2 months ago
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Sometimes a city’s best food comes from somewhere else.
Around the world, centuries of conquest and migration have created mouthwatering crossover cuisines. Keep an eye out for these tasty options next time you travel.
Chinese food in Lima, Peru
Peru is renowned for its ceviche, but the country’s chifa cuisine, a homegrown take on Chinese cuisine, is less well known. Chinese migrant labourers settled in Peru in the 19th century, bringing ingredients such as ginger, shallots and soy sauce, and using them to create dishes such as crunchy chijaukay chicken and chaufa fried rice. There are plenty of chifa restaurants in Lima, but a chifa favoutite, lomo saltado (beef stir-fried with onion and tomatoes), appears on plenty of mainstream menus, too.
Cuban flavours in Miami, US
If you are staying with a local in Miami, pretty much the first thing they will do is take you out for a Cuban meal. The city’s Cuban population boomed after the Cuban revolutionaries took power in 1959, and since then snacks such as deep-fried croquetas and the Cubano sandwich (made with pork that is marinated for a week in garlic and spices) have become Miami staples. You will also find plenty of restaurants offering newfangled and old-school takes on Cuban classics such as tostones guayaberos (fried plantains with shredded pork and grilled onions).
Jewish cuisine in Rome, Italy
Rome has had a Jewish population for more than 2000 years, but it was the arrival during the Renaissance of Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain that created the city’s beloved cucina ebraica romana, or Roman Jewish cuisine. Restaurants such as Piperno, Nonna Betta and Sora Margherita in the Ghetto district are the places to try not just the celebrated carciofi alla giudia (fried artichokes), but also baccala (salt cod), fiori di zucca ripieni (zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella and anchovies) and tortino di aliciotti e indivia (anchovy and endive pie).
Indonesian flavours in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Indonesia gained its independence from Dutch rule in 1949, but the former colony has had a lasting impact on Dutch tastebuds, with plenty of people topping their French fries not with ketchup or mayonnaise, but with peanut sauce. Amsterdam has a plethora of Indonesian restaurants, but one of the most popular dishes has a distinctly Dutch stamp. Rijsttafel, a collection of tapas-style dishes, is a Dutch colonial invention and an extravagant way to sample different dishes from various Indonesian regions.
African-inspired cuisine in Salvador, Brazil
Salvador is not like the rest of Brazil. This north-eastern city, the capital of the state of Bahia, was for a long time the country’s main slaving port, and the enslaved Africans shaped many aspects of Bahian culture, including its cuisine. African ingredients such as malagueta chilli peppers and dende oil feature in dishes such as moqueca, a coconut-and-tomato seafood stew. Bahian sweet treats are also sensational, including the coconut-and-ginger-flavoured cocada.
Turkish classics in Berlin, Germany
Don’t think it’s just doner. Berliners may consider doner kebabs to be as much of a local specialty as the famous currywurst, but the wave of Turkish “guest workers” that helped fuel Germany’s post-war economic boom left its culinary stamp on the city in other ways as well. Delicious Turkish dishes such as kofta, lahmacun, borek and more have all become part of the staple diet for many Berliners.
Moorish flavours in Seville, Spain
Southern Spain was ruled by Muslim inhabitants of northern Africa (the Moors) for almost 800 years, so it’s no surprise that Arab ingredients such as chickpeas and rice, almonds and eggplant, cinnamon and cumin are still hallmarks of Seville’s Moorish cuisine. The influence is evident in savoury dishes such as espinacas con garbanzos (spinach with chickpeas) as well as sweet treats such as torta de almendras (almond cake).
Yoshoku cuisine in Tokyo, Japan
Japanese food comes in many forms, from sashimi and sushi to ramen and tempura, but one specialty many visitors miss is yoshoku, Western-style dishes given a Japanese twist. Yoshuku dates back to the Meiji era, when more foreigners started living in Japan and Japanese cooks created their own versions of Western dishes. Some, such as omurice – a ketchup-topped omelette stuffed with rice – sound odd to Western ears, but others such as tonkatsu, a deep-fried cutlet, are easy to love.
Nigerian food in London, UK
London has long had a significant Nigerian population, with numbers increasing after Nigerian independence in 1960. You can find Nigerian flavours everywhere, from the diners of Peckham to chef Jeremy Chan’s two-Michelin-starred Ikoyi restaurant. Traditional dishes such as jollof rice and akara fritters are popular, but Nigerian chefs are also putting new spins on dishes such as the street snack chin chin, which is used in everything from chin chin cheesecake to chin’offee pie.
Persian flavours in Los Angeles, US
Los Angeles is home to the largest community of Iranians outside Iran, many of whom arrived after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. That’s great news for other Angelenos, who have an abundance of fabulous Persian food available to them, including the pomegranate and walnut flavours of chicken fesanjan and ghormeh sabzi, a stew of herbs, beans and slow-cooked lamb.
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