Study Abroad Programs Blog

Fruit

By Bradley Rehak - Guest blogger studying in Quito, Ecuador

Ecuador, along with the rest of South and Central America apparently, has perfect weather conditions for growing fruit, particularly along the coast and in the Amazon basin. Thus for a gringo such as myself, attempting to purchase fruit or juice can be rather intimidating, because not only do I usually lack the word, but I can't even recognize by sight things other than bananas and strawberries. However, I have learned enough to offer a short discourse on the subject and make recommendations for my fellow travelers.

Most days my breakfast consists of pieces of papaya and banana or mango. These easily recognizable ones are served with a fruit juice and homemade jam, both of which consist of blended fruit, water and sugar. The only main differences are that the jam simmers for a few hours in a pan and has less water. Along with this my house mom always eats pitajaya, which is a yellow fruit roughly the size and shape of a pineapple grenade that is clear with black seeds on the inside. It tastes quite good, but it's main purpose is to keep the intestines chugging—or float the stomach, as she says.

Tomate de arbol (yes, tree tomato) is also delicious, and almost always served as a juice. Its appearance is quite similar to a roma tomato on drugs, which is to say about three times larger. It's one of the more common juices offered in restaurants, and seems to go quite well with a bagel and cream cheese (and the local gringo market).

Maracuya is another popular fruit for juice. To be entirely honest I don't know what it looks like, having just discovered that it is quite refreshing. Based on Ecuadorian Juice Theory I would guess that it is somewhat bitter with a strong flavor as a juice. I devised Ecuadorian Juice Theory after we had a school-sponsored fruit tasting session with about 20 different samples. It was amazing how many of them were horrible to eat—but as our teachers told us, the horrible ones are almost always great as juice. The reason, of course, is that any quantity of sugar added to a drink is quite acceptable in Ecuador.

By far my favorite fruit is guanabana, which I became acquainted with in Mexico. I made the mistake of buying one to make juice a few weeks, and paid the price with an hour of picking out the slippery black seeds from the white, stringy fruit that is somewhat larger than a pineapple. The result of my labor, however, was the best-tasting juice available in Ecuador, as apprized by myself and the neighbor girl that is eight years old.

Best Cuisine Regions

cont... by Kayla Allen Picking up where Glenn left off sort of; it's time to get out of Europe or at least add a dash of spice. In recent years fusion has taken over the culinary world, mixing traditional preparations with new and exciting ingredients. Let's look at where these ingredients that are breathing new life into our spice cabinets and taste buds are coming from. In truth, they're coming from all over. The world seems to get smaller and smaller every year, trade easier and easier. I can walk into a corner market in Philadelphia and find any array of ingredients from all over the world and now at reasonable prices. You can really get a great idea of how top chefs are using ingredients from around the world to augment their traditional culinary educations by watching yes, I'm going to say it, Iron Chef America. In addition to the flavors they're bringing together their food is made richer with the stories they've brought back from the countries they've visited. Some of my favorite meals have been simple meals eaten in their country of origin. My enjoyment may have had less to do with food itself as the romance of eating some of my favorite foods in some of the most amazing places but flavorful and enjoyable none the less. Here we go, back to Europe to start: * Brie, bread and red wine in Paris sitting next to the Seine * Gelato everyday in Italy and a delicious dose of a simple pasta every dinner. * Guiness in London, c'mon it's as close as I've gotten to Ireland. * Empanadas in Guatemala watching Bailar para un Sueno. * Vegetarian Cheesesteaks, Giana's Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA Some of the more widely appreciated recently popular flavors: Japanese - Sushi continues to evolve and the ingredients you would expect to find in your typical hand roll have changed. Sushi with a decidedly Latin flavor is gaining popularity and prevalence. Cuban - The fact that the city of Philadelphia can sustain at least two up-scale Cuban restaurants is saying something. I lay the explosion of Cuban cuisine at the feet of the popularity of the Mojito. Mint and rum in summer, who could pass that up? Thai - See my blog on Thai food if you dare, lemongrass is everywhere.

