1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die

“The joys of the table belong equally to all ages, conditions, countries, and times; they mix with all other pleasures, and remain the last to console us for their loss.”

—Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

---

Acknowledgments

In a work of this size that took so many years to complete, it should be no surprise that there is a very long of list of wonderful people to whom I am indebted for their insights, expertise, willingness to help, and, perhaps most of all, friendship.

During my sixty years as a food writer, I have worked with many fine publishers, but never with one so patient, dedicated, cooperative, and helpful as Workman Publishing. Primary credit for that goes to the company’s founder, Peter Workman, who agreed to do this book and who believed in it enough to never even hint at pulling the plug after one deadline gave way to another. His commitment to quality books and the integrity he brought to publishing permeates the company he left behind. I shall always regret that he did not live to see this come to fruition and I hope he would have thought it all worth the wait.

My first entry into Workman came via its affable executive editor, Suzanne Rafer, who continued to guide, cajole, and encourage as work progressed. Similarly, Suzie Bolotin, editorial director, also never nagged or threatened me but always kept an overall eye as material went through, making valuable suggestions that I sometimes even took. Above all, the most noble work was done by Margot Herrera, the saintly editor in charge of this project. With her unerring eye for detail and her insistence on accuracy, she bore the brunt of outbursts and exasperations from one who loathes details and the nitty-gritty. Margot never once lost her temper, even as I so often lost mine.

I am also forever indebted to Heather Schwedel, who was always at the other end of an email to straighten out my confusions in scheduling, organization, and to guide me safely whenever I was lost in cyberspace, which was often.

I know I was spared much embarrassment by the work of Caitlin McEwan and Kelly Rummel, who did diligence as fact checkers, and Savannah Ashour, who line-edited the book.

I am grateful also to Workman’s art department. That so many divergent entries appear so attractively and functionally is due to the efforts of many, beginning with the combined talents of Janet Vicario, the art director, and Orlando Adiao, the book’s designer. Bringing it all to a coherent pass was the meticulous work of the production editor, Kate Karol, assisted by Jessica Rozler, as well as the production manager, Doug Wolff, not to forget the intricacies of the typesetting process overseen by Barbara Peragine.

Entries would not appear so clear and intriguing without the photographs ingeniously unearthed by Anne Kerman’s expert photo research team, including Bobby Walsh, Melissa Lucier, and Jenna Bascom. I thank Rachael Mt. Pleasant and Caitlin McEwan for their help with the captions.

Also, for getting the word out by publicizing the book, I offer my deepest appreciation to Workman’s director of publicity, Selina Meere, and Noreen Herits, executive publicist.

That this work ever was completed at all is due to the dedicated, invaluable help of two friends and colleagues: Kelly Alexander and Megan Peck.

Kelly Alexander of Chapel Hill, NC, is herself an accomplished food writer who, with Cynthia Harris, coauthored Hometown Appetites: The Story of Clementine Paddleford, the Forgotten Food Writer Who Chronicled How America Ate. Working with my selections and guidelines, Kelly painstakingly and reliably researched and reported a third of the entries in this book.

Megan Peck is a young New York food professional who, on her blog, meganpeckcooks.com, serves up modern riffs on recipes from the cookbooks of her late, influential grandmother, Paula Peck, a dear friend of mine during the 1960s. That made working with Megan a pleasant, sentimental journey as she searched out reliable recipes for the dishes in the book, as well as for retail and mail order sources of foods, information on food festivals, and other assorted details.

In addition, many friends and colleagues in various parts of the world generously came through with tips, suggestions, and local sources, and checked out details for me as I asked for them. Among them are Michael Bauer and Miriam Morgan of the San Francisco Chronicle, who answered queries on sources in their food-minded city and its surrounding areas. Similarly, Teresa Byrne-Dodge both personally and through her terrific magazine, My Table, offered valuable tips on restaurants in and around Houston. Sara Baer-Sinnott of the Oldways Preservation Trust provided information on the Boston area, and Nathalie Dupree did the same with suggestions for her home city, Charleston, and Atlanta.

