#Cuisine And Culture

[spiritsrituals]

Cuisine & Culture | Food Pairing | Curated Cuisine

Discover the essence of cuisine and culture through expertly curated cuisine. Experience perfect food pairing that enhances flavors and celebrates culinary traditions. Explore our selection for an unforgettable gastronomic journey that bridges heritage and modernity. Explore the rich tapestry of cuisine and culture with our curated cuisine offerings. Experience exquisite food pairing that enhances flavors and traditions. Discover unique culinary experiences that celebrate heritage and innovation, bringing every meal to life. Visit:- https://spiritsandrituals.com/cuisine-culture/

[lotusinjadewell]

Illustrations of Vietnamese food. Credit to Le Rin.

[atlaculture]

Favorite Foods: Sokka

Since Sokka is almost always shown shoveling food down his gullet during meal scenes, I figured he prefers foods that he can stuff into his mouth quickly and in large quantities. Like Katara, I also feel his favorite foods would tie back to key memories in his life.

Sea Prunes (Row 1) - Sokka likes eating sea prunes even more than his sister does. Being Hakoda's favorite food, I think eating sea prunes allows Sokka to feel closer to his father. I think he prefers eating them either stewed in five-spice (five flavor soup) or just blanched and paired with a dipping sauce. Real-life sea prunes are small, leathery mollusks traditionally eaten by First Nation and Alaska Native groups along the west coast.

Muktuk - Muktuk is whale skin and whale blubber served raw, like sashimi. It's typically snacked on as the rest of the whale is being butchered for later consumption. Sokka has fond memories of his father's hunting crew bringing home a whale and his father offering him the first bite of muktuk.

Seal Jerky - Sokka's favorite portable snack. Seals are the largest animal that Sokka has ever successfully hunted on his own, so he feels a real sense of pride when he eats this jerky.

Polar Bear Stew - Stew made from polar bear meat. Polar bears are revered in Inuit culture as the greatest of all bears, so successfully hunting one is a considered an impressive feat. As such, polar bear stew is considered quite a delicacy in the SWT. Sokka has only had the dish once, thanks to the bravery and skill of his father's hunting team, and dreams of one day bringing home another polar bear for the whole village to enjoy.

Fermented Eider Egg - Eider is a species of arctic duck. Their eggs are buried underground and left to ferment. They're said to taste like a strong cheese. There's no deep reason why Sokka loves them, he just likes that he can stuff a bunch into his cheeks like a squirrel. ^_^

Green Kasha - Green Kasha refers to a mash of different tundra greens such as sourdock, rhodiola leaves, arctic willow, and mountain sorrel mixed with rendered blubber oil. The oil acts as an emulsifier as it slowly gets incorporated into the mash of greens. Green kasha is used as a dipping condiment for various types of arctic meat. Sokka likes it because it gives him a whole new way of enjoying his favorite foods.

Kumis - Kumis is a fermented dairy product traditionally made from mare’s milk. Sokka was introduced to the drink by Yue and the two often enjoyed the drink together--- the mild alcoholic content made them feel rather grown-up. The color of the drink also reminds Sokka of Yue's hair, so the drink is tied to Sokka's bittersweet memories of her.

Like what I’m doing? Tips always appreciated, never expected. ^_^

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[haridraws]

delicious ordinary food. completely normal. no catch

[justacynicalromantic]

People be like "Russia is not imperialistic"🤡 - and then the most famous Ukrainian chef cannot open a restaurant of the most famous Ukrainian cultural food in Japan, because Japanese widely consider borscht a Russian dish and so would avoid the restaurant thinking it to be Russian🫤🫤🫤🤯🤯🤯

[koobiie]

hotpot!

[metamorphesque]

what does the gatta bread smell and/or taste like?? just the picture made me ravenous

ah! where to start?

Armenian Gatta is a magically fragrant sweet bread with a golden-brown crust and a soft (sometimes flaky) interior. It has a crusty texture that softens upon biting into it and is filled with a sweet mixture called "khoriz," made from a fluffy blend of flour, butter and sugar. Gatta has many regional variations, with some incorporating nuts or dried fruit into the filling. It’s very sweet and buttery in taste.

As for its aroma, imagine the comforting, warm scent of vanilla! Whenever it's baked at home, this magical aroma permeates every nook and cranny of the space. When strolling past Armenian bakeries, it's easy to tell when fresh gatta is ready—the scent is THAT prominent! (To me, it evokes memories of childhood and our neighborhood.)

Gatta is associated with various enjoyable traditions. In some families, on New Year’s Day, a coin is hidden inside the dough before baking, and it's believed that whoever receives the slice with the coin will be blessed with good fortune (spoiler: it’s never me hehe).

[useless-catalanfacts]

Allioli (which literally means “garlic and oil” in Catalan) is a traditional sauce from the Western Mediterranean, very commonly used in the cuisine of the Catalan Countries. It’s also used in Occitania, and less commonly in Sicily, Malta, Aragon and Andalusia.

(Also, thanks to allioli the Catalan population is probably eternally safe from vampires at this point)

Photo from Alimentació (Generalitat de Catalunya).

