Favorite foods

Donna Evleth wrote in message
...
As a tourist in European countries, how many of you have favorite things
to
eat while there? I know I do. Here are some of my own very favorites,
and
I would like to hear about other people's. Especially since my repertoire
of countries is a bit limited.

My list of countries is limited, too, but it hasn't stopped me replying!

FRANCE: I live here now, but I didn't always. My all-time favorite, as a
tourist and now as a resident, is the plateau des fruits de mer. A good
plateau has raw oysters, sometimes of more than one variety, raw clams,
and
sometimes raw mussels, cooked shrimp, of two varieties, the "bouquet", a
medium sized pink shrimp and the "petit gris", a small shrimp which is
gray
when raw but salmon colored when cooked, crabs of several varieties, the
"étrille" which is small, the "tourteau" which is large, and two kinds of
sea snails, the "bulot" and the "bigorneau". These latter are eaten by
using a pin to pull the meat out of the shell.

I feel the same about visiting France - the fruits de mer platter that I ate
in Fécamp was superb. Would the 'bulot' and the 'bigorneau' be whelks and
winkles, by any chance? (Winkles being small, whelks being much bigger). I
have a friend who makes a living as a winkle picker locally (Ireland) and
all his winkles are exported to France, as are local sea urchins.
Additionally, I have to have some really ripe Camembert when visiting
France, and a dish of snails in garlic butter, too. Clichés, perhaps, but
very good! Not particularly impressed with frogs' legs! A cheap, rough
French red wine, drunk with fresh bread and a gloopy, smelly cheese whilst
sitting somewhere outdoors can't be beaten!

snip

GREECE: We vacation every September on the island of Aegina, and I have
two
favorites there. First is the grilled fish served with a simple sauce of
olive oil and lemon juice. The second is the pistachio nuts, which are
the
island's specialty, and which are the best I have ever eaten anywhere.
And
I am originally from California, where they also grow pistachios.

Fresh grilled sardines in Cyprus - yum! And I must admit that I have a
weakness for proper Greek moussaka - somehow it tastes so much better there
than anywhere else. Swordfish in Madeira (the place, not the drink) is
another enduring memory. Steak tartare in Switzerland - they make it so
prettily! Also a proper Fondue Neuchatel, and raclette. Not a chocolate
lover.

Before I lived in Ireland, I had to indulge in soda bread, native oysters,
locally smoked wild Irish salmon and a pint of Guinness (and I don't care
what anyone says, it tastes best in Ireland) whenever I visited.
Additionally, I became addicted to white pudding with breakfast (it's
similar to black pudding - another favourite - but minus the blood, with
more fat and oatmeal in it - probably very unhealthy!).

I'm sure there are more that I've forgotten, but those are the ones which
remain in the memory!

Jo



---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.555 / Virus Database: 347 - Release Date: 23/12/03