My dear friend, the engaging novelist Mary Gordon, was always ready with lists of restaurants she had enjoyed in Rome and Naples while doing research for superb novels and short stories set in those cities. Sarah Humphreys of Real Simple magazine checked out Capetown for me during her visit to South Africa.

My cousin and very reliable food judge, Dr. William Wortman of Pasadena, CA, led me to some of his favorite eating places, especially for hamburgers, in and around Los Angeles. In New Orleans, Thomas Lemann did the same.

I’m also grateful to Jenny Glasgow for her information on bicerin in Turin, and to Nell Waldman for her research on shritzlach (as well as for bringing me a sample from her native Toronto).

Dr. Martha Liao—a lapsed geneticist who lives in New York and Beijing when she’s not touring with her husband, the opera singer Hao Jiang Tian (and who prepares a Peking duck feast whenever he performs in concert)—checked details for me in Beijing. She also provided insights into the preparations for that magical duck, as well as the recipe for glazed pork belly, Dong Bo Rou.

Reliable guidance to Japanese cuisine in Paris and Tokyo came from my dear old friend, Kazuko Masui, herself the author of several stunning food books. From Berlin, food journalist Ursula Heinzelmann, whose recently published Beyond Bratwurst is an invaluable and discerning history of German food, was always ready with up-to-date suggestions from her native land. So was Trine Hahnemann in Copenhagen, a successful caterer and author of several lovely books on Nordic cooking, the newest of which is Scandinavian Baking.

The incomparable food writer Dalia Lamdani offered prized insights into foods and lore of her Israeli homeland. Peter Grünauer, who with his family operates Grünauer restaurant in Kansas City, MO, looked into all sorts of facts whenever he went home to Vienna. Kurt Gutenbrunner of Wallsé and several other fine New York restaurants also always came through with much Austrian culinary wisdom.

To all, I am forever indebted and to all I send love and kisses.

Much love and many kisses also to my wonderful, adorable family who were patient and supportive as I slogged my way through this: my son, Marc, daughter-in-law, Caitlin, and granddaughter, Anna. I can never thank you enough. I only wish that our darling Dick had lived to see this book come to pass after bearing with me during its long preparation.

---

The World on a Platter

Odd as it may seem, this book is my autobiography, or at least a very big part of it. 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 reaped many rewards by way of life experiences, especially in foreign countries, where I have found food to be a ready introduction to other cultures.

Traveling to gather material for articles or books, I met many strangers who, because we came together on the common ground of an interest in food, often became fast—and, in many cases, lasting—friends. Quests for various ingredients and dishes have taken me to corners of the world that I would not have ventured into otherwise, teaching me much about social customs and attitudes, local celebrations, spiritual and superstitious beliefs, and the richness of human ingenuity that enables so many to make so much out of so little.

All of which should not be surprising, considering that food and the concerns surrounding it are central to life, simple sustenance being an essential aspect of all of our days. Such were the thoughts that guided me in making the selections for this book. I strove for an overall collection that includes not only the pleasurable—though that was my primary purpose—but also the unusual (the uninitiated might even say outlandish and bizarre)—Hirn mit Ei (scrambled eggs with brains, see listing), Liang Ban Hai Zhe (Sichuan cold jellyfish salad, see listing), Testina (roasted lamb’s or calf’s head, see listing), and more. The aim was to curate a sort of jigsaw puzzle that pieces together a picture of what the world eats.

My unshakeable interest in food undoubtedly traces back to my Brooklyn childhood, growing up in a family where passion for the subject was always paramount, if not obsessive. My mother was an outstanding, ambitious cook and hostess who tried recipes clipped from newspapers and who judged all other women by their ability to cook, especially their prowess at chicken soup. My father was in the wholesale fruit and produce business in New York’s bygone Washington Market, then located in the now-fashionable neighborhood known as Tribeca.

