•••••••••••••••

Turkish
Çerkez Tavuğu
•••••••••••••••

American
Poke
Maque Choux
•••••••••••••••

Brazilian
Vatapá
•••••••••••••••

Haitian
Diri ak Djon-Djon
•••••••••••••••

Mozambican
Piri-Piri Shrimp
•••••••••••••••

Chinese
Chiu Chow Oyster Omelet
•••••••••••••••

Japanese
Kasutera
•••••••••••••••

Vietnamese
Cha Ca La Vong and Ca Chien
•••••••••••••••

Indian
 Bhel Puri
•••••••••••••••

Australian
Pie Floater
•••••••••••••••
 INTRODUCTION
During the six decades I have been writing about food, I have gone in search of the
world’s most outstanding dishes, ingredients, restaurants, farms, shops, and markets, and
met with more chefs, home cooks, and food craftsmen and producers than I can count.
Along the way, I have found food to be a ready introduction to other cultures. Following
is a selection of entries from my book 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die™ that
represents dishes from the world over that you may not know but should definitely try.
The world of food has never been as exciting as it is now, as I hope the choices for
the book as a whole indicate. I strove for a collection that includes not only the
pleasurable—though that was my primary purpose—but also the unusual (the uninitiated
might even say bizarre). The aim was to curate a sort of jigsaw puzzle that gives a
picture of what the world eats. Quests for various ingredients and dishes have taken me
to corners of the world that I would not have ventured into otherwise, and has taught me
much about social customs and attitudes, introducing me to a wide variety of new foods.
I hope to share a little of what I learned with you here. Bon appétit!
—MIMI SHERATON
 IRISH and WELSH
WHERE THE DARK ARTS MEET COMFORT

Colcannon and Champ

Irish, Welsh

There is a wistful Irish folk song, “Colcannon.”

The soul-soothing potato dish colcannon is best described by its simple recipe: Cooked,
chopped cabbage and sliced scallions are folded into a pile of softly mashed potatoes, all
to be mounded in a bowl with a well of hot, melted butter and a haze of black pepper in
the center. To consume it, work your way slowly around the edges of that well, so butter
glosses each forkful of this humble country fare.
Though it brings comfort to any cold night, the dish is traditionally served on All
Hallows’ Eve (Halloween), with coins or charms hidden in it. In Victorian times, the
colcannon itself was the charm: Unmarried girls would hang socks holding a lump of the
stuff on their door handles; the first man to enter was said to be their future husband.
Even more elemental, and much loved in both Ireland and Wales, is champ. For this,
potatoes are mashed with warm, sharply tangy buttermilk just before butter and chopped
scallions are stirred in.
Either way, a sprinkling of minced parsley adds a dose of welcome freshness.
FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES: The Country Cooking of Ireland by Colman
Andrews (2009); theguardian.com (search colman andrews colcannon); food52.com
(search buttermilk mashed potatoes). TIP: For best results, use old, starchy potatoes.
Look for russets, aka Idaho baking potatoes. Kale is often substituted for cabbage for a
lustier result.
 FRENCH
A BIRD BY ANY OTHER NAME

Pigeons en Crapaudine
French

A variation with squabs in green pea puree.

Many gourmands who claim to love squabs balk when told they are eating pigeons.
True, no responsible cook targets the street-smart pigeons of city parks, but the birds are
essentially the same. The real difference is between those farm-raised on corn or other
feed, and those captured in the wild, that forage for anything they can find. Since selling
the latter is usually illegal, you’re unlikely to find them on menus or in markets.
Old-timey French bistros have wonderful ways with these tiny, fine-boned birds and
their dark, moist, and tantalizingly gamy meat. One such preparation, pigeons en
crapaudine, begins with butterflying or spatchcocking—different words for the same
technique, in which the tender birds are split and fanned out, their wings tucked behind
their shoulder bones in a final form that suggests a toad, or crapaud. Brushed with butter
and sprinkled with salt and pepper, they are then grilled or pan-grilled under a weight.
For a richer, homier rendition, whole squabs or the younger pigeonneaux are braised
golden brown in a cocotte of copper or earthenware, along with the matchsticks of
smoky bacon called lardons, white pearl onions, sweet lettuce to add moisture, and a
handful of the tiny garden peas known as petits pois. The knowing palate will detect
inklings of white wine and good, strong chicken stock, thyme, and garlic. Boiled new
potatoes make the most of the sublime juices; or for textural contrast, a side of the
straw-slim fried pommes pailles works well, too.
WHERE: In New York, North End Grill, tel 646-747-1600, northendgrillnyc.com.
FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES: Larousse Gastronomique (2009); celtnet.org.uk
(search pigeons with petit pois).
 BELGIAN and DUTCH
THE COMFORTING SPOILS OF WAR

Hutspot met Klapstuk, or Hochepot

One-Pot Winter Stew
Dutch, Belgian

Hochepot morsels cook until soft but not mushy.

