Tired of always making the same dishes with the same ingredients? How about getting a different taste with spinach in the fridge and potatoes in the pantry this time?
Those with small children know that almost all of them go through a period where they eat the same meal morning and evening. They reject the new one as different in appearance, texture or smell. Parents say, “This is broccoli, tiny green trees, you will love it for a try…” Or they resort to various tricks to hide those green trees among the butterfly pasta. While doing these, we believe in the importance of trying different flavors as parents. We know that the more the child’s palate develops, the more he tries different foods required for his health, and the more pleasure he gets from eating.
Maybe we eat broccoli, but when was the last time we tried it with, say, peanuts? But when was the last time we adults tasted a meal we had never eaten before?
To be brave in the kitchen, one must first get rid of prejudices. As a matter of fact, some flavor combinations can be seen as strange in one culture and become indispensable in another cuisine. The potato and cabbage duo is necessary for example in Ireland for a warming porridge called colcannon, and for a soup called caldo verde in Portugal. In Sweden, biff à la Lindström contains beets and capers, in Lebanon, yakhnite zahra comes from an unaccustomed combination of fresh coriander, lamb and cauliflower. Let’s look backwards; yogurt, buttermilk and salt duo in the one coming to visit Turkey, yogurt may be quite different to that used in sweet dishes.
