Pots, Pans and Foodie Souvenirs

First let me say I’m sorry about the lack of a Link’s post this past weekend. My travel, an unexpected cold bug and my husband’s return from a business trip to the Dublin area made for less than normal weekend. I haven’t been away from the computer, but I’m starting to feel the pressure of the upcoming Southeast Asia trip so that is taking up much of my time at the moment. Wow, do I have a lot more research to do about what to see and where to eat!

Where we are living in there isn’t a whole lot of this traditional cookware. We do get bamboo cooking utensils which I love, but pots and pans are more modern. This artisanal cookware was an exciting find, but it took me a long time to decide if I was going to lug back a pot. These suckers are heavy! I just had to take my chances though because I know I will likely not have the chance again.

The pot will turn black after I treat and seal it. Everyone tells me that it will keep hot food hot for about 4 hours and you can even use it with cold salads and it will similarly keep the food cold for an extended period. I’ll be sure to share the first meal I cook in it. I haven’t quite decided what that will be yet.

I only wish I could have brought back more. This pot I found at the central market in Belo Horizonte, but in Ouro Preto they had so many things made out of soap stone – soup bowls, wine holders/chillers, base plates and vases. I did manage to bring back a few carved soap stone boxes for Christmas gifts. Sorry for the spoiler if any of my family is reading!

Now on to the edibles.

Minas has a lot of the same doces (sweets) that we have where we are living, but as I mentioned in my last post most are in a more liquid, scoop-able from. Just about every stall in the central market had a huge case full of sweets like this.

It included doce de leite, cocada, a combination of the two, chocolate doce de leite, guava fruit jam (goiabada) and many candied fruits like mamão and fig. And, oh yes, you get to taste any that you want.

Then there are all kinds of packaged foods you can pick up like this doce de leite wrapped in little corn husks. The actual doce de leite isn’t much to write home about, but the package makes it way too attractive to pass up. Next, I picked up some packaged candy, similar to a fudge that combined a very lightly cooked doce de leite and firm guava fruit jam.

I also brought back a sample bottle of Vale Verde cachaça (a brand made outside the Belo Horizonte) and a sample of the Jabuticaba liqueur so my husband could give it a try.

With all this sweet, something savory had to be included and that something was Canastra cheese. Most of us in the other states of Brazil are familiar with cheese from Minas because it is so well known across the country. I can always find Minas Frescal in the supermarket here which is a fresh, cow’s milk cheese. However, once it is matured Canastra cheese is created and what makes this special is that it is a regional cheese specific to Minas Gerais and the Serra da Canastra. If you want to read a little more you can check out this book excerpt from Brined Cheeses by A.Y. Tamime.

It is a soft, velvety cheese that immediately melts in your mouth. In my opinion it is similar in texture, but slightly firmer than, fresh mozzarella, but with a much sharper flavor. I brought a half wheel back, a little less than a kilo. I seriously can’t stay away from it. I keep trying to make it last, but every time I open the fridge door, there it sits. My favorite way to enjoy it is slightly melted over bread with goiabada.

After all this, you can imagine the luggage was quite heavy. It was a truly amazing food culture experience and I have plenty to remind me of it now that I’m back home.

Fortunately, this weekend the food party didn’t end there. I can’t finish this post without telling you about the goodies my husband brought back from Ireland to share with me. You see, I’ve been to Ireland with him the past two years and this year we decided I would skip out so we could put the funds towards our SE Asia trip. But even that trip and my wonderful trip to Minas Gerais didn’t leave me completely without disappointment that I failed to make it to Europe this year so my husband was there to help.

Guinness chocolate, toffees and fudge were part of the spread along with some Jameson to keep the liquor cabinet full until we depart in a month. He flew KLM so they had these amazing caramel wafers from the Netherlands via duty free. We first had these in either Vienna or Munich and they are amazing. A very thin wafer filed with salty caramel. We have found them at specialty stores every now and then in Lexington, but it has been a while.

Finally he packed back Bulmers!! This is my absolute favorite cider. It can also be found under the name Magners. Carbonated, fruity and crisp it is perfect for summer, but so good that it can’t be passed up even on the coolest or rainiest days while in Ireland. He picked up a couple of the pear flavored to try something different. It was good, but I have to say the original is the best.

So there you have it, foodie finds from around the world! This week I have some recipes lined up and I hope to get back to regular cooking if I can kick this cold to the curb. Thanks for walking back down memory lane with me through my trip recap. I hope you found something you enjoyed among all this great food!