Some Wine-Producing Regions

By Glenn Rigby Lots of people enjoy wine. Something for dinner, a party, celebrations, special occasions – you name it and there is a wine for it. "But where does it come from," many of us may wonder. Well, there is the question at hand. Wine is produced all over the world. Writing on all the myriad wine regions and locations would fill volumes, so I have decided to pluck out a few acclaimed spots to highlight. * Emilia-Romagna, Italy In this region, where the vines have found favorable growing conditions both on hillsides and in the lower plains, thus generating vineyards with well defined characteristics, over the past twenty years an extensive planting of international vine varieties has taken place. In the latest years though, this trend has reversed and many local producers are turning their attention to native vines, aiming at the production of wines which are ever more competitive in the global market, thanks to unique and characteristic perfumes and flavors. That's why, in addition to well-known international varieties such as Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon, or the classic native Lambruscos, Sangiovese and Albana, wines such as Montuni, Pagadebit, Fortana, Canina Nera, Uva Longanesi, Centesimino (local name for Savignon Rosso, or Sauvignon Rosso [Red Sauvignon]) and Pignoletto, are finding their market and are so well received * Burgundy, France Many of the vines here have been cultivated by monks since at least the 500s. The names of the religious orders became the names of some of France's most renouned wines: Chambertin, Santenay, Pommard, Meursault. You'll be surprised how small the great vineyards are if you decide to walk around them. Each property is made up of a many of small, disconnected parcels of land. 3500 properties are responsible for two thirds of the 24,000 hectares of vines planted. * Mendoza, Argentina The winemaking process in Mendoza is performed by 682 wineries, divided in different types of companies; those who have a long history and began as a familiar project a long time ago; those who have born based on foreign investments and finally; the small wineries that produce small quantity of wines, many times called "boutique" wineries. On the other hand, since the beginning of the new decade, the "wine tourism" has taken a remarkable position into the Argentinean wine industry. At the present time, the foreigners can visit more than 70 wineries located into the wine growing regions (Northern, Central and Southern). This allow to the visitors learn more about harvesting, winemaking process and history of the viticulture in Mendoza. SOURCE: italian-flavor.com about.com greatwinecapitals.com

Best Cuisine Regions

By Glenn Rigby Italy is known for its gourmet food. Pasta, risotto, polenta, olive oil, and focaccia, among many other foods, are some of Italy's trademarks. However, Italy is divided into separate cultural, political, and culinary regions. In the wealthier north, a golden, fruity olive oil is used, whereas in the south you are more likely to encounter an oil made from the dark green olives of Sicily. Sicily is rife with seafood and filling pasta dishes, utilizing black or green olives or eggplant. Let us not forget dessert: the cassata and cannoli! In the north, influences from the neighboring countries of France, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia and Slovenia are found in the cuisine. Spices, including paprika, poppy seeds, cinnamon, cumin and horseradish are found in abundance in the northeast, as well as sausage and polenta. There really is too much to say about the wide array of foods, ingredients and dishes that Italy is known for. Sauces, pastries, cheese, foie gras… Mmm – that's France! Have you ever asked yourself: "Hey, what's Bearnaise?" If so, here's the answer: It is a relative of hollandaise, using a reduction of vinegar, tarragon and shallots that is finished with egg yolks and butter. Yum! And the sauce list goes on and on. Foie gras is the oversized liver of a force-fed goose or duck (goose is preferred). Because the specially bred fowl are not allowed to exercise, the livers become huge and fatty. One classic presentation for hot foie gras involves first studding the liver with brandy-soaked truffles, putting a bay leaf on top, wrapping the whole in bacon and then in a pig's caul -- the fatty membrane that lines the abdominal cavity. Both foie gras and truffles are characteristic of the cooking of the Périgord region. Let's go Morocco: Moroccan cuisine is rich in spices, only natural when you consider the ages-old spice trade from Arabia to North Africa. Spices here are used to enhance, not mask, the flavor of food. The following spices are among the most commonly used. * Cinnamon * Cumin * Turmeric * Ginger * Cayenne * Paprika * Anise seed * Sesame seed * Black pepper And because I like dessert so much, here is a favorite of Morocco: Bisteeya This traditional savory pastry is made in three layers: a layer of shredded chicken is topped with eggs which are curdled in a lemony onion sauce and further topped with a dusting of sweetened almonds. The whole is enclosed in tissue-thin pastry called warka and topped by a layer of cinnamon and sugar. It is believed that this fine pastry (similar to the pastry used for Chinese spring rolls) came from the Persians, who likely learned to prepare it from the Chinese.

