I travel to eat: Europe & Africa Edition

Food quickly became the focus of most of my travels. Though solo travelling limits the amount of food I can try, I’m still grateful for the opportunity to travel to markets and eateries outside home and I get excited at that thought every time.

This sounds cliché but food is universal. It is important in preserving cultural identity and traditions and I can’t express how much I appreciate people who work so hard to keep traditional and old family recipes alive. A local cuisine also tells the story of the nation; how the location affects their specialised dishes, how external influences results in innovative takes on local flavours and most importantly, how it brings people together.

Always ask the locals. Be it taxi drivers, walking tour guides, your Airbnb/hostel hosts, make sure to ask where to grab their favourite grub. Also for those eateries raved on websites and guidebooks, there are some that are still loved by locals but a majority may just be catered to tourists. The biggest con of eating local food is… craving it once you are back home. Especially when the hours to fly there is in double digits.

In no particular order, a list of my favourites from Europe and Africa (you’ll see a theme soon):

AISH BALADI (EGYPT)

I come from a carb-loving family; we are all carb-monsters, making Egypt an ideal destination. The largest consumers of bread in the world has this amazing Egyptian flatbread – Aish Baladi. Fun fact: “Aish” is literally translated to life (Bread is life). The traditional flatbread is made of whole wheat flour (an ancient wheat, Emmer, in the past) and baked in scorching hot ovens. These vegan treats are soft, chewy and fluffy and can be found almost everywhere in Egypt. The heavenly pillows are often served with hummus or tahini in restaurants. You have no idea how many I was inhaling during my two weeks in Egypt. I am absolutely in love with the wheat bran coating.

ETHIOPIAN CUISINE (ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS & CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA)

Viva Afrika in Rotterdam changed my life, I don’t know where the idea to try African cuisine even came about when in Netherlands. But it happened. And I’m internally grateful to be introduced to Doro Wat (Ethiopian Chicken Stew) and Injeras (large sourdough flatbread). My cravings for their food was satisfied during my visit to Cape Town at Little Ethiopia Restaurant. i was extremely excited when I found out that Melbourne offers Ethiopian Food however it wasn't the best, a tad salty but still satisfied my cravings!

BUREK (BELGRADE, SERBIA & BALKANS)

The most famous breakfast food in Serbia can also be found around Balkans. Round/cut burek is found in Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Slovenia while in Bosnia & Herzegovina, they are rolled. The pastry made of thin, flaky dough (phyllo or yufka) may have been invented by the Ottomans and quickly spread to the territories of former Yugoslavia. Often ordered with yogurt drink, the pastries come in various fillings; spinach and cheese (my favourite), potato, meat with onions, with fruits and even plain. Trpkovic was recommended to me and they had a snaking queue in the morning, which says quite a bit. Better be quick in pointing because they are sure grumpy about you holding up the queue. Their burek is a tad more oily and had a crispier exterior relative to the others I’ve inhaled. Alternatively, you could google for other places in Belgrade, e.g. at Simic, Kircanski, Ljupce.

STRUKLI (ZAGREB, CROATIA)

Bless you, tour guide, for introducing La Struk; a strukli place are well-known for their variety of the traditional north Croatian pastry. Service was impeccable and they had a huge variety of fillings to choose from, savoury or sweet. I had the garlic cheese (I love stinky food), it came out piping hot and bubbling. The dish consists of pillowy dough alternating with soft cheese with your selected fillings – just like a warm, gooey, cheesy hug. Definitely a comfort food. However, because it is so rich in flavour, it might be a little surfeiting to finish the whole portion. Be sure to visit La Struk in an odd hours because they are often full during meal times.

PASTÉIS DE NATA (LISBON, PORTUGAL & MACAU, HONG KONG)

PSA: I love egg tarts (amongst other food items that I also love) but in Singapore, it either not eggy enough or the crust is tart-like. Portuguese egg tarts are perfect – flaky, buttery crusts, custardy and eggy centres and that caramelised tops. Obviously the pastries at Pastéis de Belem are on a league of their own but somewhere closer to home, Lord Stow’s in Macau are pretty good as well, even better when heated up.

PASTRIES/PIES (MOSTAR, BiH; TALLINN, ESTONIA & CLUJ, ROMANIA)

I’m lumping three pastries/pies here because I have no idea what these are called and generally, I am mentally projecting myself to an European bakery 80% of the time. It goes unsaid that European bakeries are eons better and cheaper than the majority in Singapore. The homemade pillowy dough (this is the Xth time the word appeared in this post) that my hostel’s host fried up for my breakfast was so good. I was still counting calories and did not want to finish the whole plate however my host came up to chide me “This is homemade and it is good! Eat more.” So I did.

