Wild Yeast » travel

Morocco: A Visit to a Mountain Berber Village

Susan — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 18:13:04 +0000

One of the highlights of our recent trip to Morocco with a National Geographic Expedition was our visit to a traditional Berber village in the High Atlas Mountains. The Berbers are the indigenous people of Morocco. National Geographic arranged the visit through American Peace Corps volunteers who acted as our facilitators, ambassadors, and translators.

After traveling through the mountains on a narrow highway fraught with hairpin curves, our bus arrived at the base of the village. As the Peace Corps volunteers walked us up the unpaved road and into the heart of village, there was so much to take in: red clay houses — outfitted with electricity and satellite dishes — whose color matches the red of the surrounding hills; the village mosque; the man screening earth; the woman with the captivating smile, sweeping leaves.

Fast Food in Marrakech

Susan — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:44:58 +0000

Street food in Marrakech, Morocco has quite a reputation. Now, I am delighted to say, I understand why. During our two days here, Jay and I sampled some of the wonderful offerings at the Jemaa el Fna, the huge square in the Medina, the walled old city.

This woman fries pieces of flattened yeasted dough on a griddle. Drizzled with honey and rolled up… a fantastic treat for two dirhams (about 25 cents).

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Lugano, Switzerland

Susan — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:25:35 +0000

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Real French Bread

Susan — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 15:41:43 +0000

I took this photo at the Marché Saxe-Breteuil in Paris, in April of 2007. Per the sign, the Pain de Campagne was 8.86 euros per kilo (that’s $5.36 a pound).

I’m sending this one to Bee and Jai (jugalbandi) for their Red-themed January Click! photo event.

See more photos from the market…

Mezcal — More Wild Yeast at Work

Susan — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:48:25 +0000

Hola y Feliz Año Nuevo from Oaxaca, Mexico, where we’re enjoying a few days of warm winter sun and New Year’s festivity. There is so much wonderful food and drink here!

A specialty of the state of Oaxaca is mezcal, a spirit made from the native agave plant and a cousin to tequila. In Santiago Matatlán, a few miles east of Oaxaca City, artisanal family mezcal distilleries are everywhere, and we enjoyed the opportunity to see how mezcal is made.

The spiky leaves of the agave plant are chopped off, leaving the heart, or piña (“pineapple”):

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Where Sushi Comes From

Susan — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:43:26 +0000

We got up at 4:30 AM today and made it to Tsukiji, Tokyo’s wholesale fish market, by 5:30, early enough to watch the tuna auction.

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The News from Tokyo: Japanese Bread

Susan — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 03:57:31 +0000

I have been in Japan for the past week! Of course I was interested to find out what the baking scene is like here, and I was a bit surprised to find that bakeries are perhaps more numerous than I found even in Paris. The Japanese do bake and eat a lot of bread and pastries! Much of it is Western artisan style, and although I did not sample any of those breads, I must say that, if appearance is any indication, these bakers really give the Europeans and Americans a run for their money. In fact, the Japanese team won the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie, a triennial international artisan baking competition, in 2002 (they came in third, behind the USA and France, in 2005).

But I wanted to know if there was a bread that is distinctly Japanese, and a Japanese friend directed me to Kimuraya in the Ginza district. Established in 1869, this is one of the oldest and most well-known bakeries in Tokyo, and its founder is responsible for introducing their signature anpan, a uniquely Japanese bread. These small buns bear a resemblance to miniature hamburger buns or bagels but are soft, a little sweet, and filled with sweet red, white, or green bean paste. The filling may also include a little pickle, sesame paste, or other ingredients. The dough is made with the same yeast used to ferment sake.

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