A defeated army flees without stopping to rinse out its pots and pans, and from this
understandable instance of poor housekeeping a brand-new dish is born. This is the
origin of hutspot met klapstuk, one of Holland’s most comforting winter dishes, a soft,
peppery stew of beef, potatoes, onions, and carrots, slow-simmered in a pot until it
melds into an almost fully disintegrated, cozy mash.
The story has it that when occupying Spanish soldiers were driven out of the
northern Dutch town of Leiden in 1574, they left behind unwashed pots in which the
Dutch found remains of a meat and vegetable stew. History has not recorded who was
the first intrepid taster of those leftovers, but suffice it to say that soon after, local cooks
approximated what they thought to be the original. What is said to be the original
cauldron—hopefully washed—is on view in Leiden’s Museum De Lakenhal.
Hutspot falls into the category of sustaining one-pot winter stews that the Dutch call
stamp-pots—all sneakily addictive and, when prepared in large quantities, great at
hanging around and improving through several reheatings. Hutspot met witte bonen en
spek combines bacon and salt pork with onions and white beans. Stamppot van zuurkool
met spek en worst is a more piquant version in which sauerkraut underlies potatoes,
bacon, and smoky frankfurters. Stammpot van boerenkool met worst is the heartiest
version, based on dark-green winter kale, potatoes, and sausages enriched with bacon or
lard. That kale, incidentally, is at its most tender when it has been allowed to freeze in
the cold winter air before being cooked.
Typically, the Belgians heat up a more soigné version of hutspot for the dish they
call hochepot, simmering the carrots, onions, potatoes, and meat into small, fork-tender
chunks rather than total mush. Thyme, cloves, and bay leaves add sprightly touches to
intrigue the more demanding Belgian palate.
Despite their slight differences, both hutspot and hochepot call for some of the cold,
sunny beer both countries are famous for and, after that, a nice long nap through the
winter afternoon twilight.
FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES: foodnetwork.com (search hutspot mit
klapstuk); thedutchtable.com (search hutspot met klapstuk).
 ITALIAN
AN ANCIENT ANISE BREAD

Buccellato
Italian (Luccan)

If you visit Lucca without eating buccellato, you’ll miss out.

Rich and fragrant, satisfying yet light, the anise-flavored sweet bread buccellato has
been a specialty of the Tuscan town of Lucca since almost Roman times—its exquisite
balance no doubt the result of years of cumulative practice in an ancient town that is the
proud birthplace of Giacomo Puccini and home to the elegant San Michele in Foro
church, built between 1100 and 1300.
Lucca’s bakers, particularly those at the Pasticceria Taddeucci, family owned and
operated since 1881, have had plenty of time to get the formula straight. The long,
narrow shop sells all manner of traditional Italian sweets and drinks, including bracing
espresso and fennel-scented biscotti, along with its excellent loaves (filoni) and rings
(ciambelle) of buccellato Lucchese. The bread itself is chewy, with a texture reminiscent
of coffee cake, and perfumed heavily with yeast and anise. Its venerable recipe derives
from buccellatum, the bread of the Roman legions who took over the formerly Etruscan
region in 180 B.C. (It’s been sweetened since those days.)
Classic buccellato is made with only flour, sugar, anise, egg, and yeast, but
variations have sprung up; treccia, also on offer at Taddeucci, includes gratings of
chocolate, raisins, bitter orange peel, and candied fruit. At the little tables outside
overlooking the piazza, visitors can enjoy either one with their espresso. The rings,
traditionally baked on feast days and holidays, keep well for several days and thus make
great gifts—assuming you don’t devour them on the plane home. In Italy they are
typically purchased by grandparents in honor of their grandchildren’s religious
confirmations. As an extra reward, leftover slices make delicious French toast.
WHERE: In Lucca, Pasticceria Taddeucci, tel 39/0583-494-933; in New York,
Pasticceria Bruno, tel 212-982-5854, pasticceriabruno.com. FURTHER INFORMATION
AND RECIPES: The Italian Country Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper (1999);
italianfood.about.com (search buccellato di lucca).
 SPANISH
YOU CAN’T MAKE THESE HUEVOS WITHOUT BREAKING A FEW EGGS

Huevos Estrellados
Spanish

A hearty appetizer made of simple ingredients.

Among the many diverting aspects of the sophisticated Madrid restaurant Casa Lucio is
the clientele, a set of smartly dressed and self-assured movers and shakers from the
world of politics and high society. Gathered in the trim, handsome setting, these
fortunate diners sample such dishes as sizzling baby eels in garlic and oil and the
massive churrasco, a well-marbled chateaubriand steak that weighs about a pound and
is blood-rare under its crusty charring. The restaurant’s service is of the ultraprofessional
sort found at world-renowned establishments. But one attraction not to be ignored, as
humble as it sounds, is the stunning appetizer known as huevos estrellados: broken eggs.
The dish arrives at the table heaped high on a huge platter, a mountain of golden
brown sliced potatoes topped with broken fried eggs. (Straight out of the pan, the eggs
are transferred to the potatoes and then encouraged to break, so the yellow yolks slide
over the hot potatoes.)
When you know it is about to be followed by a gargantuan steak, watching this
hearty appetizer get wolfed down for the first time can be a little shocking. But the
dish’s appeal becomes all too easy to understand once you have a taste. Egg yolks
become a supple sauce for the olive oil– glossed, well-peppered potatoes, and as a
bonus, the cooked whites add a satiny softness, for an earthy, satisfying experience.
Cured Spanish ham or chorizo often joins the mix as well.
A similar dish, credited to Don Quixote’s beloved La Mancha, is known as huevos
estrellados mojete. In this version, eggs and potatoes are slowly cooked together in a
heatproof casserole. If it seems a bit heavy as a first course, try it for brunch or a simple
supper.

Huevos Estrellados Mojete

Serves 6

6 large starchy potatoes, such as russets, peeled and thinly sliced

2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt, plus more to taste
⅓ cup olive oil, preferably Spanish
2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
½ teaspoon Spanish sweet paprika
½ teaspoon Spanish hot or smoked paprika (see Note)
8 extra-large eggs
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Toss the potato slices with the salt and place them in a heatproof 2-quart casserole,
preferably earthenware or cast iron. Add the olive oil, garlic, and paprikas.
2. Cook the potatoes slowly over low heat, shaking the casserole back and forth once in
a while so the potatoes soften evenly and turn a bright golden color, about 30 minutes. If
the potatoes tend to stick to the casserole, place a heat diffuser underneath and continue
cooking, adding very little more olive oil only if needed.
3. When the potatoes are tender, break the eggs over them and sprinkle a little salt and a
lot of black pepper on top. Cover the casserole and continue cooking the eggs until set,
about 5 minutes.
4. Gently slide the potatoes and eggs onto a heated platter or cut them in portions and
slide them onto individual heated plates. If the egg yolks break, well, so they should to
be truly estrellados.
 Note: For a milder result, eliminate the hot or smoked paprika and use a total of 1
teaspoon of sweet paprika.
WHERE: In Madrid, Casa Lucio, tel 34/913-65-32-52, casalucio.es. FURTHER
INFORMATION AND ADDITIONAL RECIPE: for a variation with chorizo, tastingtable.com
(search huevos estrellados).
 GERMAN
A TREE TAKES THE CAKE

Baumkuchen
German

The tradition of spit cakes goes back centuries.

