On the road to Taliouine's organic saffron 12 days always go by quickly, especially in Morocco where time stands still and you take your time. Take your time, then, to get from Marrakech Menara airport to Taliouine via the Test Pass road in the High Atlas (Tizi n'Test // Tizi meaning Pass in Arabic). This road, which will soon be a century old (1924), has been badly damaged in recent weeks by heavy rain...Continue Reading
4000 years of saffron cultivation worldwide From the Latin safranum, zarparan in Persia or Sahafaran in Hebrew, traces of crocus sativus - saffron - can be found on tablets in Iraq over 2000 years BC. Present on certain Santorini frescoes, it was discovered 2000 years ago in the Roman Empire. Greece is undoubtedly the birthplace of the famous Crocus Sativus (the Greek endemic Crocus cartwrightianus being its presumed ancestor). It is...Continue Reading
August 26 is raksha bandhan in India, the festival of brotherhood between brothers and sisters, or between friends as brother and sister. A small cord that the sister ties to her brother's wrist, asking for his protection, represents this bond. Rakhi Day is a special day in India, and even more so this year, when floods have swept across Kerala in the south of the country. It takes place at the time of the full moon at...Continue Reading
Whether it's from Algeria, Tunisia or Morocco, couscous is all about sharing and celebrating with family and friends. Berbers celebrate the New Year with couscous, and colorful eggs are sprinkled throughout the dish. What are the origins of couscous in France? It's no coincidence that couscous is one of France's top 10 favorite dishes. It's been known in France since the 16th century, and in 1534 Rabelais wrote "Force coscossons, et renfort de potages" (Gargantua,...Continue Reading
Eggplant caviar and its long series of recipes, each one different from the next. What haven't I read? Incorporated with mayonnaise for some, mixed with garlic and parsley for others, with cumin and olive oil, recipes vary according to regional moods and traditions... So what is eggplant caviar? Eggplant caviar is a reduction of the pulp of the cooked/confit fruit, which, depending on the country, can be seasoned with different...Continue Reading
Clearly, we're not all in the same boat when it comes to buying tomatoes as summer approaches. Of course, we'd be well advised to avoid imported, graded tomatoes straight from northern Europe, after having transited by truck or plane through the Mediterranean basin, if not further afield... In short, we all know the drill, but I always prefer to come back to it, because nothing beats local consumption of fresh produce. It's...Continue Reading
A friend asked me to make him a special organic gingerbread mix (he's from the Dijon region, so his request came as no surprise). Admittedly, it's not the height of the season (though?), but it still has major nutritional benefits, especially for marathon runners and trailers. Gingerbread is a sportsman's cake! Nothing too complicated, you might say: flour, honey, organic spices, but you've still got to use the right ones. Here's how...Continue Reading
It's spring, and summer is fast approaching - on the 21st we'll be there. Barbecues and salads will be the order of the day for a few months, with aperitifs and fine dining among friends and family. I've prepared 3 "special barbecue" blends, one traditional, one west-facing and one east-facing. The latter is an Indian "tandoori-style" blend that will allow you to season your skewers and chicken/turkey fillets the way Indian malsachi do. A Jaipur atmosphere for this opening...Continue Reading
It's decided, the barometer looks set to stay on a high, so barbecues are out. Olive wood, beech wood or charcoal for the less patient, it doesn't matter what you use as long as you've got embers. So get out your chicken thighs (or sleeves only), remove the skin (unless you like fats that aren't super-essential for our good health 😉 and score the flesh widely, forming crosses. In a bowl,...Continue Reading
Alexander's conquest of India... 326 BC // year 47 We stopped at the beginnings of the future Suez Canal, 500 BC, which would have made it possible to avoid the long route taken by Ishmaelite merchants to Egypt. Alexander the Great entered India from the north-west in 326 BC, in a bitter battle (as was often the case in those days), and decided to open up two other routes by which he could transport spices from that country....Continue Reading
Barigoule is originally a mixture of mushrooms stuffed with bacon, shallots and carrots. There are different ways of writing it, depending on the era and region of Provence (bérigoule, barigoula, barigoulo, brigoule, bourigoule or baligoule). Our recipe here is much simpler. Serves 4: 16 small violet artichokes from Nice 4 nice cebettes niçoise (alternatively fresh spring onions) 4 nice slices of bacon...Continue Reading