When we gathered for dinner each evening, not only would we discuss the details of the food before us, but my father would describe the various fruits and vegetables he had handled that day and assess their relative merits. Thus I gathered early that California oranges were more flavorful than those from Florida, but the southern state was the winner when it came to grapefruit. He considered apples from the West Coast inferior (not enough cold nights) to those from New York and Massachusetts, and as for peaches, none held a candle to Georgia’s Elberta freestones.

Not surprisingly, those evaluations have stuck with me through the years, but the most important lesson I took away was to practice discernment. Ever since then, I have paid close attention to the qualities of whatever I am tasting and have compared one iteration with another. Wherever possible, I have tried to hold the choices in this book up to the same standards, allowing that much has changed for better and worse over the years in the name of progress.

Coupled with my interest in food was my incurable wanderlust, the seeds of which I believe were first planted in me as I read a poem fittingly titled “Travel” by Robert Louis Stevenson in A Child’s Garden of Verses. The opening lines tempt me even today: “I should like to rise and go / Where the golden apples grow.” I have been rising and going in search of golden apples for many years, and, in the pursuit of food knowledge, have now visited nearly everywhere that I originally longed to see. Indeed, a savvy editor I worked for once accused me of being a person who appears to be doing one thing, but who is really doing something else. He sure had my number, as the food articles I proposed were invariably inspired by the places I wanted to see. (Want to visit southern Spain? Why not suggest an article on the growing, harvesting, and curing of capers? It worked for me and might for you.) That is one reason this book is organized geographically by cuisine, rather than by type of food. It is almost impossible for me to understand an ingredient or a dish without knowing its original context, much of which I tried to impart with each entry.

My problem was not arriving at a thousand entries but whittling down the final tally from twice that number. Almost every single one of the chosen thousand has a special meaning for me, due to my outsize and enduring love for it, fond memories of the circumstances under which it was first experienced, or the ways in which it has permanently influenced my taste.

Many of my thoughts and longings for individual foods and meals have been inspired by oblique or direct references in cultural works, including books, films, and paintings. Fiction such as Jorge Amado’s Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon and nonfiction such as Eleanor Clark’s Oysters of Locmariaquer; films that are all about food, such as La Grande Bouffe, and others in which food is just a detail, as in The Bicycle Thief; and so many still-life paintings—all these have started me dreaming of the feasts those works planted so firmly in my mind. Still, my reach has always exceeded my grasp, and I know more tastes and textures are in store for me.

The world of food has never been as exciting as it is now, as I hope the choices for this book indicate. Mass travel and mass communication have hastened fusion, something as old as mankind but never before occurring so rapidly and on so vast a scale. That acceleration sometimes created difficulties in determining which cuisine to categorize a dish in—for example, is chakchouka Tunisian or Israeli? But people have been wandering far from home ever since they could walk, and along with military conquests and the resultant colonialism, changing methods and equipment, and simply a hunger for variety, natural fusions were fostered long before intellectual chefs began consciously doing the same. I did my best to properly classify them all here.

So bon voyage and, especially, bon appétit. May your senses and stomach be strong and your pleasures great.

My mother judged others by their ability to cook chicken soup.

How the Book Is Organized

The geography of flavor and culinary style, rather than strict geographical borders, guided the organization of this book into some seventy cuisines. Along the way, I wrestled with issues such as where Middle Eastern food ends and North African cuisine begins. In the end, such distinctions are somewhat arbitrary, and I did my best to capture and classify the flavor and spirit of each selection. This is also true of traditional dishes that have become international favorites. For example, although we regularly enjoy Italian and Chinese foods in America (the best tirami sù I ever had was in Napa Valley) and even have Americanized versions of some of them, for the most part they have been classified with their root cuisines.

Within each cuisine, entries are in rough alphabetical order based on their most commonly used name in their country of origin. When this name is in another language, if neither the tagline that appears above the entry title nor the first line of that entry make it clear what the food is, a translation is provided.

Because there are some foods that completely transcend geography and are enjoyed the world over, there is a special designation called “Foods of the World.” Entries with this stamp are peppered throughout the book. For a full list of them, see the index here.