It takes only a glance at a baumkuchen to understand where this “tree cake” gets its
name. And after a taste of the gently sweet, almondy, moist, dense, pound cake–like
pastry, you’ll also know why Germans consider it the king of cakes. Standing from two
to three feet in height, and even taller for exhibition pieces, the narrow cylindrical cake
of stacked, undulating, ridged rings is hollow at the center. Sliced horizontally into
rounds or arcs, it reveals concentric layers of golden brown rings, much like the rings in
a tree trunk.
Those rings are the result of a most unusual baking method. Although the
baumkuchen is said to have originated in nineteenth-century Germany, it belongs to a
much older food category known as “spit cakes,” a term that might give pause.
Fortunately, spit refers to a horizontal rotisserie, now powered by gas or electricity, that
turns in front of or over a wood or gas fire. As the spit rotates, the baker ladles over it
anywhere from ten to forty-five layers of sunny batter with the consistency of a foamy
liquid custard. The batter of eggs, sugar, and either flour or cornstarch is most
traditionally flavored with marzipan, although vanilla, brandy, and spices are often
added—the latter remaining the closely guarded secret of the individual pastry chef.
To hold and shape the cake, the spit is fitted with a wood or metal cone wrapped in
layers of parchment or aluminum foil, and preheated in the vertical baumkuchen oven
that suggests a big outdoor grill. As each layer bakes, it takes on the toasty finish that
defines the rings. Once all the layers are baked on, the spit is removed and hung on a
rack, where the cake can take from ten to twenty-four hours to cool. It is then slipped off
the spit, stood on end, and glazed with a thin white icing. Nowadays it may be coated
with chocolate, which helps preserve the cake and appeals to popular tastes but does
compromise the cake’s delicate flavor.
Although German bakers keep the edges of the cake smooth by holding a wooden
plank against it as it turns to remove drips, in other countries the drips are allowed to
bake on and form a crunchy, brambly finish. Such is the case with the Polish sękacz, the
Lithuanian šakotis, and especially the Swedish spettekaka, so resplendent with lacy
baked-on drips that it resembles a cylinder of golden spun glass.
Oddly enough, baumkuchen is a well-known confection in Japan, where it’s been
widely available ever since it was introduced there by a German baker in 1919. Known
for centuries in France as gâteau à la broche, it is still baked by a few artisans there, as
well as in England, where it is called trayne roste. At times, it is part of a Tudor-period
cooking demonstration in the enormous kitchen of Henry VIII’s Hampton Court.
Delicious with coffee and tea, baumkuchen also pairs beautifully with semisweet
white dessert wine.
WHERE: In Berlin, Café Buchwald, tel 49/30-391-5931, konditorei-buchwald.de; in
Cologne, Café Reichard, tel 0221/2-57-85-42, cafe-reichard.de; in Munich, Konditorei
Kreutzkamm, tel 49/89-993-557-0, kreutzkamm.de; in New York and Tokyo, Minamoto
Kitchoan, kitchoan.com; in Denver, Glaze, tel 720-387-7890, glazebaucakes.com; in
Huntington Beach, CA, The Cake Box, tel 714-842-9132, cakeboxpastries.com. RETAIL
AND MAIL ORDER: In Chicago, Lutz Café and Pastry Shop, tel 877-350-7785, chicago-
bakery.com. FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES: For a home-baked variation, The
German Cookbook by Mimi Sheraton (2014); germanculture.com.ua (search
baumkuchen).
 DANISH
DUCK DUE FOR A RENAISSANCE

Krydret And med Flødepeberrodssauce

Corned Duck with Frozen Horseradish Cream
Danish

The recipe for this old-fashioned Danish specialty, a blush-pink salt-pickled duck, ought
to be revived by some ambitious chef seeking a reputation for ingenuity; it has all the
makings of the kind of showy winner that appeals to ordinary diners and food critics
alike.
The dish calls for a whole, trimmed, lean bird of about five pounds—a mallard or a
wild duck would do nicely. Heavily salted inside and out, and placed in a glass or
ceramic bowl with bay leaves and crushed peppercorns, the duck ripens for two days in
the refrigerator before being very slowly poached with a large onion, a carrot, a parsnip,
a few sprigs of parsley, and a knob of celeriac. It is done after about two hours, or when
the meat is falling off the bone tender.
Boned and carved into serving pieces overlaid with strips of skin, the duck is topped
with flødepeberrodssauce, a frozen combination of whipped cream and grated fresh
horseradish. That topping—also popular with boiled beef or poached chicken—melts
down and lends its sweet-hot elegance to the luscious meat. Mashed potatoes make the
best side, along with creamed, nutmeg-scented spinach.
WHERE: In Copenhagen, Schønnemann, tel 45/33-12-07-85,
restaurantschonnemann.dk. MAIL ORDER: For whole duck, D’Artagnan, tel 800-327-
8246, dartagnan.com (search rohan duck). FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES: The
Scandinavian Kitchen by Camilla Plum (2011); allrecipes.com (search frozen
horseradish sauce).
 HUNGARIAN
LIFE IS JUST A BOWL OF CHERRIES

Hideg Meggyleves
Cold Sour Cherry Soup
Hungarian

On a hot summer’s day, cold cherry soup for lunch.

