Many of the local women embraced the idea, opening restaurants that serve local cuisine using only solar power to cook their meals.
In Chile, it is Pisco, a traditional grape brandy that has been made for centuries in the northern regions of Chile.
It’s considered Chile’s national spirit and Chile legally protects pisco as a national product.
This means it can only be produced in certain regions of the country, similar to how Champagne is protected in France.
Of course, we had to go check it out, for educational reasons.
The entrance to the Mercado Central de Santiago isn't too exciting.
But, inside it is a beautiful building.
It was built between 1869 and 1872 to replace an older
market that had been destroyed by fire.
Interestingly, it was designed by a Chilean architect, manufactured
in Scotland and then shipped in pieces to Chile.
In 1984 it was declared a National Monument.
And another Claim to Fame: National Geographic has ranked it among the top food markets in the world.
It is the climate and topography that grapes thrive on.
We love it too.
So it is no wonder that we love visiting areas with
vineyards.
Chile is world famous for their wines.
There is no way we could go to Chile and not check out the beautiful scenery and vineyards – for purely educational purposes.
Tlaquepaque was founded in the 16th century during the early colonial period of New Spain.
Its name comes from Nahuatl and roughly means “place above clay land,” reflecting the area’s rich soil for pottery and ceramics.
It is famous for its artisans, galleries, and traditional
Mexican culture.
Today, Tlaquepaque has been amalgamated as a suburb of Guadalajara.
It is a hub for handicrafts, including glass, textiles, and painted ceramics.
(One of the downsides to being retired, is being “old”.)
So we figured while we were in the “neighbourhood” we’d pop
down to Guadalajara, Mexico.
Guadalajara was founded in 1542.
The Spanish colonial city
Think of Scotch, tequila, rum, rye, whiskey, etc.
In Spain, it is vermouth, or, as it is called locally, vermut.
Vermut began in Spain in the 1800's.
By the early 1900's it had become very popular in Spanish life.
Traditionally, almost every town had a bodega (local lingo
for a bar) serving its own house vermouth, often drawn straight from a barrel.
For purely educational purposes, we decided it would be a good idea to go visit a vermut distillery to learn more.
It has been around for centuries dating back to at least the Arab period (9th–11th centuries).
Ballarò market reflects Arab, North African and even South Asian cultures.
It is in the old historical part of town with stalls packed into the narrow winding streets.
Ballarò is touted as the most authentic market in Palermo and is still used by many locals to buy fresh produce, meat, fish, spices, prepared meals and street food.
Which makes it a tourist attraction.
We had a peak into village life around Dambulla.
Farming is the primary occupation, with locals growing rice, vegetables, bananas, and spices.
Chena cultivation (slash-and-burn farming) is common, where farmers clear small plots in the forest for seasonal crops.
We started our exploration with an ox pulled bullock cart.
(Notice who has been entrusted with the reins.)
One of the staples of Mérida’s cuisine is corn, which was also a staple of the Mayan diet for centuries.
Corn tortillas accompany nearly every meal.
We started our class by shopping in the local market for fresh local ingredients.
Mercado Lucas de Gálvez was established in 1887 in Merida’s historic centre.
It is the city's main market.
It is enormous and covers 45,000 sqm (over 484,000 sq ft) with more than 2,000 vendors.
It isn’t a tourist market but it’s a working market for the locals to shop for their daily items.
The maze of narrow walkways are lined with small stalls selling fresh produce, meat, seafood, spices, textiles, traditional clothing, handmade hammocks, pottery, and everyday household items.
According to the Mayan creation story, the gods first tried to make humans from mud and wood, but those attempts failed.
Finally, the gods created the first humans from a paste of yellow and white corn.
The Mayans had a god of corn called Hun Hunahpu.
They performed rituals to the god at various stages of corn growth.
The Mayans considered corn a key part of their identity and corn gave food and life to their communities.
Corn tortillas are a a huge part of Yucatán’s culinary and cultural heritage dating back to the traditions of the ancient Mayan.
Another challenge is that we do not have the basic cooking ingredients in our non-existent pantry.
So when we do cook supper, it is generally a very basic meal.
When I found an opportunity to take a Mexican cooking class I was pretty excited.
Bosnia's traditional dish, cevapi, consists of small rolls of grilled seasoned ground meat, typically a mixture of beef and lamb.
Cevapi is often served as a set of eight to ten pieces with raw onions, sour cream and usually served in a bread pocket. It is eaten anytime during the day.
Our first breakfast in Sarajevo we had a bit of a communication challenge with the restaurant server.
We ended up having cevapi for breakfast.
It is tucked under London Bridge and has a history spanning over a 1,000 years.
