The following is a guest post by Via Travelers, a modern travel blog focused on helping you learn the best travel tips, hacks and itineraries to travel the world. Located close to the Sorrentine Peninsula, the island of Capri was the most visited and loved place by the emperors. The popularity of this place is […]
Taipei has more than earned its reputation as one of the best food cities in the world. However, deciding what to eat in Taipei can be a process of elimination that’s too difficult for many travelers, especially if it’s your first time in the city, if you only have a few days or if you […]
How to make Anjeer Dry Fruit Barfi at home I love sweets, just like my dad. But dad is diabetic, so we try to keep his sugar intake under control. That doesn’t stop him from finding something or the other in the fridge to eat though. Even on the days we skip sweets, we’ll find […]
As is to be expected from a capital city, Brussels is teeming with excellent restaurants serving all kinds of cuisines. Belgian, Indian, Italian, Ethiopian, Asian… you name it. The price range varies as well, going from a cheap portion of fries in the street to fancy Michelin-rated restaurants. In order to make things easier for […]
A new hotspot along the Caribbean coast, Tulum is a must-do if you are going to visit Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. In a short period of time, this small town transformed from a quiet hippie retreat that only a few people knew about into a bustling destination with a variety of restaurants, hotels and commercial activities […]
We were having a chat about the unusual food people eat in different cultures, and Laura said, “You know some people eat every part of the fish”. I said “Yeah, we do too! The fins, the eyes, everything.” And that started a long conversation abut how my culture eats goat trotters and tripe, ox tails, […]
I’ve always loved eating sweet corn muffins. They’re delicious and have a grainy but smooth texture all in one. So one day back in July 2014 I figured why not make savory corn muffins? I mean, since dad has diabetes, it’s better to make savory than sweet, right? Because there’s really no keeping him away […]
Lima’s food scene is an eclectic fusion of cultures, mixing Andean ingredients with Asian influence from nineteenth century Chinese settlers. When you’re mapping out your Peru itinerary, plan to spend plenty of exploring the city’s gastronomical scene. Oh, and expect to gain a few pounds, or a tighter waistband, too. It’s worth it! The eclectic […]
A Tasty Food Guide from Sticks & Spoons On our Travels to Bangkok we have eaten a lot of great food; from street food to Fine Dining. It’s a vibrant, progressive and interesting restaurant scene with so much to explore if you love to Travel for Food like we do! Here is our top picks […]
I love sand cake. The soft grains melting in your mouth, the strong taste of butter… It tastes yummier than regular cake. And it’s so light and airy that you can’t stop at just one piece. What is sand cake? Well, it’s definitely not cake made of sand. Sand cake is the traditional East Indian […]
We love breadfruit! It’s sometimes crispy and sometimes mulchy snack, depending on how you cook it. It’s also really a perfect family member of the jackfruit, although like every cousin, it’s really different. We only get breadfruit in India during Feb or March. It’s locally called नीरफणस or nir phanas in Marathi. it’s also called […]
It is sad but not a lot of people know that Bir actually has a lot of amazing food spots to try out different cuisines and dishes here. Bir Billing is primarily famous as Asia’s Best Paragliding Site and has many monasteries, treks, etc. for you to check out here. But amongst all this, no […]
I love chitaps, always have, always will. They’re sweet and light to eat and look like handkerchiefs. So instead of getting them from our local East Indian auntie like we do almost every Sunday, I figured why not make them myself. You know, then I can have them whenever I want. Anyways, mom and dad […]
So some nights it’s really cold outside and you need a liquid to warm your bones. That’s when the East Indian kimad makes a warm entrance into the hearth and home. Quite similar to mulled wine or brandy, the traditional East Indian kimad is a mix that keeps you warm on those cold nights. This […]