Odd Foods

By Alexa Boyce I recently read an article about a Beijing restaurant called the Cat Meatball Restaurant shutting down due to animal rights protesters. The thought of cat meatballs disgusts me as an American, but I'm sure to some Chinese people (obviously not all of them), it is an inexpensive or tasty dinner. I came across a website that I just had to share. It is called www.weird-food.com and discusses the various "strange" foods that are eaten around the world, and how they may not be so strange to those in the culture. They state that these so-called weird foods are eaten not because of sacred scripture or sanitary reasons, but in order to distinguish your culture's "insiders" from outsiders. They made a point to state that the foods on their list are there not because they are unpopular (ie eggplant) but because they are cultural identifiers. Here are some of my favorites: * Tarantula (Cambodia): The practice of eating these fuzzy arachnids apparently started during the reign of Khmer Rouge when food was scarce. But now, the town of Skuon sells hundreds of the spiders daily as a sort of 'fast food'. * Gusano Worms (Mexico): These worms live on the agave plants and are purposefully placed inside bottles of the more "authentic" brands of tequila. There is even a type of tequila manufactured in Mexico and sold in 2-ounce bottles called "Dos Gusanos", or two worms. For those who can't get enough! * Witchety Grub (Australia): Eating these insect larvae was a staple in the diets of the aborigines. Now it is served as a delicacy in the finest restaurants as a patriotic dish! * Monkey Toes (Indonesia): Deep fried monkey toes, eaten right off the bone. This one sounds like a joke, doesn't it? * Pig's Blood with Eggs (Hungary): Apparently when Hungarians kill the first pig of the season, they collect the blood and add scrambled eggs as a celebration. * Squirrel Brain (southern USA): Cook the whole cleaned squirrel, then crack the skull using your fingers and dig the brains. * Nozki (Poland): Nozki is what the Polish call Jellied Cow's Foot. Buy a cow's foot, chop into pieces and cook for hours in water and spices. Then pour into a flat pan and refrigerate. You will be left with a grey jelly with a layer of fat on top. Serve with horseradish. * Criadillas (Spain): I actually had a friend who attended a 'Testicle Festival' in the Western US, where they are apparently called 'Prarie Oysters'. The Spanish serve them sliced with garlic and parsley. * Baby Mouse Wine (China): Whole baby mice in a bottle of nice wine. Also common in China is Snake wine. Same basic concept, but open the gall bladders and drain into the wine. * Clay (US South, Africa, Worldwide): Apparently eating dirt/clay that is rich in minerals, either to settle your stomach or as a mineral supplement is more common than one would think. * Scrapple (USA): I had to include this one. Scrapple is made up of all the leftover pig parts including lips, snout, organs, etc. Formed into a gelatinous cube with cornmeal, sliced and fried. Here in Philadelphia, its often served with Maple syrup and eaten for breakfast. Check out the page for recipes on how to make these 'delicacies' and more!