A special treat during summer in eastern Europe and the Balkans are cold soups made
tangy by hints of lemon juice, acidic fruit, or gritty sour salt. One of the most enticing of
the hot-weather soups is a chilled sour cherry version, traditionally enhanced with
whipped sour cream, sugar, cinnamon, and perhaps cloves. A splash of white wine and
fresh (or jarred, in a pinch) cooked sour cherries contribute to its essential winey flavor
and deep blushing beauty. The soup’s success depends on the ripeness of its star
ingredient—the sour cherries that are one of nature’s oldest triumphs and in season early
to mid-summer.
Cherries, like other stone fruits, are thought by scholars to have originated in Asia
Minor, as well as in the ancient Greek city Kerasounta. There are two main types, sweet
(Prunus avium) and sour (Prunus cerasus), and it is easy to tell the difference: The sour
fruits tend to be heart-shaped, slightly soft, and an orange-kissed flame-red color, while
ripe sweet cherries are rounder, fleshier, and firmer, a dark burgundy-black. The tart and
tangy flavor of the sour fruit carries strong appeal to eastern Europeans and Hungarians
in particular, perhaps because trees bearing the sour morello variety grow there in
abundance.
How sour is sour? Very sour indeed. As Waverley Root wrote in his authoritative
dictionary and visual history Food, when it comes to sour cherries, “what the word
means in this case is really acid.”
WHERE: In Budapest, Gundel, tel 36/1-889-8100, gundel.hu/en. MAIL ORDER: For
preserved sour cherries, amazon.com (search american spoon fruit sour cherries).
FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES: George Lang’s Cuisine of Hungary by George
Lang (1994); The German Cookbook by Mimi Sheraton (2014); saveur.com (search
hungarian chilled cherry soup).
 JEWISH
A SWEET FOR A VERY SPECIAL WEEK

Noant
Jewish (Ashkenazic)

With so many dietary restrictions in place during the Passover week—injunctions

against flour, leavening, corn-based products, and more—you might think an observant
Jew with a sweet tooth would experience withdrawal. But ingenuity thrives on
constraint, and in this case has given us the gift of noant, a chewy Passover indulgence
based on dark honey and walnuts enlivened by lemon juice, spicy ginger, sugar, and
tangy grated orange rind.
Allowed to set for several hours, the mixture becomes a gloriously chewy, tooth-
pulling taffy.
 Noant
Makes about 4 dozen candies

1 cup honey, preferably dark and unfiltered

2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground ginger
Grated rind of ½ medium-size orange
1½ cups coarsely chopped walnuts

1. Have on hand a platter or cutting board that is 12 to 14 inches long and 6 inches wide.
When the candy is poured onto a board it is easier to cut, but candy poured onto a platter
with a small rim becomes a little thicker.
2. Combine the honey, sugar, lemon juice, and ginger in a heavy, 2-quart saucepan and
stir very gently until blended. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly
until the sugar completely dissolves, about 8 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-low
and cook the honey mixture, stirring frequently, until it turns a deep golden brown and
forms a soft ball when a few drops are added to a little ice-cold water, about 15 minutes.
Be careful that the honey mixture does not boil up and overflow the pan. Remove the
pan from the heat immediately and stir in the orange rind and walnuts. Let the honey
mixture cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile wet the cutting board or platter with cold water. Pour the honey mixture
onto the board or platter. Using a wetted spatula, spread the honey mixture evenly on the
cutting board or platter. Let it harden to a stiff, taffy-like consistency, 2 to 3 hours. Cut
the candy into 1-inch squares to serve. Stored well wrapped in plastic or wax paper in an
airtight metal container, the candy will keep for several weeks.
MAIL ORDER: For unfiltered honey, billsbees.com; naturenates.com;
carusohoney.com. TIP: Do not make noant on a rainy or very humid day, as it will not
harden.
 TURKISH
GOING NUTS OVER CHICKEN

Çerkez Tavuğu
Chicken in Walnut Sauce
Turkish

Rarely does poultry seem so exotic as it does in this sensuous dish of cold, shredded
breast of chicken sauced with a creamy, thick paste of crushed walnuts and paprika.
Called çerkez tavuğu, it is a specialty of Circassia in Anatolia, a region whose women
were allegedly prized as harem slaves because their thick, arched eyebrows spanned the
bridges of their noses, a mark of beauty in those long-gone harem days.
The chicken breast on the bone is cooked quite simply: poached with pot vegetables
and cooled before being skinned and slivered. Its dressing requires more intricate
preparation, similar to that of the Balkan scordolea. Walnuts, milk-softened white bread
or fresh bread crumbs, salt, pepper, hot paprika, and sometimes a small piece of onion
are ground or pureed until they form a soft, creamy paste that is incorporated with the
chicken. As a fragrant and extra-lustrous finish, additional walnuts are ground with
paprika until they emit a red-tinted oil. Once the chicken is mounded on plates, this
fragrant oil is drizzled over all for a lusciously nutty, creamy, and paprika-spiked first
course.
FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES: A Mediterranean Feast by Clifford A.
Wright (1999); The Balkan Cookbook by Vladimir Mirodan (1989); foodandwine.com
(search circassian chicken zoutendijk); nytimes.com (search circassian chicken in
walnut sauce).
 AMERICAN
THE HAWAIIAN WAY WITH CEVICHE

Poke
American (Hawaiian)

An annual island contest celebrates poke’s diversity.

