Un petit souvenir autour d'une excellente recette péruvienne :
A Arequipa, pris d'une faim tenace en revenant d'une ascension, je me rue dans un petit resto pas très loin du fleuve. Je m'attable, seul, et après discussion le serveur me conseille un rocoto relleno. Ne connaissant pas, je m'empresse de commander ce truc. Il s'agit d'un gros piment, plus ou moins fort, farci de viande et de petits légumes sur lequel on fait fondre un peu de fromage... Miam !
On m'apporte le dit rocoto et je me mets à le dévorer. 10 à 20 secondes plus tard, ma bouche se transforme en un haut fourneau ma langue est insensible et me semble énorme, je transpire... J'ai fait l'erreur de manger le chapeau du piment, posé à côté pour faire joli; or sous le chapeau, il y avait plein de graines qui m'ont arraché la gueule (désolé, pas d'autre image). C'est tellement fort que de grosses larmes roulent sur mes joues qui doivent être toutes rouges. A ce moment là un groupe de 4 jeunes routards italiens (je crois) sortent du resto et me regardent avec pitié; un type assis tout seul loin de chez lui qui pleure devant son assiette... Ca fait pitié non ? 😕
Je les ai regardé en essayant d'esquisser un sourire, mais je ne pouvais m'empêcher de pleurer et de renifler... Ils sont passé et sont sorti avant que je n'ai pu faire un geste pour leur expliquer. Je crois qu'ils n'ont pas compris que c'était à cause du rocoto relleno !
PS : j'en ai remangé par la suite des moins forts, c'est une merveille que je vous recommande.
Les villes ou l on mange les meilleurs Rocotos rellenos sont Arequipa mais aussi Cusco. Je le recommande accompagne d un cuy grille (cochon d inde), si le cuy est bien prepare (ce qui est assez difficile a trouver a moins d y mettre le prix) c est un veritable regal. Les deux saveurs se marient a merveille.
Le rocoto relleno s accorde parfaitement aussi avec un bon chicharron et une tarte aux pommes de terres.
A Arequipa, je recommande le restaurant chez Celys (le chicharron y est terrible), ...mais bon, je m egare.
J'aime bien le cuy, mais dans sa plus simple expression : al horno, juste coupé en 2. Un truc qui m'avait un peu surpris à Cusco, c'est de choisir mon cuy encore vivant, dans sa cage 🤪.
Meuuuh non ça ne fait pas pitié Gnome ( mdr... bah voui, j'ai rigolé un peu en lisant ton post... 🤪 ), c'est juste que l'on ne sait pas s'il faut réconforter une personne quand elle pleure ou la laisser tranquille. La prochaine fois, prévois un verre de lait, ça soulage !!
J'ai l'impression qu'en Amérique du Sud, on mange plus épicé qu'en Amérique Centrale... Non ?
D apres mon experience, le Mexique releve la palme toute categorie des piments les plus forts d Amerique avec la selva amazonienne. Dans certains endroits de la foret amazonienne, on se retrouve confronte a une petite boule jaune de la taille d un petit poid ou d un pois chiche. Rapport taille/effet c est le truc le plus fort que j ai jamais "mange" (plutot crache). Impressionant.
J l ai juste mordu et j ai pleure, ca m a brule pendant une bonne heure et il n avait rien a faire.
Oui, si le piment n est pas dans ton plat et il est a cote de ton plat dans un bocal ou un recipient en train de masserer avec des oignons, du jus de citron, du persil, de la ciboulette....ou bien directement en petite sauce rouge, jaune, beige, ...(cela depend de la couleur du piment).
Il y en a une variete incroyable, et il y en a pour tous les gouts. Si on sait le doser, c est un vrai regal pour accompagner les differents plats.
Ben en fait ça me rend songeuse... Je n'ai été qu'au Guatemala mais je n'ai plus le souvenir d'avoir mangé du piment... Ou peut être en sauce...😐 Merci pour ces infos !!
Personnellement, l'expérience la plus forte en terme de piment, je l'ai vécue à Sainte Lucie dans les Antilles... Une sauce vert caca d'oie qui n'est même plus du concentré de piment... C'est de l'extrait de sève de coeur d'âme de piment... J'ai jamais vu un truc comme ça. Les effets sont délirants : chaleur (feu) généralisé, picotements aux extrémités, pleurs, rougeurs... puis, très rapidement tourista 😕.
I’m from West Africa and I’d love to introduce a Russian friend to a traditional product from my region: soumbara.
For those who don’t know, soumbara is a condiment made from fermented néré seeds. It has a pretty distinctive smell and a very strong, salty, fermented, umami-rich flavor. In West Africa, we mainly use it to add flavor to sauces, with rice, vegetables, meat, etc.
I’m curious to know, from Russian cuisine lovers: which traditional Russian dish do you think soumbara would pair particularly well with?
I’m looking for a real Russian dish where the combination could be interesting—not just rice or an adapted African dish.