[gemsofgreece]

A cover photo from the Greek culinary magazine “Γαστρονόμος” (=Gastronome). featuring old traditional recipes from rural Attica. The photo was taken by Michael Pappas. 

[prying-pandora666]

The Gaang’s Favorite Foods

Aang is an ovo-lacto vegetarian. He still consumes milk and eggs, just nothing that requires killing an animal. Being more used to getting nutrients from a variety of plant foods including nuts and seeds, supported by nutrient rich bison milk and whatever eggs they eat in this world, Aang’s diet is surprisingly diverse and not as restrictive as it first seems. People have and still do eat this way. He loves egg tarts!

Sokka is a growing teen boy, used to a high-fat diet of primarily fish, mollusks, large ruminants, marine mammals (and their blubber), full fat milk, eggs, blood, etc, and only minorly supported by additional foods like seaweed, berries, tubers, perhaps the occasional imported flour or rice. He is going to need a LOT of animal meat and fat. Especially organs. The cookbook says he loves dried salmon collars.

Katara is also a growing teen girl, and considering what starts for girls around her age, she probably also has higher iron requirements. Heme-iron (from meat) is the most easily absorbed, and if it’s what her body is accustomed to, I imagine there’s going to be a lot of cravings there too. It’s possible she slowly converted to a vegetarian diet eventually, but there isn’t actually anything in canon to say that Katara and Aang didn’t just maintain different diets. The comics and cookbook say she likes soups and stews including sea prunes which are actually a type of mollusk.

Toph comes from a wealthy family. Although most of the Earth Kingdom relies primarily on staple grains (rice mainly, but also others), she likely had a decently diverse diet compared to others. Including plenty of meat (beef, chicken, duck, pork), a variety of vegetables, and even luxury items like refined sugar. According to the cookbook, she doesn’t like to eat her vegetables, which implies she had open access to meat for most of her life. She is fond of tea eggs.

Zuko comes from the wealthiest nation which is also in a tropical climate. He’d have access to a plethora of fruits the others had never even heard of! Tropical fruits, berries, coconut, and all the different dishes you can make with them. The nutrient-rich volcanic soil would also lend itself to farming, giving this country plenty of fresh vegetables and staple grains. However, culturally they seem to be a meat and seafood loving people, and spiciness is critical! Being a prince, Zuko would have even more access to all of the above than the common person. According to the cookbook, his favorite snack is sizzle-crisps which is basically fried and seasoned pork belly. He also sneaks Komodo-chicken to his uncle in prison.

BONUS:

Azula, like Zuko, is royalty in a nation blessed with great diversity of fruits, meat, seafood, and fresh veggies. We know she attended a harsh military academy which puts its students through rigorous survival training. Azula knows how to live off the land and likely can survive off of whatever petty things she can forage or catch. But being royalty, she is more accustomed to having whatever she desires prepared for her. She seems to have a bit of a sweet tooth, which can happen when you give a teen unfettered access to luxury goods like sugar. With her nation’s relatively advanced stage of industrialization, certain more processed foods and desserts are available to her. She is fond of cherries and in the comics she is a fiend for mochi!

[lotusinjadewell]

Vietnamese dishes from different regional cuisine: bánh xèo (Southern), bánh bột lọc (Central), bún đậu mắm tôm (Northern). Credit to ni_cherry (Instagram).

[atlaculture]

What food from their 'cultures' do you think the gang would like? Real life food

Oh, this will be a fun question to answer! I'll make this an ongoing series for as many characters as I can think of.

Favorite Foods: Aang

Seeing as Aang has always loved traveling the world on Appa, he strikes me as someone who prefers food he can easily carry and eat while in the air. He's more a snack guy than a meal guy, is what I'm saying. He's also shown to be very fond of egg custard tarts and fruit pies, so I assume he also really likes rich desserts. With these considerations in mind, here's Aang's food board:

Momos - Tibetan stuffed dumplings. They're easy to carry around and eat on the go. Plus, they share a name with everyone's favorite flying lemur. I think Aang's favorite momo filling would be cheese with mushrooms or veggies.

Shom-Dae - Tibetan rice pudding. It's made by mixing fresh steamed rice with yogurt and sugar. Tibetan yogurt is made from yak milk, so it's very rich in fat content. Yogurt is so beloved in Tibet that it even has its own festival there, called Sho Dun.

Bhatsa Marku - A cheesy dessert pasta from Tibet. The primary ingredients are gnocchi-like noodles, dried yak cheese, butter, and sugar. I've also seen non-dessert versions comprised of the gnocchi noodles with mushrooms and butter. I think Aang would love both.

Chhurpi - A rock-hard cheese traditional to the Himalayas. It's typically a yak cheese that has been smoked and dried to remove all the moisture content. This allows it to be easy to carry and transport, as it can remain mold-free and edible for up to 20 years. One cube of chhurpi can be chewed on for hours, as it takes quite a while for the cheese to soften in the mouth.

Ngarchur - A dried Tibetan sweet cheese made from boiled yogurt. Like chuurpi, it's keeps well and is easy to transport, although it's not hard.