Cool, silky, and steeped in a pungent marinade, poke is inspired by Tahitian poisson cru.
It is also Hawaii’s answer to ceviche, and is just one of the many dishes that testify to
the extent of Hawaii’s culinary melting pot, deriving influences from immigrants from
China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Portugal. Rosy ahi tuna is the
preferred fish, but yellowtail, fluke, bass, and snapper are well-regarded stand-ins,
especially with tuna becoming scarce and endangered. (Freshwater fish are to be
avoided in raw dishes, as they can carry parasites, which are killed by cooking.)
Poke—pronounced POH-key—literally means to slice or cut into pieces, a simple
description for a bright, piquant, vibrantly-flavored marinated fish salad. Though there is
no one exact formula for the dish, and some say there are as many as two dozen
“authentic” variations, the most common version contains cubes of raw fish, usually ahi
tuna, mixed with seaweed, sea salt, chiles, sweet Maui onion, and light sesame oil. The
ruby-red dice shimmers, each piece of fish slickly coated with sweet and tart flavors that
hit the palate all at once. It’s a pastel rainbow of a dish that can be served either raw or,
less wonderfully, flash-fried.
Poke’s delights are well known on all the islands, and versions of it are served at the
most high-end restaurants. Celebrity chef Alan Wong has a signature version called Poki
Pines: ahi balls encased in wonton wrappers, deep-fried, and served on avocado slices
with wasabi sauce.
WHERE: In Honolulu, Ono Hawaiian Foods, tel 808-737-2275,
onohawaiianfoods.com; Sam Choy’s Seafood Grille, tel 808-422-3002,
samchoysseafoodgrille.com; in Honolulu and Seattle, Sam Choy’s Poke to the Max
truck, samchoyspoke.com. FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES: Sam Choy’s Poke by
Sam Choy (1999); Sam Choy’s Little Hawaiian Poke Cookbook by Elizabeth Meahl
(2004); Poke by Sam Choy (2009); saveur.com (search poke); allrecipes.com (search ahi
poke salad; ahi poke basic). TIP: In Hawaii, decent poke can be found in the refrigerator
section of some takeout food stores, and even gas stations and hardware stores.
 SUCCOTASH, CAJUN STYLE

Maque Choux
American (Louisianan)

Pronounced “mock shoe,” Louisiana’s succotash-like vegetable stew is one of summer’s

most cherished and colorful dishes, bright with flashes of red, green, and gold.
Speculations as to the origin of its name range from a riff on an Afro–Native Indian or
Afro-French phrase to pure Cajun.
Richly flavorful and aromatically complex, with hints of bacon and butter, garlic,
thyme, and bay leaf anointing its corn kernels, green peppers, onions, and tomatoes, it’s
a dish that withstands any number of variations. Some cooks add diced celery along
with the green peppers to create the standard Louisiana culinary trinity (peppers, onion,
celery), while others include okra whenever young and tender pods are available.
There are those who make the mistake of adding sugar, but grown-ups opt for
several shots of Tabasco or hot chile peppers. The most significant variation lies in the
choice of whether to add cream. Doing so may lend a touch of French refinement, but at
the expense of a more characteristic, zingy sprightliness.

Maque Choux
Serves 6 as a side dish

3 slices lean bacon, coarsely chopped (optional)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter or 1½ tablespoons butter and 1½ tablespoons olive
oil, or more if needed
1 large green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
1 medium-size onion, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
8 ounces small young okra pods, trimmed and sliced (optional)
2 teaspoons dried thyme, crushed
1 large bay leaf
1 can (14 to 16 ounces) American-style whole peeled tomatoes (without basil or
Italian seasonings)
Few drops of Tabasco sauce or 1 small hot chile, seeded and diced (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
 4 medium-size ears of corn, husked

1. Slowly fry the bacon pieces, if using, in a heavy 2-quart casserole or saucepan
(preferably of enameled cast iron), over moderate heat, until the fat is completely
rendered and they are beginning to turn golden brown.
2. Add the butter and/or oil and heat for about 2 minutes before stirring in the green
pepper and onion. Add more butter or oil if it’s too dry for sautéing. Sprinkle with the
salt and sauté over low heat, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft but have not
taken on color.
3. Add the garlic, okra (if using), thyme, and bay leaf. Sauté slowly, stirring gently but
almost constantly, until the okra stops “stringing” (extruding slimy strings), 7 to 8
minutes. If you aren’t using okra, sauté until the garlic softens, about 2 minutes.
4. Crush the tomatoes and strain and reserve their liquid. Add the crushed tomatoes to
the vegetables, along with the Tabasco sauce or chile and several grindings of black
pepper, and simmer slowly until the okra and other vegetables are thoroughly cooked
and the tomatoes have broken down into a light sauce. Add some of the reserved tomato
liquid as needed to keep the mixture from scorching.
5. Cut the kernels off the ears of corn. If you are serving immediately, add the corn to
the vegetables and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently for 10 to 15 minutes.
Adjust the seasonings and remove the bay leaf before serving. If you are going to wait
several hours before serving, do not add the corn. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and
set it aside at room temperature for up to 4 hours. When you are ready to serve, add the
corn and cook gently over low heat. Reheated leftover maque choux is also delicious, as
the softness of the corn and other vegetables lends an extra, soothing richness. Covered
and refrigerated, it will keep for 4 to 5 days.
WHERE: In Houston, Brennan’s, tel 713-522-9711, brennanshouston.com; in New
Orleans, K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, tel 504-596-2530, chefpaul.com/kpaul; in
Colorado Springs, CO, Culpepper’s Cajun Kitchen, tel 719-282-8479, culpeppers.net.
FURTHER INFORMATION AND OTHER RECIPES: Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana
Kitchen by Paul Prudhomme (1984); saveur.com (search maque choux and shrimp);
epicurious.com (search corn and tasso maque choux). TIP: To serve maque choux as a
main course, add 1 pound of small peeled, deveined shrimp to the vegetable mixture
with the corn kernels, and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes until the shrimp are cooked.
 BRAZILIAN
IT’S JUST DIVINE

Vatapá
Bahian Fish Stew
Brazilian

A sunny, fish-based stew from Bahia.