At the end of each entry is information that will help you either obtain or cook the food being described. Here is a rundown of the type of information offered:

Where: This tells you where you can find the food in question. Usually that refers to restaurants that serve the dish or the meal or brick-and-mortar shops that offer the ingredients, both in the United States and abroad. Each includes a phone number and Web address when available, and, if the restaurant or market itself is the main subject of the entry, its street address as well.

Caveat: Although I have visited many of the restaurants named, others were included after careful research and consultation with at least three reliable personal or professional sources (not consumer-based ratings on websites). Nonetheless, restaurants change quickly, as do chefs and menus; they also close without notice. The same can be said for stores and online food purveyors. For these reasons, recommendations are necessarily provisional.

A note on phone numbers: All non-U.S. and Canadian phone numbers are listed with their country codes. To call any of them, you have to add on your international access code (011 in the U.S. and Canada) before dialing the listed number. To call the U.S. and Canada from elsewhere, dial 1 between your international access code and the listed number. In some countries, when you are calling locally you have to dial 0 before the number (and of course the country code is not required).

Mail order: These are online merchants that offer the ingredients and dishes recommended. I have tried many of those named, and the rest have been drawn from long-standing suppliers.

Caveat: I have recommended mail order sources only where the food can be reasonably expected to arrive in good condition. To accomplish this, the shipping fees can be costly, as with anything that has to be delivered within twenty-four hours and thus requires overnight air service. This can add up to an amount more than double that of the food being sent, so check carefully before placing an order.

Further information and recipes: What you cannot find in a restaurant, you may well be able to prepare at home, hence a collection of cookbooks and websites that offer further reading and what I consider excellent recipes for a dish or a meal or interesting and suitable use of an ingredient. Some of the best of those books may be out of print but all are available at one or another of the following sources:

• alibris.com

• barnesandnoble.com

• amazon.com

• Powell’s, tel 800-878-7323, powells.com

• Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, tel 212-989-8962, bonnieslotnickcookbooks.com

• Kitchen Arts & Letters, tel 212-876-5550, kitchenartsandletters.com

In cases where I point you toward a website, to avoid long and cumbersome Web addresses, I have instead frequently provided search terms. When you visit the website in question, simply locate the search bar and type in the terms there—the recipe or page I referenced should pop right up.

Tip: This includes pointers on selecting the best samples of a food and/or on storing or handling it efficiently and safely. Alternatively, a tip may simply offer an extra tidbit of useful information.

Special events: There are many festivals, celebrations, and holidays honoring particular dishes or ingredients, and food-minded travelers might want to plan to attend when a favorite is the subject. I provide the name of the festival, where it takes place and during which month, and a website for more information.

See also: Many culinary cultures include similar dishes (such as Egypt’s Kosheri and India’s Biryani, see listings here and here) and if such references have not already been mentioned in the entry, they are added for perspective.

A warning about street eating: A number of street foods are included in this book and all can be enjoyed with the same precautions that I have taken for many years without ever once becoming ill. I eat only very hot meats or fish that are grilled, boiled, fried, or roasted before my very eyes, instead of any that seem to have been lying around. I never street-eat cold meats or seafood, nor any raw vegetable or fruit that cannot be peeled. And I drink only bottled water or soda that is uncapped right in front of me. In questionable situations, I avoid dairy products not taken from refrigeration, especially whipped cream or egg custard pastries or desserts. And because I am likely to eat raw shellfish in restaurants in questionable locales, I make sure that my vaccination against hepatitis A is up to date.

There is always a bit of risk involved with trying something or visiting someplace new, so use your best judgment and keep an eye out for travel advisories or other news that may affect the safety of your food or travels.

---

EVERYTHING STOPS FOR TEA

---

Afternoon Tea

English

One of life’s pleasantest indulgences is afternoon tea, preferably in London, although as this cosseting meal regains popularity, it can be enjoyed in upscale hotels and romantic tearooms around the world. A custom that originated in the nineteenth century, when life grew busier and the dinner hour grew later, a sustaining afternoon tea is a nibbler’s paradise. It begins with delectable crustless sandwiches trimmed into rounds or finger shapes. Spread with sweet or herb-seasoned butter, filled with thin slices of icy cucumber, ham, or smoked salmon, or with spreads of meat or shrimp paste and miniature cress, these dainty sandwiches are mere preludes to currant-studded scones and crumpets (the forerunners of the English muffin) and pound cakes such as the caraway seed classic (see listing), topped with clotted cream (see listing) and fruit jams and marmalades.