Confucius Says

"Eating is the utmost important thing in life" - By Kayla Allen China is a huge country with a great variety in climate, landscape and crops so it's not surprising that China's cuisine is just as varied. Very generally speaking, there are eight main kinds of Chinese cuisine and four major "flavors"; Cantonese, Szechuan, Northern China (Peking) and that of Eastern China, which also can bear further breaking down as the food and tradition varies a great deal in this region. The variety of ingredients can also be attributed to famine and hardship. China has been an agricultural civilization for thousands of years and has suffered from poor harvests. During lean years, people would explore everything edible to stay alive. Many strange and incredible ingredients such as wood ears, lily buds, etc. were discovered and added to Chinese recipes. The scarcity of food also taught people how to avoid waste. Various fruit and vegetable peels and even shark fins turned out to be delicacies in Chinese food. When thinking about what sets Chinese cuisine apart aside from diversity, I think of how much consideration is given to every aspect of the Chinese meal. Attention and appreciation seem to be the hallmark of Chinese cuisine. From the ingredients and cooking methods to the utensils you eat with, every step and what it both looks and tastes like is equally important. Confucius once said: "Eating is the utmost important thing in life" and Chinese cuisine seems to take this literally. You might feel the same when you taste this dish: Fried Two Winters Ingredients: * 1 block firm tofu * 8 - 10 Chinese Black Mushrooms * 1 8-ounce can bamboo shoots * 1 clove garlic, finely chopped * 1/2 cup vegetable broth * 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce * 1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry * 1 tablespoon oyster sauce * 1 teaspoon granulated sugar * 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 4 teaspoons water * 4 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, or as needed Preparation: Drain the tofu and cut into 1-inch cubes. Soften the dried mushrooms by soaking in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes. Squeeze out any excess water and slice. If desired, strain a reserve a bit of the soaking water to add to the sauce. Rinse the bamboo shoots under warm running water to remove any "tinny" taste. Drain thoroughly. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together the vegetable broth, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Set aside. In another small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water. Set aside. Heat the wok and add 2 tablespoons oil, drizzling it around the sides of the wok. When the oil is hot, add the bean curd cubes. Stir-fry until browned. Remove the bean curd from the wok. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the wok. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, and stir-fry until aromatic. Add the dried mushrooms and the bamboo shoots. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Push the vegetables up to the sides. Add the sauce in the middle of the wok. Add the cornstarch and water mixture, stirring quickly to thicken. Add the bean curd. Heat through. Remove from the stove and sprinkle with a few drops of sesame oil if desired. Serve hot. To enjoy any Chinese meal one should use Chinese utensils, chopsticks. The use of chopsticks help to insure that you are given the time to savor and enjoy everything you pick up from your plate and put in your mouth. Here are some simple directions for those of you who may need a little help: First, hold the upper stick like a pen with your thumb and middle finger. Second, take the lower one with the thumb and set it on the ring finger. Finally, try to move the two sticks and pick up your favorite dish. YUM.

Cheers to Morocco

by Kayla Alen - Since Morocco is a Muslim country by majority it's a bit surprising how popular alcohol remains. In stores you may find that the bottles of alcoholic beverages are covered in newspaper or black plastic to avoid overtly displaying items that much of the county finds offensive, but the alcohol remains. Because of it's relatively low alcohol content, beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage as some religious people say that it refreshes the mind without making them drunk. That said, beer is not the only alcohol available in Morocco, wine comes in second and has more of a history in the county. Probably the most popular drink in Morocco actually has no alcohol at all and it is full of tradition. Making green tea with mint is considered an art form and sharing it with friends and family, an important ritual. Even beyond the making of the tea, pouring the tea is crucial as well. Moroccan tea pots are designed to aid in this and have elongated spouts allowing the tea to be poured from a height. If you've got a sweet tooth have a go at making some of your own: What you need: 2 tablespoons green tea 5 cups boiling water 1 bunch fresh mint 1 cup sugar (mmm) and what you do with it: Place tea in teapot Pour in boiling water Cover and steep 2-3 minutes Wash mint under running water and add to pot Steep for 3-5 minutes Add sugar Enjoy with friends