A rainbow of tropical flavors, dazzlingly rich and substantial, vatapá is not for the faint
of heart. The stewlike main course, one of the most famous of all Brazilian dishes, is a
combination of fish, shrimp, coconut milk, manioc flour (also known as cassava flour),
dende (palm oil), and cashews, bolstered with white rice.
The bright-yellow dish is a specialty of Bahia, on the country’s northeastern coast,
established around 1500 by Brazil’s first Portuguese settlers. The city’s culture and
cuisine was heavily influenced by the West Africans brought as slaves to work the sugar
and coffee plantations. Reflecting this influence, vatapá is a typical filling for Bahia’s
acarajé fritters, black-bean-based cakes believed by practitioners of the local Afro-
Brazilian religion Candomblé to be the ritual food of their goddess Yansa, ruler of the
winds. Freshly fried by vendors lining the cobblestone streets of the Bahian capital of
Salvador, rich and golden and brimming with vatapá, it seems like food for the gods
indeed.
WHERE: In Salvador, Brazil, Museu da Gastronomia Baiana, tel 55/71-3324-4553,
ba.senac.br/museu; in Buenos Aires, Me Leva Brasil, tel 54/11-4832-4290,
melevabrasil.com.ar; in New York, Ipanema, tel 212-730-5848, ipanemanyc.com.
FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES: The Brazilian Kitchen by Leticia Moreinos
Schwartz (2012); Tasting Brazil by Jessica B. Harris (1992); foodnetwork.com (search
vatapa).
 HAITIAN
TWICE AS NICE

Diri ak Djon-Djon
Haitian

The flavorful Haitian side dish.

An everyday culinary staple the world over, rice can also take on elegant guises, and not
only in the form of Italian risotto or Middle Eastern pilaf. One of the most interesting,
and inexplicably overlooked, is Haiti’s djon-djon rice—riz djon-djon in French and diri
ak djon-djon in Haitian Creole.
Djon-djon refers to the tiny black mushrooms that are said to grow exclusively in
Haiti, most plentifully in the north; they give riz djon-djon its burnished, silvery-brown
color and its smoky, earthy flavor. Their caps are the only part added to the rice; the
tough but full-flavored stems are simmered separately, and the strained cooking liquid is
used to cook the rice, adding richness and a deeper patina.
The dish begins with a flavoring base of diced salt pork, fried until crisp and then
added to sautéed green peppers, scallions, and garlic. For an extra zap of flavor, many
add tiny dicings of fiery Scotch bonnet peppers. Raw, long-grain white rice is then
stirred in, along with the mushrooms and their cooking liquid, plus seasonings including
thyme and mace. When the rice is tender, it is tossed with a fork and served steaming
hot and fragrant, sometimes as a side dish, but more usually a main course, bolstered
with bits of cooked poultry, meat, or fish.
As Haitian immigrants have settled in various cities of the United States, dried djon-
djon mushrooms can now be found in some stateside groceries. If they cannot, dried
European mushrooms such as porcinis are fair substitutes. But the smoky dicings of salt
pork are nonnegotiable.
MAIL ORDER: For dried djon-djon mushrooms, Sam’s Caribbean, tel 877-846-7267,
sams247.com. FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES: Iron Pots and Wooden Spoons
by Jessica B. Harris (1989); A Taste of Haiti by Mirta Yurnet-Thomas and Jay H.
Moscowitz (2004); haitiancooking.com (search black mushroom rice).
 MOZAMBICAN
TAKING THE HEAT

Piri-Piri Shrimp
Mozambican

Sauce is the star of the dish.

Piri-piri is the Swahili word for the red-hot bird’s-eye chile peppers, the memorable
sauce made from them, and any foods they fire up—although delectably tender and
buttery, the gently cooked shrimp in this dish are merely an excuse for the searing piri-
piri sauce itself. (Lemon juice stirred into hot melted butter is spooned over the finished
dish to ease the chiles’ sting, a task also attempted by an accompaniment of white rice,
and lots of it.)
As part of what was once Portuguese-colonized Africa, Mozambique’s cuisine
wound up influencing that of other colonies in Brazil and the Caribbean. There, piri-piri
sauce (also known as peri-peri, pil-pil, or pilli-pilli) appears in varied forms and may
include additional aromatic spices. But in Mozambique, it is virtually the national dish.
Used as a marinade or for basting grilled or sautéed shrimp, prawns, or chicken, the
sauce begins with the chopped, super-hot chiles (seeds are included for the brave, or
eliminated for the timid), simply pureed with lemon juice, garlic, oil or melted butter,
and parsley. The most demanding cooks will want to prepare their own, but bottled piri-
piri, such as the Nando’s brand, holds its own among the hot sauces of the world.
WHERE: In Atlanta, 10 Degrees South, tel 404-705-8870, 10degreessouth.com; in
Brooklyn, Madiba, tel 718-855-9190, madibarestaurant.com; in Washington, DC,
Maryland, and Virginia, Nando’s Peri-Peri, nandosperiperi.com. MAIL ORDER: For
bottled Piri-Piri sauces, igourmet.com (search peri-peri); southafricanfoodshop.com
(click Shopping, then The Taste of Peri-Peri). FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES:
The Soul of a New Cuisine by Marcus Samuelsson (2006); oprah.com (search shrimp
piri piri); hotsauce.com (search african rhino peri peri); epicurious.com (search prawns
peri peri).
 CHINESE
THE ORIGINAL HANGTOWN FRY

Chiu Chow Oyster Omelet

Chinese (Fukienese)

Vendors cooking up after-hours treats at the Shilin Night Market.

