Food: a delicious reminder of our travels

Columbian Arepas first tasted at The Vic-recreated in Long Beach, New York!

At the age of twelve, I visited my friend Jill’s house and tasted what I still believe to be the best barbecue sauce around. Her dad’s friend Steve brought it with him on a visit from Toronto, Canada and I have never found its equal. Today, Diana’s Sauce lives in my own cupboard and I order it by the case.

Before I ever ventured out of my post-code, my mom shared my grandfather’s travel advice. “Take out half the clothes and put in twice the money”, he said. I’ve since shared his wisdom countless times, but regardless of the truth to it, no one ever said I’d need to save room in my rucksack to hold food products I learned to love along the way. And no one at all told me that if I couldn’t bring them home through customs, I would scour the Internet as soon as I returned just to find that one specific item that tempted my taste buds in my travels. It’s true, I do.

Today there are heaps of culinary tours and cooking classes in travel are all the rage. Travelers will tell you that eating local and traditional cuisine is part of truly experiencing a country or city. Why stick to KFC or McDonalds when the world of Indian curries or Vietnamese pho is so easily in your grasp? I can’t say it’s all for me, I did give the fried tarantulas a miss in Cambodia and said no to the kudu steak in Namibia-but then again, I am a vegetarian.

Having tried treats around the world there are many that are worth keeping at home reminding us of our travels. There are others that can’t be found outside of their homeland, but they are to be savored and perhaps the memories are so strong that they draw you to book that ticket once again. And there are others dishes still that although not the same, we can try to recreate to have an Australian or Argentinian-themed dinner at home in New York.

Here’s some of what’s made its way into my cupboard since I first left home:

Tim Tams: Australia
Vegemite: Australia
Chocolate Teddy Bears: Australia
Mint Slices: Australia
BBQ Shapes: Australia
Uncle Toby’s Oatmeal: Australia
Branston Pickle: England
Licorice All Sorts: England
Quorn Chick’n Nuggets: Hong Kong/England
Ouma Rusks: South Africa
Brai Salt: South Africa
Nandos Hot Sauce: South Africa
Jungle Oatso Easy Oatmeal: South Africa
Simba Chips: South Africa
Mrs. Balls Chutney: South Africa
Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans: Costa Rica
Lizano Sauce: Costa Rica
Chickpea Flour: India
Whole Cumin Seeds: India
Masala Munch: India
Diana’s BBQ Sauce: Canada

What products do you bring home with you? What do you continue to crave after your travels?

Although they can’t possibly taste the same-these are just some of the flavours we’ve tried to recreate at home:

Colombian Arepas: Queen Victoria Night Market, Melbourne, Australia
Burgers with the lot: Australia/New Zealand
Kumara Chips: New Zealand
Watermelon Smoothies: Phuket, Thailand
Iced Lemon Tea: Hong Kong
Pho: Vietnam
Aloo Jeera (Potatoes with Cumin Seeds): India
Falafel: Israel
Empanadas: Argentina
Gallo Pinto: Costa Rica
Mahi Mahi: Bora Bora, French Polynesia

What recipes do you take home with you?

 To read more about Stacey’s travels visit her website.