Secrets of Thai Cooking

By Kayla Allen - Like 5 years ago it seemed that every time I was going out to dinner with a friend, that friend was telling me about this amazing Thai restaurant we just had to go to. Consequently, I've been to Thai restaurants in San Francisco, Portland, Olympia, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Tucson, etc. basically everywhere in the US that my friends have lived. I don't think I enjoyed a single one of those meals but I know that has no bearing whatsoever on Thai food in general. It's me. It's my quirk (one of many). Although I love eating out it's always sort of a harrowing experience for me because I'm cursed with the inability to order the item on the menu that I actually would like to eat. I feel this weird pressure when the waiter or waitress asks, “what would you like?” and inevitably, even though I've already settled on what I would like to order, at the last minute I pick the dark horse, something I was momentarily interested in and yet had quickly decided against. Before I know it, my order is in, is being prepared and I sit and hope beyond hope that I've unwittingly ordered a great new dish, although I absolutely know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'm lying to myself. The truth is, it will be virtually inedible. As you would imagine, I cook at home a lot which allows me to totally avoid the inevitable, “what would you like?” question faced in restaurants. But because of my bad luck in Thai restaurants I've never ventured that direction in the kitchen. However, I do realize that all my friends and their friends can't be wrong, I'm sure Thai food is delicious…when ordered or prepared correctly. For me, that's the real secret, how to order what I might actually like. But others might find this helpful: Thai food is heavily influenced by a wide variety of cooking styles including Portuguese, Dutch, French, Japanese and Chinese. Thais were very good at integrating foreign ingredients as well as substituting with local, more readily available ingredients. Herbs contribute a lot to the overall flavor of the food and spices are toned down. Two herbs that you find frequently in Thai food are lemongrass and galanga. To serve a Thai meal properly you should include a soup, a curry dish, and a dip with accompanying fish and vegetables. Sometimes the curry dish is replaced with a spiced salad. If you'd like your soup spicy you should then replace the curry with something less spicy. The trick is to serve or order a variety of flavors that compliment each other even from dish to dish. With food I definitely follow the philosophy that if you fall off the horse you should get right back on. So Thai food hasn't seen the last of me.

Travel Spain - Experiencing Paella

By Anne-Marie Dingemans Spain has so many nice traditional dishes, it's hard to pick a favorite one. I am definitely a social eater, so the environment, presentation and company are very important to my overall ‘eating experience' as well. So if we take all that into consideration, I would say I would pick paella over the Cocido Madrileno, Jamon, Croquetas, and the hundreds of other Spanish delicious dishes. An added bonus is that paella is one of the few dishes that isn't soaked in olive oil, so it's also a good option for the calorie-conscious and the ones with delicate digestive systems. The best paella I've ever eaten was in this small village just outside of Valencia, in the heart of the National Park Albufeira, a huge fresh water lake, only separated from the sea by dunes. The Albufeira lake is the source of water for the huge paella-rice fields in this area. Eating a paella in the birth place of the dish raises your expectations, so it was even more impressive that I wasn't disappointed. I said before that the overall experience was important to me, and eating paella ‘the right way' surely is a pleasure. ‘The right way', for me at least, is going to a specialty restaurant where the paella is prepared to order, on wood fires, and the entire pan is served at your table. You scoop up the rice, trying to get the crunchy bits off the bottom. Seriously, after you've eaten one of these, getting a plate of paella from a huge deep pan somewhere in the back of the kitchen, is just not the same. You'll be spoiled for life. Paellas come in all kinds of different flavors and types. In the Valencia province paellas are also often referred to as ‘Arroces' (Rices). Perhaps the best known is the Seafood paella, but there is also the meat paella (traditionally containing chicken, rabbit and duck), Fish paella, vegetarian paella, black paella (made with squid and it's own ink – resulting in a black colored paella. It's really very tasty), ‘arroz a banda' with calamares and lots and lots of ali-oli (garlic mayonnaise) and many more. Further, there are paellas which aren't even made of rice, but with vermicelli (a very thin spaghetti). You see, there is a paella for everyone, and every family has its own secret recipe. This is a nice website with different paella recipes for those of you who want to make one. My personal tip: keep the layer of rice very thin, one inch approximately. Happy cooking!