The food of Chiu Chow (also spelled Teochew, and situated in the northeast corner of
China’s Canton province) makes for a unique and memorable stop in a journey among
China’s seemingly endless regional cuisines, but it’s relatively unknown outside the
country. Marked by the mild flavors typical of Canton, it also shows the influence of the
neighboring Fujian region.
One of the most savory Chiu Chow dishes is the oyster omelet, a version of which is
a particular favorite in the night markets of Taipei. The success of the richly filling street
snack depends upon the freshest, tiniest raw oysters, a handful of which are stirred into
beaten eggs, along with a small amount of a binder such as potato, rice, or cornstarch to
create a pancake effect. Green onions are another possible addition.
After being cooked in a hot iron pan greased with either rendered lard or vegetable
oil, it is flipped once, frittata-style, so both sides take on a lightly golden laciness. The
finishing touch is a pungent, winey aged soy sauce blended with spicy chile sauce and a
tangy splash of lime juice, all to enhance the flavor of the silky, saline oysters.
The most fitting way to wash down an oyster omelet is with a tiny, espresso-size cup
of Chiu Chow iron tea or Kung Fu tea, brewed from aged tea leaves native to Fujian. As
strong in aroma and flavor as its name and gray-black color imply, iron tea has drily
astringent overtones and is always taken as a sort of digestive before or after meals, in
shot-size portions lest it prove too harsh for the stomach.
Given the similarity between the Chiu Chow oyster omelet and San Francisco’s
famed Hangtown fry, one cannot help wondering if a cook hailing from Chiu Chow and
working in the gold-mining camps near Placerville, California (nicknamed Hangtown),
did not first present this dish, never mind that the oysters in the Gold Rush version came
to be fried, and that crisp bacon served as a garnish. We may never know for sure, but
the long and influential history of Chinese cuisine in California, and in the American
West in general, would certainly back up such a theory.
WHERE: In Hong Kong, Pak Loh Chiu Chow Restaurant, tel 852/2576-8886,
pakloh.com; City Chiu Chow Restaurant, tel 852/2723-6226; in Queens, Main Street
Imperial Taiwanese Gourmet, tel 718-886-8788. FURTHER INFORMATION AND
RECIPES: The Best of Taiwanese Cuisine by Karen Bartell (2002); food52.com (search
taiwanese oyster omelet); seriouseats.com (search taiwanese oyster omelet).
 JAPANESE
CAKE FOR TEATIME IN JAPAN

Kasutera
Japanese

A sunny, spongy cake.

Simplicity is one of the reigning qualities of Japanese cuisine—and although kasutera is

a Portuguese import, it’s no exception. Addictively light, airy, and sweet, the golden
sponge cake is one of those basic and time-honored concoctions of eggs, sugar, flour,
and corn or malt syrup or honey. At its most unadorned, it could pass for a loaf of bread.
For many years it was served plain, but over time it’s been doctored with favorite
Japanese flavorings, like green tea, or elaborately decorated and garnished. The most
famous kasutera in Nagasaki can be had at Fukusaya, a bakery that has been operating
since 1624 and is thought to have been the first to introduce the cake to the general
public. Its wares, with their caramel-hued crusts and bright-yellow centers, are said to
get their color and richness from very high-quality egg yolks.
 Along with tobacco and gunpowder, the cake first came to the country with the
Portuguese sailors who arrived in the port city of Nagasaki in the 1600s. The original
was in fact much more of a bread—pão de Castela, meaning “bread from Castile”—and
Castella is still a widely used name for the cake. The sailors, with some Spaniards
among them, traveled with the sweet bread in part because it could be stored for long
periods of time. It also contained no dairy, which appealed to the Japanese sensibility.
Although the Spanish withdrew from Japan in 1624 and the Portuguese were
banished in 1639, the cake remained, adapted over time to fit the Japanese craving for
what were then novel Western sweets. Today it remains a beloved treat, easily the most
well-known Japanese dessert.
WHERE: In Nagasaki, Fukusaya, tel 81/95-821-2938, castella.co.jp; in Tokyo,
Shanghai, Singapore, London, San Francisco, and New York, Minamoto Kitchoan,
kitchoan.com. FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES: The Sweet Spot: Asian-Inspired
Desserts by Pichet Ong and Genevieve Ko (2007); japanesefood.about.com (search
kasutera recipe); justonecookbook.com (search castellan).
 VIETNAMESE
CATFISH GOT YOUR TONGUE?

Cha Ca La Vong and Ca Chien

Turmeric Fish and Fried Catfish
Vietnamese

Cha Ca La Vong features turmeric and catfish.

A specialty of Hanoi, cha ca la vong is a pungently glazed fish dish so beloved that it
has a street named after it (Cha Ca Street, or Grilled Fish Street), along which you can
find the restaurant, Cha Ca La Vong, that is credited with its invention. In the widely
copied preparation, fillets of catfish (farmed in the Chau Doc river and thus sweeter and
less “muddy” tasting than wild catfish) are marinated for up to twelve hours in a heady
mixture of ground fresh galangal (the sharp-tasting ginger relative native to Southeast
Asia), shrimp paste, golden turmeric, lemon juice, nuoc mam (fermented fish sauce), a
hefty dose of crushed black peppercorns, and finely chopped hot green chiles. First
grilled over charcoal along with sprigs of scallions, the charred fish is then quickly fried
in hot peanut oil with more sliced scallions and, often, a generous handful of fresh dill.
The fragrant fish, a cheery bright yellow from the turmeric, is served with roasted
peanuts and a light sauce made from nuoc mam or shrimp paste blended with more
black pepper and lime juice. For a mellow flavor contrast, it is accompanied by bun (thin
rice vermicelli), flaky rice crackers, or warm jasmine rice.
To the south, Saigon has its own delectable way with catfish in the dish ca chien
(fried fish). Unlike the rather delicate treatment of cha ca la vong, here the floured fish
fillets are seasoned simply with garlic and black pepper and deep-fried in peanut oil. The
crispy, golden fillets are then served with a zesty sauce of rice vinegar, nuoc mam,
garlic, palm sugar, green chiles, and lemon or lime juice. Thin slices of cucumber,
scallions, and cilantro provide color and crisp freshness, and it wouldn’t be complete
without a bowl of steamed white rice. Less elaborately spiced than its northern sibling,
ca chien is a particularly delicious take on the globally adored concept of fried fish, with
the characteristic touches of heat, crunch, and cool herbs that make it uniquely
Vietnamese.
WHERE: In Hanoi, Cha Ca La Vong, tel 84/4-3825-3929; La Verticale, tel 84/4-
3944-6316, verticale-hanoi.com; in New York, Le Colonial, tel 212-252-0808,
lecolonialnyc.com; Wong, tel 212-989-3399, wongnewyork.com; in Boston, Pho
Pasteur, tel 617-482-7467, phopasteurboston.net; in Las Vegas, Lotus of Siam, tel 702-
735-3033, saipinchutima.com; in San Gabriel, CA. Phong Dinh Restaurant, tel 626-307-
8868, phongdinh.com. MAIL ORDER: Grocery Thai, tel 818-469-9407, grocerythai.com
(search fish sauce; jasmine rice; shrimp paste). FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES:
Into the Vietnamese Kitchen by Andrea Nguyen (2006); nytimes.com (search cha ca la
vong; ca chien sot ca); cookstr.com (search cha ca fish).
 INDIAN
A SAVORY, CRISPY RICE SNACK

Bhel Puri
Indian (Gujarati)

Bhel puri, India’s popular street snack, for sale in Delhi.

