The Foodblogger’s Guide to the Globe is a project started by Melissa at The Traveler’s Lunchbox. The goal is to compile a comprehensive list of foods from around the world that everyone must try at least once.
The target is “a list as long as it needs to be, and as diverse in terms of geography and cultural preference as possible.” Each foodblogger must limit their list to five things so that it doesn’t get completely out of control.
Nicole at Pinch My Salt tagged me for my contributions.
- McIntoshes
McIntosh apple,
fresh from the tree, still with the white blush (as on blueberries). They are a pucker mixture of sweet and sour with a perfume that is lost by any length of storage or waxing and shipment. - Transparents If it could be found, (they spoil too fast to make them commercially viable) an heirloom variety of “transparents” is a delicate yellow apple with a similar bloom and lighter perfume. They are tiny enough to fit a toddler’s palm and come closest in texture to an Abati pear.
- Asimina triloba
Since childhood I’ve dreamt of coming across a pawpaw, a North American cousin of the custard apple. It also doesn’t ship well, being delicate, but I’ve finally come close in having an exquisitely fresh custard apple while on the West Coast. It was as scalp tingling as wild strawberries, my first perfect mango or…
- Perfect chocolate in a chocolatier’s shop near Montmartre, Acabo’s L’Etoile d’Or. The number of varieties and intensity of flavor…It’s a place to visit for the scent of the air alone. The product of the humble bean is expensive but respectfully treated here.
- Cheese Curds such as by Forfar Cheese Factory.
Cheese curds are little-known in locations without cheese factories, because they must be eaten absolutely fresh, within hours of manufacture. They should have a fresh milky whey still on their surface and squeak.
After twelve hours, even under refrigeration, they have lost much of their “fresh curd” characteristics, particularly the “squeak.”
This “squeak” has been described by Louisa Kamps in the New York Times as sounding like “balloons trying to neck”. [Curd description and image via wikipedia]
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Honorable mention to: Green Tea Gelato from Mondo Gelato on Denman St, Vancouver. Smooth and more intense flavor than any other gelato shop I’ve been to.
Tagging: Matt, Crystal, Tofu, Harmonia with one spot free for grabbing, maybe more if one of these says no.
I can’t believe that my grandma’s persimion pudding isn’t on the list. Fresh cheese curd is heavenly, but heck, if you’re going for the fat and are at a creamy, why not have a milkshake too. Oh yeah, Michele says hi
Great list! I tried cheese curds (my husband calls is “squeaky cheese”) for the first time a few years ago from the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Oregon. It was great! The apples sound wonderful!
Oh my gosh these all sound so wonderful! I love the sound of “custard apple” and we do have cheese factories round here (the Tilamook creamery!) so I’ll have to see if they have curds next time. LOVE the balloon description of the sound!
I love apple juice, Pearl, but oddly enough have never liked apples that much. The same goes for grapes. The item on your list I’m curious about is the cheese curds but I doubt I’ll get a chance in the near future to try them out.