Friday, 24 May 2013

Cuisines


Izmir Gourmet: Food is in the Air

Food is literally everywhere in Izmir.

The first stop a traveller would usually make, is Passaport – the vivid promenade along the seaside, which has turned into a landmark with its black and... Full Story



Turkey
Sherbet or Sorbet? An East-West Beverage Tradition

Sherbet and sorbet are a pronounced example of the contemporary gastronomic approach to the “Eastern-Western” synthesis. Full Story


Serbia
A World of Flavour Comes to Serbia's Capital

18 June 2010 | At Belgrade's first food and drink festival, the weather was hot and some of the food even hotter. Full Story


Bulgaria
Simply Red

When asked how he can tell what tomatoes are good, Pizho – a 63-year-old chef in a small neighbourhood restaurant, always answers the same thing: by “the tasty red” colour. Full Story


Bulgaria
Slow Food Bulgaria Organises Balkan Culinary Forum

1 June 2010 | The first of its kind regional forum, Terra Madre Balkans, will take place between July 16 and 18, in Sofia, and bring together participants from all over the Balkans for a series of culinary events. Full Story


Bulgaria
Pumpkin head!

If you wish to insult somebody in Bulgarian, you could call him tikvenik – a word whose Full Story


Turkey
Turkey's Cuisine: The Tastes that Flew Away

A glance at old Turkish cookbooks reveals a staggering array of dishes made with poultry and game birds. Full Story


Bulgaria
Sofia Hosts Armenian Cuisine Festival

November 2009 | A festival of Armenian cuisine, hosted by the restaurant Vratata and the winery Villa Yustina Full Story


Serbia
Serbia's Testicle-Cooking Championship: Machos at Your Table

If there is a place where to refrain from spelling out the proverb You are what you eat, it is Sumadija, the home of first international testicle cooking (and eating) competition. Full Story


Bulgaria
Brown Fingers’ Season in Bulgaria

Every September, expats and attentive tourists in Bulgaria notice the coming of a kind of local fashion wave – Full Story




Curiosity Chest


Romania
Electric Candle Is Fine, Online Blessing - Not

Sound blasters and electric candles, that are switched on by dropping a coin, have long infested Christian churches around the world. Yet virtual prayers and blessings remain controversial practice to religious communities. Lately the dispute surfaced in the Balkans.
Full Story



Useful Reads


Greece
In Sfakia: Passing Time in the Wilds of Crete (2008) | By Peter Trudgill

Crete has long been acknowledged as one of the most singular and unique parts of Greece. Its people keep a fierce hold on their traditions, customs and history. Practically a country of its own, this vast island looms over all others in Greece. Nevertheless, as In Sfakia author Peter Trudgill aptly notes in his preface, “some parts of Crete are more special than others, and Sfakia, on the remote south coast, is certainly one of those.” Full Story




Music


Macedonia
Macedonia: Esma Redžepova's Passion for Humanity

"A Gypsy from the city of Skopje", as she calls herself, Esma Redžepova has more than 40 years of singing and humanitarian efforts under her belt. Full Story