Iconic, omnipresent, nostalgia-inducing, and loyalty-inspiring, the chaats of India are

akin to American hot dogs, pretzels, and other beloved street snacks—and they are
infinitely varied. The cold vegetarian salads are based on a crisp, starchy underpinning,
such as puffed rice, fried chickpeas, or broken-up samosas or papadums, doused with
cool yogurt and heightened with a mix of exotic spices into a bright and zesty mélange.
Among the chaats of Gujarat, especially along the avenues and alleys of its capital,
Mumbai (formerly Bombay), bhel puri is an understandable favorite. An enticement of
taste and textural contrasts, it provides an object lesson in flavor identification that
begins with puffs and chips of rice, chickpea, and wheat flours deep-fried to nutty
crispness. Tossed with peanuts, the mix is showered with hot, salty, and sweet
condiments and spices like cayenne, cardamom, cumin, ginger, brown palm sugar,
lemony tamarind, and fresh coriander, all flavors that light up the whole palate with each
bite. Addictively stimulating, bhel puri is one of those foods that cannot be relinquished
until totally consumed. Leftovers are unlikely.
WHERE: In New York, Madras Mahal, tel 212-684-4010, madrasmahalnyc.com;
Dawat, tel 212-355-7555, dawatnewyork.com; in Boston, Maharaja, tel 617-547-2757,
maharajaboston.com; in Washington, DC, Masala Art, tel 202-362-4441,
masalaartdc.com; in Chicago, Indian Garden, tel 312-280-4910,
indiangardenchicago.com; in Los Angeles, Mayura, tel 310-559-9644, mayura-indian-
restaurant.com; in Toronto, Udupi Palace, tel 416-405-8189, udupipalace.ca. RETAIL
AND MAIL ORDER: In New York, Kalustyan’s, tel 800-352-2451, kalustyans.com. MAIL
ORDER: For bhel puri, rice flour, chickpea flour, tama-rind concentrate, and puffed rice,
iShopIndian, tel 877-786-8876, ishopindian.com; for fresh tamarinds, Melissa’s
Produce, tel 800-588-0151, melissas.com. FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES:
Chaat Cookbook by Tarla Dalal (2000); The Cooking of India by Santha Rama Rau
(1969); vegrecipesofindia.com (search bhel puri); indianfood.about.com (search bhel
puri); sanjeevkapoor.com (search bhel puri).
 AUSTRALIAN
THERE’S A PIE IN YOUR SOUP

Pie Floater
Australian

An offbeat delicacy from the city of Adelaide.

If the name doesn’t get you, perhaps the dish itself will. A specialty of the city of
Adelaide, a pie floater is exactly that—an upside-down beef-, onion-, carrot-, and gravy-
filled meat pie topped with tomato sauce and set adrift in a bowl of nicely thick green
pea soup. Perhaps the oddest part of the awkward-to-handle invention—should one use
a fork? a knife? a spoon?—is not its admittedly offbeat components but the fact that it
was once popular as a street food, sold from carts.
 Dating back to the 1870s, the floater was dubbed a South Australian Heritage Icon
by the National Trust of Australia in 2003. Although it’s native to Adelaide, one of the
most popular places to have it is Harry’s Café de Wheels, a cart near the
Woolloomooloo Bay Finger Wharf in Sydney. Its succulent floaters with their green, red,
and golden-brown color scheme have drawn visitors such as Marlene Dietrich, Frank
Sinatra, Anthony Bourdain, Elton John, and many others.
Pie floaters are still dished up at several restaurants in Adelaide today. And rumors
continually swirl regarding the forthcoming resurrection of this or that pie cart. No
wonder—with its offbeat sensibility and cold-weather appeal, the floater is due for a
street-food revival.
WHERE: In Adelaide, Bakery on O’Connell, tel 61/8-8361-7377,
bakeryonoconnell.com.au; for an upscale version, The Kings, tel 61/8-8212-6657,
thekingsbardining.com; in Sydney, Harry’s Café de Wheels, tel 61/2-9357-3074,
harryscafedewheels.com.au; in Boston, KO Catering and Pies at two locations,
kocateringandpies.com. FURTHER INFORMATION AND RECIPES: food.com (search pea
soup floater); lifestylefood.com.au (meat pie floater); homegrown.org (search australian
pie floater).
 1,000 FOODS TO EAT BEFORE YOU DIE™

Click here to purchase the full-length version of 1,000 Foods to

Eat Before You Die™.
 About the Author

MIMI SHERATON is a journalist, restaurant critic, lecturer, IACP and James Beard
Award–winning cookbook author, and former restaurant critic for The New York Times.
Of her, M.F.K. Fisher said: “I love everything [she] does and says about food.” She
lives in New York City.
 Copyright © 2014 by Mimi Sheraton

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced—mechanically, electronically, or by

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20 Great Dishes from Around the World that You May Have Never Heard of but Should Definitely Eat
Before You Die features content previously published 1,000 Foods to Eat Before you Die™

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Photo research by Bobby Walsh, Melissa Lucier, and Jenna Bascom

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