I know that when I travel, one of the allures is getting the chance to treat myself to some good eating. As tourism continues to grow in Colombia, it’s no surprise that Cartagena, the country’s prime vacation destination, is increasingly becoming a foodie destination. This is great since I live here and get to try […]
The foodie scene in Havana is changing rapidly. Since the 90s, private enterprise restaurants known as “paladares” have been growing and creating increasingly innovative dishes. These eateries can consist of a couple of seats in someone’s private home to large venues. These paladares are helping Cuban food regain its reputation for fine cuisine and ensuring […]
Ever had this happen? Travelled on holiday to a new city and after a fun day sightseeing, dropped into that famous café or bar and got stumped looking at the bar drinks list. Yep, that’s happened to me. What should I drink? What drink is famous in this city? What’s on the list of top […]
If you’re like most people, when you think of Paris, you think of food. And who could blame you? It’s hard to untangle the city from its candy-colored macarons, its airy soufflés, its adventurous gourmets. When I visit Paris (which is as often as possible), food is always the first thing on my mind. I […]
The East Indian Tomato Kusondi is a much lovelier version of the regular Maharastrian tamtar kusandi; using almost the same ingredients, but with a lot more zing. It’s the perfect accompaniment for lunch or dinner, and can also go well with just bread, chappatis or toast. Mom’s version of the tomato kusondi has found it’s […]
The monsoon and winter comes around and it’s time for flus and colds. But it’s also time for some chicken soup for the soul. Or that’s what we call it. Mom’s easy homemade chicken soup provides that instant relief from weather’s vagaries. Mom’s creamy yet healthy chicken soup gets us bouncing around in no time, […]
Israel has the best food in the world. I may be slightly biased since I lived there for 5 years, but the fresh produce; incredible dips like hummus and tahini; and the Middle Eastern take on Mediterranean food is hard to beat. While there are countless must-see places in Israel, one of my favorite cities […]
Pancake Tuesday is just around the corner, and my friends have already called dibs on my mom’s pancake recipe. It’s the recipe she got from granny but tweaked a bit, and it’s perfect! Anyways, East Indians celebrate pancake Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras with pancakes. They’re a bit different from chocolate pancakes which […]
What is Mardi Gras? Or what is Fat Tuesday? The Roman pagan festivals of times long past were integrated into Christian traditions by the Roman Catholic Church and are now part of the festival that is called Mardi Gras. When is Mardi Gras? Or When is Fat Tuesday? Well, depending on the culture celebrating it, […]
Tu BiShvat is the Jewish holiday that occurs on the 15th of Shvat (Hebrew month) and is celebration of the New Year of the trees. The holiday marks the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle. The most common tree to bloom in […]
OFF THE BEATEN PATH ATTRACTIONS IN GOAUsgalimal Rock CarvingsGalgibaga beachSan Jacinto IslandKerim BeachMorjim BeachCabo De Rama FortPalolem BeachSt. Augustine’s Tower Ruins Rita’s Gourment Cooking Class Butterfly Conservatory GoaKakolem BeachButterfly Beach POPULAR BEACHES AND DESTINATIONS IN GOACalangute BeachCotigao Wildlife SanctuaryCumbarjua CanalMapusa MarketNetravali Bubbling LakeArvalem CavesBaga BeachImmaculate Conception Church, PanjimPonda Street Market WHERE IS GOA?WHEN IS THE […]
Traditional Christmas food and Christmas desserts for that special Christmas Eve Dinner or Lunch Gifts and stockings, and desserts and treats, and Santa and snow, and so much more. Wishes coming true and hope in the air. Love and laughter and everything good. Christmas is on it’s way. It’s almost time to prepare the Christmas […]
Coconut Cordial is one of the easiest East Indian Christmas sweets to make. And it tastes yummy too! Granny’s always made the coconut version of cordial. Some people use almonds or cashewnuts instead of coconut. We’ve never tried that recipe for Cordial No 1. We’re quite satisfied with our Cordial No 2, although we do […]
