If there is a fungus that deserves to be in all history books, it should be the Truffle. We have records from the Mesopotamian Empire (3000 BCE) where the Sumerians would eat truffles. In Egypt, there are hieroglyphs the depict the offering truffles to the deities. Greeks and Romans loved them—Emperor Nero said “Truffles are a delicacy of gods.''

A tapa in the rest of the world is a small bite. That is what it is, although here those bites are culinary delights. Normally served over a piece of bread, you can find toppings of crab salad, cod fish, sirloin, blood sausage, mushrooms, you name it.

I didn’t learn to like food until I was twelve when my dad made me try this horrible plate of green pasta, it was covered with pesto and I was cynical, but my dad insisted I try it and it was a revolution. From that point on I tried everything and learned to not just like, but love food and to appreciate all the good things I was fed at home.

When you visit the land of Barolo in Piemonte, red wines, prized white truffles and hazelnuts (home to Nutella) might come to mind. What you wouldn't expect to find though is gourmet snails!

It is that time of year again when the garden is full of tomatoes and it is time to make la conserva, the base for most of our tomato sauces that we learned from Mauro’s parents. It is truly a labour of love. We enjoy good food and knowing what is in our food. In this case, it takes some hard work.

Many of my guests know that I moved here to Slovenia from Seattle. It’s been over 6 years now and it seems like I get asked these 3 questions a lot: How often do I go back? (Never). What do I miss most about Seattle? (Having great and plentiful Asian food). And what’s the biggest difference in mindsets between Americans and Europeans? For sure that’s our DIY spirit - the belief that the idea and experience an individual has trumps their formal education.

There’s something so evocative to me about pictures of food and the power they have to vividly remind me of mouth-watering meals and moments that I’ve had on my travels.  I can look at my culinary photos and remember exactly where I was, the scent of the dish just placed in front of me, and the way the flavors open up on my pallet. 

Oh, the smell: Fresh. Inviting. Tasty. Do you remember how it feels when the smell of fresh bread is filling the whole room, coming from the kitchen table? This mouthwatering experience is a sensation that you can have at home almost every morning. You take a fresh roll and your knife. And then comes the sound: The crackle, the splintering—when the sharp steel slices through the crust and cuts the roll in half.

Bread is a universal staple in all countries. In Spain, the types of bread and traditions surrounding it relate strongly to the rich history of the country. To understand this simple food better, it is best to start with a quick review of the history of Spain and how it has blended international traditions over time. 

The “Jeely Piece” song originates in Glasgow, second city of the Empire and power house of manufacturing in Scotland. As more and more people moved to the city to find work, by the turn of the 20th century,  the poorer areas were overcrowded, infested and rife with disease. When the Second World War ended and the government of the day adopted policies to look after the wellbeing of all of their citizens, the slums of Glasgow became an obvious target for new social housing policies.

The idea of traveling gluten–free in Italy might seem like a nearly impossible task (carb city!) but it is actually much easier than you think. Many Italians themselves suffer from Celiacs Disease and it is more and more common to find bakeries and pizzerias offering gluten-free alternatives.

It’s something I wish weren’t true, but I have to admit it: I love carbs. I mean, what’s better than hot, fresh bread? You know what else I love, despite myself? Fat. I think most people do; it’s probably hard-wired and evolutionary. So what actually is  better than hot, fresh bread? How about smothering it with something deliciously fat—like cheese?

What could be more French than the traditional baguette? Even if, it is said, more are consumed in Algeria, a former French colony, than in France itself. The word baguette is, amongst other things, the French expression for a wizard’s wand, a conductor’s baton and a chopstick, the quintessentially traditional French loaf of bread simply taking its name from the shape.

Having lived 25 wonderful years in France, but born in Denmark, there's still one thing missing from my birth country, and that is the rye bread. The tasty rye bread is dense, like the image of brooding Scandinavians. It is dark, like the Danish-produced televison crime shows.

I was considering calling this “When You Love Ravioli But Aren’t in Italy.” If you love stuffed pasta or just want a few ideas of what comfort foods await you on your next trip to Eastern Europe, dive into these…

New Zealand is perhaps not the first nation that you think of when you think of great bread, or even of culinary delights in general. A lot of what is today considered New Zealand food finds influence from other cultures that have come here–most notably the British. That’s why things like fish and chips, meat pies, and lamb roast are all today considered to be quintessentially Kiwi. 

The end of summer vacation in Italia was here. Finito—the endless days of sun and laughter of young and old. Over are the unorganized days spent together with family and friends. It was time to go  home. Back home again, back north, to the other side of the Alps.

“Through words, photos, video, audio and other kinds of media we can develop, our goal is to communicate, inspire, and connect our readers with the world in a meaningful way.”