Travel Brazil - Bahian Cuisine

By Alexa Boyce - When I think of different types of ethnic foods, Brazilian is not one that jumps out at me as anything particularly interesting. However, Brazil has a very interesting ethnic mix of Portugese colonists, Brazilian native Indians and African slaves. It is this that gives its food such a unique flavor. The Africans by far have had the most influence on the cuisine, when they added African herbs and spices to the existing dishes. Today, cuisine from the state of Bahia in the northeast is revered as the country's best. The Bahian food may be a bit heavy to newcomers, but it is the malagueta chile peppers and dende oil made from African palms that define this type of cuisine. The malaguetas are so important that a container of the peppers, minced in oil, is usually provided on tables in restaurants, as salt and black pepper would be in the States. Other major ingredients may also include seafood (usually shrimp), coconut milk, banana and okra. The street vendors who serve this food from thatched-roof kiosks are called baianas. Make sure you check with the locals for recommendations of the best place to sample the native dishes. Dinha, in the Larga da Santana in the Rio Vermelho, Salvador is a very highly recommended place to sample the Afro-Brazilian cuisine. Dada is a baiana whose food made her so popular that she is now a local celebrity in Salvador. She owns the Caranguejo da Dada in the favelas and the Restaurante da Dada in Pelourinho on the beach. One of the most popular dishes is acaraje, a fried ball or patty eaten as a snack or appetizer. This patty is made of mashed black-eyed peas and is fried in dende oil to give it a bright orange color. Sometimes it comes stuffed with vatapa, which is made of cassava flour, oil, pepper, fish or meat. Acaraje Recipe 1 kg of dried fradinho beans (black-eyed peas) 1/2 kg of onion 1 spoon of salt 1 liter of dende oil ground dried shrimp (seasoning) Preparation: Soak the beans overnight. Wash and rub them to remove the skins. Combine the beans and onions and grind until it becomes a light batter. Season with salt, ground dried shrimp, hot pepper and dende oil. Heat the dende oil in a saucepan until it is very hot. Plunge large spoonfuls of the mixture into the boiling oil. When the acaraje patties rise to the surface and are a crispy golden brown they should be taken out of the oil and filled with cauru (okra) sauce. Serve immediately.

Secrets of Italian Cooking

By Beth Klemick - I have noticed and maybe those of you reading our entries have as well, I often blog about topics that are not necessarily my strengths in life: packing, patience to research airfare and now cooking. When I prepare an Italian meal it generally consists of boiling the water, tossing in the store bought pasta and opening a jar of Ragu. “Crazy!” says my sister-in-law the proverbial Italian woman and cook, whose lasagna and eggplant parm are out of this world. From my sister-in-law's kitchen, and her good graces in combination with watching the PBS cooking series with Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, I am slowly learning the secrets of Italian culinary traditions. Italian cooking is among the richest and most varied. Central Italian food seems to be lighter than Northern Italian cooking, for example. And don't forget there is also Southern Italian cooking from the regions of Sicily, Abruzzi, Molise, Campinia to name a few. The dishes prepared although different in each region are all exquisite to the palate in my opinion. All regional Italian cooking and their master chefs seem one very important secret in common: good Italian food is based on good ingredients. Some of the ingredients of much importance in Italian cooking can be olives and olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, salt, porcini mushrooms, truffles, tomato paste, and hot peppers. My sister-in-law would add that fresh, homemade pasta is a must! If are not as fortunate as I am to have to have a wonderful sister-in-law who is a great Italian cook to show you first hand, Lidia's PBS series is a wonderful way to learn more about Italian cooking. Or check out online within your given city or community, they could very well be offering classes for some hands on experience for the novice Italian chef. Buon appetito!