Growing up, the house started smelling of Christmas from early December. Literally! You could smell marzipan, vanilla cream, thali sweet, cordial, Christmas cake and so much more. The best part of being East Indian though, was tasting the smells. Or rather eating the Christmas sweets that weren’t good enough to give to relatives and were […]
Who cares if the love apple aren’t originally from India? We love them anyway, in any form. Most of us have grown up with love apple trees nearby. Me and my siblings; we used to climb the tree at our grandparents place and get the juicy and crisp fresh ones to eat. They’re always the […]
Food makes the world go round. Doesn’t it? Okay, maybe my world and that of my fellow foodie friends. We’ve found that some of the best street foods in the world are European dishes. If you’re planning a trip to Europe, here are some amazing European street foods and local foods that you must try. […]
AUTUMN | CINNAMON SEASON Growing up in the USA, autumn always brought a chill in the air, American football games, changing colors of trees and the lovely smell of cinnamon. Autumn is cinnamon season in the USA. Here in Sweden, however, cinnamon is a year round spice and cinnamon buns or kanelbullar, are an everyday event. […]
The house stinks! That’s what my sister says every time mom makes a bombil pickle. And it actually does. The East Indian Lonchey or East Indian Dry Bombil Pickle stinks when you put it together, but it tastes amazing! By the way, did you know that the Bombil fish in English is called a Bombay […]
Street Food and Local Restaurants in India that you must visit or try at least once Indian food is most delicious food in the world! Okay, maybe not the sole winner among food around the world, but Indian dishes are definitely some of the most loved snacks and dinners in the world. Street food in […]
Vilnius is not the most likely or well known city at the top of most peoples Europe bucket lists. I must admit, I knew next to nothing about it and had never considered it as my next destination before I met Dov. I met Dov when we were both backpacking in Cambodia, and ended up […]
What’s for dessert in your culture? What’s for dessert? I love dessert! Don’t you? So I’ve asked a few friends of mine to list the best desserts in their cultures. So here we have it – yummy desserts, Italian desserts, simple desserts, quick easy desserts, chocolate desserts, tasty desserts, light desserts, french desserts, fun desserts, summer desserts. Everything from great […]
Being brought up in India, we’ve grown up on lush sweet mango chutney every summer. Sometimes, although rarely, the traditional East Indian mango chutney lasts through the monsoon and into a bit of winter. It’s a version of the Gujarati murabba and chunda, but not exactly. Or the Russian and Eastern European varenye. What is […]
Bombay, the city of dreams, that’s where I live. My Bombay. Or should I say my Mumbai? Bombay from the Portuguese meaning ‘good bay’ or Mumbai from the Goddess ‘Mumba’. Of course we’ve had a lot of names over the centuries – Boon Bay, Bombain, Mombayn, Bombaym, Monbaym, Mombaym, Bombay, Mombaim, Bambaye, Bombeye, Bombaiim, and […]
What’s for dinner? What’s for dinner? A question as important as asking about breakfast. What’s for dinner tonight? Is there any dinner? What’s easy to cook for dinner tonight? What can we make for dinner? Supper? Wat eten we vanavond? Vad blir det till middag? You cooking up a feast there? Beth sydd i swper? Kin Khao? […]
What’s for breakfast in different cultures across the world? What’s for breakfast mom? What’s for breakfast darling? What’s for breakfast nan? What’s for breakfast at the cafe? What’s for breakfast honey? I’m hungry. What’s for breakfast? Is there any breakfast? Ever wondered what to have for breakfast? Some of these may be healthy breakfast food, and […]
Brown balls and white balls. Those are our punny names for gulab jamuns or rosgullas. But I’ve not heard any jokes about honey balls or snow balls yet. Is it because East Indian honey balls or snow balls are lesser known and only belong to a small part of society? Honey balls or snow balls are […]
The North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii has found its middle ground as a place that both tourists and locals love. The one winding road along this part of the island can lead you to so many different experiences – if you know where to look. Where to Relax Pretend to Be a Local Being a […]
