Heat for the blood milk in Kenya |
The common denominator
of all of these adventures was not just the incredible vistas like the plains
of the Rift Valley, or the river views along the Uruaguay in Argentina, it was the fact that we had to
have three square meals a day. The culinary experiences are things we still talk
about.
Elizabeth tasting Terere in Paraguay |
In Paraguay, we
tried terere. This is considered the national beverage in Paraguay
It’s made from the yerba mate plant.
It is served cold in guampas. A guampas is made out of wood or of hollow bull
horn. The drink, nationwide is drunk through a metal straw called a
bombilla. (For my Church of Christ Friends and Southern Baptists, it’s not alcohol, but it will give you a buzz).
Our visitor in Kenya |
Dung hut in the Maasia of Kenya. |
Most
shocking of the culinary opportunities we've had was
found in the Serengeti (stop reading if you have a weak stomach). On an
animal
drive one day, we came upon a tribe of Maasai with its circular dung
huts. We were invited in. These are the groups where the men jump
vertically as
a dance ritual. We actually visited the inside of a tribal leader’s dung
hut. It was a tiny hut clad in manure and water. Still it was as strong
as concrete…and
no, it doesn’t smell like you would think. Inside the hut was a bedroom
for
the owner and his family. In the center was a closet where the family
kept a
calf and on the right-hand side was an open fire pit, producing smoke
which
made the experience unbearable for us to remain there for over a few minutes.
So what was the culinary opportunity that I didn’t indulge in? It was the traditional
Maasai drink of cow's blood and milk. They had a
The calf's bedroom in the hut |
milk cow and got some fresh milk then made a small slit in the cow's neck to mix blood into the fresh milk. The tribesman offered me a drink and was disappointed I didn’t partake (would you??).
Since I’m sure you’re not interested in terere or blood
milk. Let me share with you a favorite breakfast idea that we discovered at a restaurant
in Steamboat, Colorado called Creekside.
If
you’ve never poached
an egg, put a pot of water on the stove, ad about a 1/4 cup of white
vinegar and
a table spoon of salt. While you’re bring that water to a boil, cut an
English muffin
in half and be toasting it. While the water is boiling, turn the heat
down to a
lite boil and gently crack your eggs in the pot (if you break your
yokes, throw
them away…you’ve lost the best part of the poached experience). After
about 4
minutes, the whites of the egg will have enveloped the yokes and begin
to
float. That means they’re ready. You will need to be making a
hollandaise mix so pick up a package at the grocery storage and don’t
forget the butter and lemon.
Step two: place a
piece of smoked salmon on the toasted muffin, make sure and take your poached
egg gently (and I mean gently) pat the moisture off of it to remove any
hint of vinegar. The vinegar helps with the poaching process, you don’t want to
taste the vinegar on the final product. Once you have the salmon and poached egg
on the muffin, pour the hollandaise sauce all over the top of the egg. Not too
much or you’ll lose the delicious taste of the yoke. The last two things you’ll
want to add will be finely chopped red onions and capers. A caper is a pickled
edible flower bud. These are found in the wild in the Mediterranean and East
Africa. They will add a tart salted
seasoning to the dish. You can pick this up at any grocery store.
Probably my favorite breakfast, |
Once you have added all this, you have what the world calls a "New Yorker Poached Egg".
Always try to enjoy life and sample the flavors of the culture that surround you. You won't regret it, unless its fresh from the cow and calf :-).
Enjoy food