Friday is abstinence day for meat-eating Orthodox Christians, which means that vegetarian dishes in the otherwise carnivorous Balkans do get an airing at least once a week. One of these dishes is tavce gravce, Macedonia’s national plate, nuances of which pervade all of the former Yugoslav countries under different names, including pasulj, prebranac and grah. Put simply, tavce gravce … Read more
This crepe is made from scratch and topped with either savory cream cheese and salmon – or top it with blueberry jam and greek yogurt. Pure YUMMM
The humble pelmeni-like dumpling is something you can find nesting in pretty much every cuisine in the world. From Italian ravioli to Polish pierogis, Japanese gyoza to Tibetan momos: the simple act of wrapping a bit of meat or some vegetables in a pastry circle and then boiling it has caught on in every corner of … Read more
More robust than a crepe, more delicate than bread, the Azerbaijani kutab is a kind of flatbread-pancake stuffed with a variety of possible fillings from pumpkin or cheese to spinach, offal, herbs, and even camel meat. A more cavalier commentator might pass it off as a regular sandwich, but we think that would be massively underselling the art of mixing and … Read more
Although we think that almost every dish we feature on Arousing Appetites is fit for a king, Hunkar Begendi was quite literally a royal favorite. Braised chunks of lamb swimming in a smoky eggplant puree is a Turkish dish that dates back to the days of the Ottoman sultans and their vast kitchens in the … Read more
Esterhazy Rostbraten – a braised beef sirloin in a rich creamy sauce – is a dish sent down to us mere mortals from the glory days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was a time when a quality slab of meat was the height of dinner-time decadence and the family name Esterhazy was synonymous with luxury. With all the elements of a … Read more