Summers comes around and you know it’s time for Kadmat or Cuchumber. Nope not cucumber, Cuchumber! It’s the traditional East Indian salad that dad makes as soon as the raw mangoes start coming around in April. And we can’t get enough of it. I mean who wouldn’t? Every East Indian makes Cuchumber as often as […]
Ramadan or Ramzan is a Muslim celebration of when the Quran was revealed to the prophet Muhammad. Fasting is necessary for Muslims who aren’t sick, elderly, menstruating, breastfeeding, pregnant or travelling. It’s one of the famous Five Pillars of Islam. My Muslim friends fast from dawn till dusk, and don’t have sex, eat, drink, or smoke. […]
Bells ringing, childhood memories. The ice cream cart comes to our neighborhood, but here in Bombay it’s kulfi. Sometimes it’s the kulfi man with the basket on his head announcing his arrival. ‘Kulfi-eaah’. As kids we used to run happily for ice cream or kulfi. That instant brain freeze when you bite, the cool feeling […]
Aromas Café, Juhu, Bombay, India Think of ice cream and I think of Aromas Cafe in Juhu, Mumbai, India. I had been there for lunch with my friend Sushma. The wide glass windows gave the cafe a very spacious and positive feel. We could sit and relax for hours without being bothered to leave immediately […]
So next up is the East Indian Vajri Khudi or Vajadi khudi. What is Vajri in English? Tripe? What is tripe? The stomach of ruminant animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, deer, giraffe and more. We usually use goat tripe. Why not cow tripe? Well, because it’s banned in Maharashtra. A lot of the younger […]
Easter! Spring and redemption and everything anew. New life in Jesus and new life on earth. A celebration of hope! And sweets! Or eggs rather? Legend tells that quite like Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus, the Easter bunny called ‘Easter’ along with the spring bunny come with egg filled baskets to the homes of children. They […]
“Lebua ae Lebua. Lebua ae Lebua.” I won’t tell you which family member was singing that song as we drove up the dusty path to the Lebua Lodge at Amer. I’ll just tell you that this family member was a fan of R D Burman and his music. We were on our way back from […]
By a Baker’s Dozen – 13 things to do in Graz, Austria I loved my stay in beautiful Graz. It’s the second largest city in Austria, with a population that’s ten times that of another beautiful Austrian city, Feldkirch that my sis and I visited last October. It used to be a centre of commerce in the Middle […]
The jingle of the ice cream truck. Most favorite memories from childhood are made of these. Today Faith from XYUandBeyond shares her favorite Ice Cream Memories. 🙂 Ice Cream Memories As kids, both hubs and I immigrated to Canada at the age of around 8 years old (not together lol). At that age, of course, […]
Two East Indian aunties meet on the street. “Hello Lucy, how are you men?” “I’m good men, how are you and the babas?” “We’re all good men. Where you went?” “To the pav-wala on the corner to bring pav men. His pav better than Bertrand’s pav men. So nice and soft-soft. My dokra Aggie likes […]
Since we’ve been young, a trip to Bandra for shopping meant we got to eat some tantalizing snack at Elco Pani Puri Centre and Restaurant on Hill Road in Bandra. Hill Road has always been a street shoppers paradise. I remember coming here since I was 4 or 5, with mum and my siblings. And […]
East Indian Tope, a marriage of our Portuguese cultural inheritance with our Indian roots. It’s the perfect all in one meal at any time. In continuing with the East Indian Series, Sarah from TheWingedFork talks about cooking this yummy recipe. It was my turn to help mom in the kitchen yesterday, and we were making […]
It was pretty late by the time we got into Salzburg on the Eurail and checked into our hotel, Der Salzburger Hof. It was hardly a 10 minute walk from the Salzburg train station aka Salzburg Hauptbahnhof; and thankfully we were in the main part of the hotel and not the annex. So smile 🙂 […]
Sorpotel or Sarpatel or Sarapatel, the dish that makes mouths water anywhere it’s served, no matter how you spell it. And as we always say, our East Indian version tastes ten times better than the Goan version of this age old traditional Portuguese recipe. Wink wink! Today, the versatile Jude Fernandes, a true-blue East Indian […]