Hi there, we’re heading to Cagliari for one night in April, staying at a hotel without a restaurant. Would you happen to know of a restaurant near Via Giuseppe Garibaldi for a typical dinner that’s not too pricey? Thanks.
I’m looking for typical Catalan restaurants in Barcelona! Any suggestions for areas or little hidden spots?
I know to avoid places like La Rambla, the beachfront restaurants in Barceloneta, and anywhere where they greet you with a menu asking if you want to eat, but are there any specific restaurants to avoid? Any bad experiences or unpleasant surprises?
I’m heading to Barcelona in early May—it’s my first time there. I’d love to hear your suggestions for restaurants (ideally near the tourist center, Las Ramblas). That said, I’m happy to travel if needed. I’m looking for a place renowned for its gastronomy, a spot serving typical Spanish or Catalan food, or somewhere with a unique vibe you wouldn’t normally find... In short, which restaurant did you love most during your stay in Barcelona?
Maybe you already use it in your recipes? Just to let you know that here in Quebec, the maple water harvest has started in several regions. The next step will be to boil this water to turn it into syrup. A sweet nectar, it works well in salad dressings, desserts, with salmon, and more. 😋
If you ever pass through here, don’t miss the chance to visit one of our wonderful sugar shacks. You can taste maple taffy on snow, among other things. 😄
Do you drink wine with your meal, and how often—every day, just on weekends, or only occasionally for special events?
What are your favorite wines, from which country, and what grape variety?
I drink wine with my evening meal every day. I’m particularly fond of wines from Australia and Spain—I really like grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.
Leaving in 15 days for Brittany, specifically the southern Finistère and Bénodet...
Tourists expected to boost the culinary restaurant industry!
Haven’t read the guide for latecomers yet, and I’m really wary of online reviews.
Where can I eat without getting ripped off, enjoy quality food—crêperies, seafood, nice atmosphere...
Thanks to all you savvy foodies!
The title might surprise you, but you’ll understand my point of view.
1/ MEAL STRUCTURE
I’m talking about the standard meal, not the one for those who have to budget for financial reasons (generally fewer in northern and central Italy than in France, but more in the south, which makes up 35% of Italy—Eurostat figures), nor for those (mostly women) watching their figure.
The tradition (once the meal of the well-off, widespread among the general population in the 1950s) starts with soup or pasta (or rice, gnocchi, ravioli, lasagna)—this is the *primo piatto*.
Next comes meat or another animal-based product (fish, cured meats, eggs, etc.)—the *secondo piatto*, which can be replaced by cooked vegetables (the only known example in France: eggplant parmesan).
If the meat dish doesn’t already include vegetables, one is served. Salads, whether green or tomato-based, are side dishes, not starters.
The meal ends with dessert—no difference from French habits: cheese, fruit, or sweets.
*Antipasti* (appetizers) are reserved for festive meals or receptions and are served *in addition* to the main courses at the start.
4 practices unknown in France:
- If the menu includes pasta and ham, you start with the pasta.
- If the menu includes pasta with a meat sauce and fish, you start with the pasta too.
- Pasta is never a side dish for meat.
- It’s not unusual for Italians to start with pasta in a meat sauce and then have a meat dish—most do this several times a week.
Modern adaptations:
- People eat pasta less often (on average 5 times a week, according to recent figures) and soups, which are being replaced by *antipasti*.
- The main meal is now mostly dinner, so it’s much heartier, while lunch isn’t usually eaten at home.
2/ THE CUISINE
What do we know in France? Pizza, pasta Bolognese, carbonara, arrabbiata, ravioli, and lasagna. Fried scampi, Milanese or Bolognese cutlets, carpaccio, and finally tiramisu.
In short, a few basic dishes, but nothing of the gastronomy—whether regional traditions or high-end restaurants.
2 anecdotes:
**Bolognese sauce**
In Italy, the most common homemade sauce is a meat-and-tomato-based sauce called *ragù* (pronounced *ragoo*). Every region, even every town and family, as well as every restaurant, has its own recipe. *Ragù alla bolognese* is just one of these countless *ragù*—and no one in France knows the real recipe (I can share it with those interested). The name *bolognese* given abroad to any *ragù* comes from a canned sauce manufacturer who once branded their product that way. Until the early 1960s, it was called *sauce à la viande* (meat sauce).
**Pizza**
Before World War II, it was practically unknown north of Rome.
Today, Italy is one of the countries where it’s eaten the least (twice as much in France, four times as much in Germany).
Top 15 Brazilian eating habits that surprise the French 😮
Brazil is a multicultural country, and its history has shaped a very unique cuisine, influenced by European, African, Japanese, and Indigenous traditions. Its food culture is quite different from what we’re used to in France, and Brazilian eating habits often surprise French travelers exploring the land of samba and soccer.
We live in Réunion and we're looking for places where we can learn to cook authentic Réunionese Creole cuisine.
We're based in Saint-Denis and are searching in that area.