Khapse - Tibetan fried dough. Depending on how you shape the dough, it can be crunchy like chips or soft like youtiao.

Sanga Balep - A crispy Tibetan pastry covered in powdered sugar. Not much to say other than it looks really satisfying to eat.

I also have a series on possible Air Nomad cuisine here:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Like what I’m doing? Tips always appreciated, never expected. ^_^

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[lindseymcdonaldseyelashes]

I bet the Leverage crew makes for an unbeatable bar trivia team

[jokeroutsubs]

SLOVENIAN CUISINE: EXPLAINED

Extremely confused by Joker Out’s recent post? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

KRANJSKA KLOBASA:

Carniolan sausage is one of the most recognisable Slovenian culinary products. Since January 2015 it has been protected with geographical indication by the European Union. It originates from the historical region of Kranjska, once the Duchy of Carniola, a crown land of the Austrian Empire. The sausage is a reddish brown colour on the surface and bears a faint scent of smoke. Each pair is held together with a wooden skewer.

Preparation: It contains at least 75 to 80% pork (aside from bacon) and at most, 20% bacon. It may contain up to 5% water, sea salt from the Sečovlje salt pans, a little garlic, saltpetre and black pepper. No other ingredients are permitted. It has to be cooked before consumption. It is usually eaten hot, together with sour or cooked cabbage or sour turnip.

Perfect for: folk village parties called ‘veselice’, where they are a common choice alongside wine or beer. For that occasion, bread, mustard, and sliced onion are mandatory accompaniments.

IDRIJSKI ŽLIKROFI:

Žlikrofi is a traditional Slovenian dish, originating from Idrija a small town in the east of Slovenia. Idrija is mostly known for its lace and now-closed mercury mines. Žlikrofi were the first Slovenian dish registered as a Traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG).

Preparation: Žlikrofi are made using pasta, filled with a mixture of potatoes, onion, pig lard, chives and other spices. They are best served with ‘bakalca’ (a sauce made out of lamb and vegetables).

Perfect for: Žlikrofi are eaten all year round and can be served either as a starter, side dish or a main course. Alongside restaurants in Idrija, tourists can also try them at the Idrija Lace Festival or at the Idrija Žlikrofi Festival, where žlikrofi are prepared in more than 35 different ways. The žlikrofi festival is held at the end of August, this year it is taking place on the 24th of August.

POTICA:

Potica (a Slovenian nut roll) is the number one traditional holiday pastry in Slovenia. It has been registered as a Traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) in the European Union since April 2021.

Preparation: It consists of a rolled pastry made from sweet yeast dough, most commonly filled with walnuts, but there are variations with hazelnuts, tarragon, poppy, cottage cheese and others. Its ingredients are quite basic, but achieving the right balance of filling and dough is challenging. Traditionally it is ring-shaped, baked always in the special shaped potica baking mould (ceramic, glass or tin one), called ‘potičnik’, which has a conical protrusion in the middle.

Perfect for: All holidays, especially Christmas and Easter. Slovenian housekeepers are happy to bake it even outside the holiday season to pamper their loved ones.

PREKMURKSA GIBANICA:

Prekmurje layer cake (literal translation: Over-Mura moving cake 😂) is a special cake originating in eastern region of Slovenia, Prekmurje. The name ‘gibanica’ comes from the dialect expression güba and refers to a fold. Since March 2010, prekmurska gibanica is protected in the EU as a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed.

Fun fact: If you are visiting Prekmurje, you can swing by The House of Gibanica, where you can enjoy the full gibanica experience which includes tasting handmade gibanica, made in the traditional way using a protected recipe.

Preparation: The preparation of this layered cake is quite complex and expensive, which is why it is only served on special occasions. Each layer is topped with plenty of sweet cream, eggs and butter. The dessert requires crumbly and rolled dough and four types of filling, made up of cottage cheese, poppy seeds, walnuts and apples.

Perfect for: special occasions like Christmas and Easter. As it is very filling, it’s not ideal to eat (or prepare) in hot weather.

BOGRAČ

Bograč is a hearty dish, consisting of many meats. It is typical of the Prekmurje region. It is a festive dish, as it is never cooked for just one person. It is best when cooked in a kettle over an open fire. In Hungarian this kettle is called 'bogrács' , hence the name of the dish.

Preparation: Sweat onions in lard, then add a different type of meat to the dish at the end of each hour of simmering: first the beef, then the venison, and finally the pork. Season with paprika and add a splash of white wine. Finally, add the potatoes and cook until they are done.

Perfect for: large family gatherings.

Fun fact: Every year, Lendava* organises the international 'bograč' cooking competition called ‘Bogračfest.’ The municipality of Lendava also holds the Guinness World Record for the largest bograč ever prepared (1,801 kg) since 2021.

* A Slovenian town near the Hungarian border.

Content prepared by: @kurooscoffee, @weolucbasu, drumbeat

Graphic design by: X pastellibianchi, anonymous JOS member

English proofreading by: IG GBoleyn123, @flowerlotus8, X klamstrakur