I was walking around Telliskivi Creative city, the hipster part of Tallinn and chanced upon this pie shop. I didn’t think much of the store as the pies look unassuming. BUT the cabbage pie’s crust is yum. The yeast dough crust is tad drier than a normal pie crust which compliments the juicy cabbage fillings. A perfect pick me up. (After attempting to find out what it is, I can say it is reminiscent of a kulebjaka or placiu kepsnys).

Planet cakes (?) are traditional in Cluj and something that grandparents will bake for the kids. There is a plethora of fillings and I went for the chocolate baked pastry. The Palanetul Savuros staff reheated for me and the result is a crunchy exterior with a melted chocolate centre. Delightful! There is an assortment of planet cakes; cheese, cabbage, potatoes, cheese and dill, mushrooms, sour cherries (these are a big thing in Romania), sweet cheese and raisins.

Special shout out to Takis Bakery in Athens, Greece and Furna’s Banitsa at Sofia, Bulgaria. Good pastries too.

LANGOS (BUDAPEST, HUNGARY)

Yet another flat bread. There seems to be a theme going on here. My first taste of this fried bread dough with sour cream spread on it and sprinkled with garlic and grated cheese was at least 6 years ago at a Christmas market. The cravings for this thousand over calories street food was temporary put to a stop during spring break of 2017 when I devoured another hearty venerable treat.

AMORINO (PARIS, FRANCE)

Technically you can find this gelato chain almost anywhere in Europe, but its originated from Orly, a southern suburb in Paris. Creamy and flavourful, Amorino's gelato is definitely memorable. I always get the hazelnut and pistachio flavours.

DELLA ROSA’S CAKE (OHRID, MACEDONIA)

Chanced upon this tiny shop and decided to go in. No I lied, I saw “Best cakes in Ohrid” and I walked in immediately. I was completely sold when my brain processed the words “Hazelnut” being an ingredient on most of the cakes sold there (based on the very limited Slavic knowledge I have after travelling). And also when I asked the staff what is good and they said everything. Chose the hazelnut cake recommended by them and ohhhhhhhh my, it was the lightest cake ever yet soaked with flavours. I may have moaned out loud and Della Rosa's staff heard it. Honestly would book a trip back to Ohrid just for this cake. It is that good. I really wanted to get another slice and it took all of my self-control to hold myself back.

MEDUSKUKA (RIGA, LATVIA)

Honey cakes are the most eaten cakes during my stay in Europe. The cake count was at 4 in 9 days (thus the weight gain). I literally walked around Riga and went “MEDUSKUKA! TAKE MY MONEY!” Reminiscent of a mille crepe cake, the traditional, layered cake has Russian origins and what makes it unique is the honey and sour cream frosting. Riga boasts one of the most vibrant café scenes in Europe and you can find plenty of good bakeries around town. Rigensis was one that I’ve been to twice during my 3 days in Riga.

GREEK YOGURT & HONEY CHEESECAKE (LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM)

My friends have heard me raved about the Natural History Museum's main cafeteria's cheesecake multiple times. The cheesecake is beautiful in its simplicity - the creaminess of the Greek Yogurt, rich earthy flavour from the biscuits/nuts mix crumb crust.

BOUGASTA (THESSALONIKI, GREECE)

What do you know! Another pastry! The Greek breakfast comes in either custard, cheese or meat between phyllo. I’ve tried these custard pies from two shops in Thessaloniki and the sweet cheese from Μπουγατσατζίδικο "Το Ανώτερον" was a clear winner.

TARATOR (VELIKO TARNOVO, BULGARIA)

Finally something healthy-ish. The Bulgarian chilled cucumber soup consists of Bulgarian yogurt, walnuts and dill. It is a pleasant appetiser during a hot summer day – light, refreshing and also easy to make!

BONUS: POTATO BREAD (AARHUS, DENMARK)

Our exchange friend offered us grilled sandwiches made out of these potato bread and it is so fragrant. The texture is different from the ordinary Gardenia bread, full of air pockets, making the toasted version is just *kisses fingers* delectable. Unfortunately, we only had it once as it was only available in certain Danish supermarkets and is somehow always sold out!