Eat like a European

As most of you already know, I am now back in the US. That means my adventurous eating in Europe has been put on pause, I am planning a trip back (don't tell my parents!). I was very sad to leave a culture that valued food so highly, unlike America where food is mainly an afterthought, hence the success of TV dinners and Hamburger Helper. Living in Europe really made me aware of how much processed food I ate and I am working on eating like a European in the US. It is more of a challenge to eat non-processed food when I can't walk to an outdoor market everyday and pick up fresh produce and cheese but it is not impossible.
I really enjoyed blogging and sharing all of my food experiences. I am considering starting another blog focusing on my food discoveries in the US and all the food I will make in my new house. I also have two roommates that could be used as taste testers!

In honor of France, my home for six amazing months!

Au Revoir

During my last weekend in Lyon, I was on a mission to eat as many pastries as possible. I was lucky that most fruit was in season so all the fruit pastries were delicious. I ate a strawberry fraisier. A fraisier is a two layers of sponge cake filled with a creamy, buttercream-like filling and strawberries. Cherries were also in season so I had to eat a clafoutis. Cherries are arranged in a dish and then covered with a flan-like batter. The cherries are not pitted because the pits release flavor when they are cooked.

Clafoutis and a cafe

No fork, no problem

The Floating Island

I love that the French have given such descriptive names to their desserts. My favorite is the meringue dessert called iles flottantes.Literal translated into English it means floating islands. A big ball of meringue is floating in a bowl of creme anglaise (aka melted vanilla ice cream) and caramel is drizzled over the meringue. The dessert really does look like its name.

"Sea" of creme anglaise

My Last Supper

I recently discovered a book of photo essays called "My Last Supper" in which famous chefs state what they would want to eat as their final meal on earth. Some of the chefs want really elaborate meals and others want simple dishes their mothers used to make. This discovery provoked me to think about what I would want as my last meal in France. I am only twenty years old and hopefully will live many more decades so thinking about my final meal ever was too hard. I decided the roasted chickens sold in the outdoor markets would be the perfect last meal. The chickens are delicious and smell so good, as soon as I get near a markets I can immediately smell them. I would also want the potatoes that are cooked in the chicken fat and sprinkled with herbs de provence. Luckily for me there is a market on Sunday so I might just have to go by one final chicken.

 

Algeria's National Dish

I have been pleasantly surprised with the North African food I have found in France. The most common food served in North African restaurants is couscous. Couscous was first created in Algeria by the Berbers after discovering semolina. The couscous dough is created by mixing water and coarse semolina particles and then is "crumbled" through a sieve creating tiny pellets. I went to an Algerian restaurant and ordered the lamb couscous. A big hunk of lamb was served on top of a bowl of couscous, along with carrots, chickpeas, zucchini, and cabbage. A bowl of the cooking liquid was served as a sauce and was flavored with cinnamon, cumin, and ginger. It was very good and also very filling; the waiter made fun of my "tiny stomach".

Fruits of the Sea

I recently spent a week traveling along the French Riviera where there is an abundance of seafood. Almost every restaurant serves a dish called moules-frites, which is simply mussels and french fries. The most common way the mussels are served is "moules marinieres". The mussels are steamed with a broth of white wine and shallots. I do not like mussels mainly because of their texture but decided to give them a try. Also moules-frites is usually the least expensive item on a seafood menu so that was another incentive. After a couple of mussels I came to the conclusion that they are just a food I do not like. If I am going to eat a mollusk I prefer scallops, especially scallops provencal.

   

Roman Picnic

One of my most favorite activities to do in Europe is to go to an outdoor market and buy food for a picnic. The Italian markets are not as good as the French markets but I still managed to find some delicious food while I was in Rome. I bought some sweet provolone, provaolone dolce, which is made from cow's milk and is milder in flavor than provolone piccante. Slices of salami and Italian rolls similar to popovers with a crusty outside and a hollow, chewy inside were also added to the picnic. Finally wild strawberries were bought for dessert. The picnic took place over looking the entire city of Rome on Janiculum Hill.

Janiculum Hill