3 top chefs share their 9 favorites from around the world (including sausage rolls!)
Chefs naturally have a nose for the most unusual, delicious (and beautiful) things to be found for the kitchen. And when they’re also absolute top chefs who travel all over the world – you can safely assume they know which specialties from the farthest corners are worth bringing home!
Here are some of their favorite ingredients and discoveries from around the world. As soon as we’re allowed to travel again, we’ll make sure to consult this list and hope to be able to stuff our suitcases full of all this deliciousness and beauty:
Anne-Sophie Pic’s favorites
Pic is a chef from southern France who has now earned eight (!) Michelin stars in various international restaurants, and previously said that when she’s at home with her mother, she prefers to eat a roast chicken. We get it. What are her favorite discoveries in Europe and beyond?
Citrus fruits from Perpignan
“Agrumes Bachès near Perpignan is the very best address in the whole world for citrus fruits. The fragrances and aromas are amazing, and you have to try the murcott; a mandarin-like summer fruit that’s delicious with tomatoes.”
Seaweed from Brittany
“At Bord a Bord in Roscoff, everything is organic and locally harvested. I make very interesting chutneys with this seaweed.”
Tea from Shanghai
“I don’t drink coffee, but I always try new teas when I’m here. The green tea is amazing, and Oolong was an incredible flavor discovery for me. It has formed the basis of many of my dishes.”
Yotam Ottolenghi’s favorites
The man whose recipes are joked about as requiring you to start two days before you want to sit down at the table; that’s how long the ingredient lists can be. But the fact remains that he has brought about a huge revolution (especially in how much people now enjoy making vegetable dishes) and that virtually every home cook now routinely has pomegranate and fresh herbs at home. Here’s what he himself is a big fan of:
Biber Salcasi chili paste from Istanbul
“Less hot than harissa, so you can be generous with this chili paste. A real secret ‘cheat’ ingredient that makes everything more delicious in no time. In scrambled eggs, for example! Do as I and all my friends do and stock up at the Eminönü Egyptian Spice Bazaar when you’re in Istanbul.”
Sausage rolls from London
“And specifically those from The Ginger Pig; they’re irresistible. I always put a few in the picnic basket when we go to the park or take them home to heat up. Buttery layers of pastry and an incredibly herby sausage…”
Blue fenugreek from Georgia
Uh-oh, guys, prepare yourselves for an evening of rabbit-holing on the internet: if he uses this in one of his upcoming cookbooks, we’re all in trouble. Because unless you regularly visit the vegetable market in Kutaisi, western Georgia, it’ll be quite a search to find this herb, which is “sweet and nutty like fenugreek but much subtler, almost like hay.” Okay Yo, thanks a lot.
Ruth Rogers’s favorites
Ruth Rogers and the late Rose Gray of The River Café in London can be seen as the good fairies in Jamie Oliver’s life. Oliver worked in their kitchen when, as a young upstart, he was discovered by the TV crew filming a documentary there. Rogers has been at the top of London’s restaurant world for 31 years, and her iconic establishment remains as popular as ever. Here’s what she loves:
Fritto misto in Liguria
“On Italy’s northwest coast, you’ll find the village of Vernazza. Here, at Gianni Franzi, I most enjoy eating fritto misto with squid, shrimp and fresh anchovies. Deep-fried yet very light because very little flour is used. You immediately know you’re by the sea…”
Salted anchovies from northern Spain
The anchovies from Ortiz that Rogers recommends are fortunately quite easy to find online or at a good delicatessen shop. “At the restaurant, we make a simple pasta with these anchovies, olive oil and rosemary, which is fantastic. They’re also delicious on sole and as a sauce with monkfish.”
Le Puy lentils from France
The lentils from the town of Le Puy are world-famous, and not without reason. Affordable and flavorful, and they don’t fall apart when cooked. “In summer, I prepare them with good mozzarella, olive oil and fresh herbs, and in winter with beef and mustard. I love that nutty, earthy flavor.”
Read also:
- Don’t replace rose harissa with regular harissa
- Ottolenghi launches his own tableware
- Invest a few euros and pour olive oil like a pro
Source: Condé Nast Traveller