‘When in Rome, do the Romans’, a friend of mine once told me. Well, we were talking about a totally different ‘when in Rome’ topic at the time. But on my recent trip to Rome, I did make time to do as Romans do with respect to food. Rome has turned into a very busy […]
Zuka in Pondicherry If you’re ever in Pondicherry, two places that you absolutely have to visit are Zuka and Café Olé. Located almost side by side, they are havens for choco-crazed folk like me. Zuka is a store with a wide range of chocolate goodies to offer, from cakes to pastries to little miniatures. Although for […]
East Indians? My community is disappearing. What once was a thriving community in the heart of Bombay is now vanishing; and with it, all our traditions and culture. In a city of 22 million people, there are hardly 5 lakh East Indians left. Or was that 5 lakh across the globe? The salt on the […]
Amsterdam is the destination Amsterdam is a very famous tourist destination with millions of tourists coming into the city every year. A lot of its popularity comes from activities that would not go down well in my line of work if I was to participate. So that leaves the question what do you do on […]
A lunch invitation We’re renting James and Antonia’s place in Inca in Mallorca aka Majorca for a few weeks this summer. It’s lovely, the rustic and the modern merging into a beautiful new character. I love the feel of being so far away from the town of Inca, even though it’s just on the other side of the […]
So we finally ended up at the Rude Lounge for dinner, instead of our regular haunt the Irish House. After waiting downstairs for more than half an hour for the sleepy friend that’s always running a bit late, we went up to the 6th floor of Link House that holds the Rude Lounge at Malad. […]
So the gang of cousins decided we needed a mid week retreat at The Retreat Hotel in Madh Island. Mid week since one cousin works on weekends, and there’s less of a crowd holidaying. Anyway we got there on the 8th of March at around 11 am, and were greeted with welcome drinks of either […]
I live in the United Kingdom and to be brutally honest, their food is not the best. They tend to lack the flavour that South Americans are used to. Most of the meals I tasted after moving to the country have been a bit bland to the taste. Even though I’ve been living here for […]
‘Malaysia, let’s go to Malaysia.’ ‘What, why?’ ‘Because I want Kek Lapis Sarawak.’ ‘Have it imported.’ ‘But I want to learn how to make it too. Let’s go, pleeease…’ But we didn’t go. Malaysia beckons from a distance, but for now we pretend our ears are closed. Well, the boss wouldn’t give us leave anyway. […]
It was some time ago that I visited the beautiful country of South Africa with my folks… and what an amazing experience it was! We saw plenteous stunning places, but the one that stood out the most for its scenic beauty and landscape was the Winelands. It being the first leg of our journey, we […]
“Not going to Bangkok or Pattaya? Not even Krabi or Koh Samui? Are you Serious? But that’s where all our Indian brethren always go!” Our friends had a bit of a puzzled expression on their face when we announced we were off to Chiang Mai. My response was a slight grimace, followed by a long […]
The balloon question How do you add balloons to a heart cake? That was the question my sister was just thrown. She had just received an order for a surprise cake for a first wedding anniversary. Her client Karishma wanted to surprise her brother Bhavin and sister-in-law Esha with an eggless cake that had hearts […]
And then there was the child in India called Arnav who loved Lightning McQueen. So his mom ordered a Lightning McQueen cake from my sister, Sarah for his 4th birthday. And although we’ve seen a few lightning McQueen cakes before, we haven’t seen one with a checkerboard sponge inside. So Sarah set out on her […]
One of the stops on our autumn Austrian trip was Graz. We spent two nights there which was quite enough to see the entire city. Having a limited number of days off, we were deliberating between Klagenfurt and Graz, but Graz won because of the Schloßberg or Schlossberg. It was a good climb. But that’s […]
Getting to Futuroscope in Poitiers It was almost a year ago now. I remember waking up early to the smell of fresh coffee and croissants for breakfast. The perks of travelling in France with your boyfriend! It was a long 2 hour drive from Sables D’Olonne to Poitiers and we wanted to get there before […]