Photography by Samantha Demangate Words by Matt Dursum Spending a day in the markets of Cusco, Perú is what I’ve always wanted. I’m at my happiest in a market. The warm conversations with strangers and merchants, the colors, smells, sounds, they swoon me. In Cusco Peru, getting lost in the markets is a rite of passage for anyone interested in the region’s food and culture. Cusco is a city steeped in history. It was home…
Words by Matt Dursum Cassava, Yuca, Manioc, no matter what you call it, Manihot esculenta is one of the most important sources of carbohydrates in the world. It’s also delicious and versatile. Cassava is a tuber vegetable, similar to potatoes. Growing just below the soil surface, its tubers store nutrients and water for the plant to feed off during the next season’s regrowth. The plant itself, tall and lanky, produces edible leaves and can survive…
There’s a fruit out there which causes excruciating pain upon contact, racing heartbeat, uncontrollable sweating and mucus, and ghastly intestinal distress. And, we eat it. Some of us with great joy. Of course, I’m talking about the chili pepper. It’s a polarizing ingredient, but without it, our food cultures wouldn’t be the same. The Tiny Fruit of Death Chili peppers, including sweet bell peppers, belong to the genus Capsicum. These seed bearing fruits are native…
Photography by Samantha Demangate Come escape with me into one of the world’s best comfort foods: the empanada. Portable pockets of goodness, either baked or fried, empanadas are ubiquitous in the South American diet. Imagine Crispy folds of roasted dough encasing savory fillings of minced meats, seafood, olives, and spices. These beautiful little envelopes of flavor fuel people of all classes and backgrounds and can cause heated contention; almost to the level of football. The…
Photography by Samantha Demangate Disembarking from the modern Belgrano C train station, you enter another world. Sights and sensations rarely associated with Buenos Aires surround you. As you step out of the station, a towering gate emblazoned with Chinese characters stretches above. The smell of grilled meat with sizzling soy-sauce and five-spice marinades caramelizing over open flames hits you like a ton of bricks. Loud street vendors shout various dialects of Chinese mixed with Porteño…