Overdo it on those temptations and you might have to skip the final display of fruit and cream pastries, set out on silver trays or footed cake stands. There are choices of teas, of course, ranging from the smoky lapsang souchong to the lemony, bergamot-scented Earl Grey, the subtle black Chinese oolong (see listing), and the complex Darjeeling (see listing), lusty enough to be considered the coffee-drinker’s tea. Milk or lemon? That depends upon the tea. There is even a choice of sugars, all delightful dilemmas presented amid flowers, bone china, and fine linens.

Newcomers take note: While the term high tea may seem to designate an even posher version of this afternoon meal, it actually denotes the opposite—a heavier meal that includes meat pies, spreads, and perhaps sausages, traditionally served as a tea-supper for working-class families.

Where: In London, The Ritz Hotel, tel 44/20-7300-2345, theritzlondon.com; The Connaught, tel 44/20-7499-7070, the-connaught.co.uk; Brown’s Hotel, tel 44/20-7518-4155, brownshotel.com; Claridge’s, tel 44/20-7409-6307, claridges.co.uk; Hyde Park Hotel, tel 44/20-7243-5000, thehydepark.com; Fortnum & Mason, tel 44/20-7734-8040, fortnumandmason.com; Harrods, tel 44/20-7730-1234, harrods.com; in New York, Tea & Sympathy, tel 212-989-9735, teaandsympathynewyork.com; throughout the U.S., at most Four Seasons hotels, tel 800-819-5053, fourseasons.com.

COMFORT WITH A BANG

---

Bangers and Mash

English

The popularity of the dish inspires much variation, from rustic pub fare to luxury renditions.

Big, plump pork sausages sputter with savory juices atop a buttery nest of mashed potatoes, with overtones of pepper and a golden brown onion sauce lending a bittersweet burnish … This is bangers and mash, a lunch or dinner favorite in English pubs and a satisfying homemade supper to boot. It appears in one of its most refined presentations at London’s stylish Green’s Restaurant, where Cumberland bangers are enhanced by strips of crisp, smoky bacon. More aromatic pork bangers hinting of sage, nutmeg, and mace are the specialty of Cumberland, while those from Yorkshire and Lancashire are based upon beef.

These sausages were dubbed bangers after World War I, when water added to stretch the scarce meat of the filling caused the frying sausages to burst—with a bang. Usually fried or grilled in their own fat, bangers emerge more plumply moist and golden when brushed with butter and oven roasted, especially if their casings are unbroken. (Ignore the advice of those who say they should be pierced before cooking.) Devotees shun mass-produced bangers, especially if skinless, and lean turkey or chicken bangers in favor of those made by artisanal butchers who use natural casings and a pork mix that includes just enough snowy fat to preserve juices.

Ideally, the boiled, starchy potatoes should not be pureed but rather broken down with an old-fashioned potato masher as butter and milk or cream are worked in. A few lumps add textural contrast, providing the right purchase for the roux-thickened onion gravy.

Where: In London, Green’s Restaurant, tel 44/20-7930-4566, greens.org.uk; in New York, Tea & Sympathy, tel 212-989-9735, teaandsympathynewyork.com; in Austin, TX, Banger’s Sausage House and Beer Garden, tel 512-386-1656, bangersaustin.com. Mail order: For bangers, R.J. Balson & Son, tel 321-281-9473, balsonbutchers.com. Further information and recipes: How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman (2006); theguardian.com (search bangers and mash).

“OF ALL NATIONS AND COUNTRIES, ENGLAND IS BEST SERVED OF FISH.”
—WRITER AND PHYSICIAN ANDREW BOORDE, 1542

---

Billingsgate Fish Market

English