“Hands down it’s the food!” That was the immediate response when we asked Jacqueline Donaldson, Intrepid Copywriter, what was her favourite thing about travelling in India…
“Everyone I’ve met who’s fallen in love with India talks about its spirituality, people, history and colour, but for me all of this is encompassed in the delectable cuisine that is found in every city and every village.
Ancient cultures sure knew a thing or two about preserving their food. They might not have dried, pickled or cured the tastiest treats by today’s standards, but their clever ways of storing sustenance ensured their survival through very lean times…
North American tribes were the first ones to eat pemmican, a mixture of dried meat and tallow. It was widely adopted as a high-energy food by Arctic and Antarctic explorers, as it is a concentrated mixture of fat and protein.
Intrepid is thrilled to announce that Australian MasterChef 2011 finalist and MasterChef 2012 All-star Dani Venn will be joining our team of Intrepid Foodies and this week she’s off to enjoy a culinary journey through Bangkok and Chiang Mai on Bite-size Break – Thailand!
Dani’s love of food and cooking came from watching her Mum work the wok to create delicious meals for the family. Chinese food has influenced Dani’s style, as her ancestors were some of the first Chinese settlers to come to Australia. After finishing high school, Dani spent seven months voluntarily teaching English in Vietnam. Here she discovered street food, ate as much as she possibly could, and experienced an amazing and intriguing way of living.
The winners of the “Academy Awards of the food industry”*, The James Beard Awards have been announced and lo and behold, who should make the list but our favourite Intrepid Foodies and partners, The Perennial Plate!
The Real World Food Tour that Intrepid Travel produces in partnership with Daniel and Mirra, the dynamic duo behind The Perennial Plate, won the ‘Video Webcast: On Location’ category.
Daniel Klein and Mirra Fine have arguably the best job in the world: travelling and eating. Known as The Perennial Plate, they produce highly entertaining videos that dig into the local cuisine and culture of their destinations. They are also Intrepid Foodies on a Real Food World Tour and the duo recently took time out from a speaking engagement in Copenhagen to chat with Matador Network’s Carlo Alcos about their work and travel and eating tips…
Carlo: I just spent the past half hour watching some of your videos. The latest was the coconut one you posted on your Facebook page. It’s so interesting how they use every part of, not just the coconut, but the entire tree too.
Mirra: Yeah, it’s really important to them. It’s really part of their lives.
Sounds, smells and especially flavours have a way of transporting us back to our travel experiences, so Katie Ellard has come up with a delicious way of reliving her Thailand trip…
“Since travelling in Thailand with Intrepid, the Khao Sok blue cocktail has been our most frequently made alcoholic drink at home. When enjoying this drink at home it reminds us of all the great friendships we made with our fellow travellers.
What do Italy, Argentina and San Francisco have in common? Their love of Fernet! But what is it about this curious concoction that has global appeal (or abhor)? We sent Intrepid’s Jacqueline Donaldson to find out more about this distinctly different beverage…
“This dark, bitter, aromatic liqueur is a grape-based digestive, that was first promoted as a tonic in Milan in 1845 by the self-taught apothecary, Bernardino Branca. While the recipe is a closely guarded secret, some of the 40 herbs, spices, resins and fungi include myrrh, chamomile, saffron, aloe, rhubarb and cardamom.
Where better to get to the heart of a city than in its markets? Intrepid’s Jacqueline Donaldson discovers in Spain that amidst the frenzy of buying and selling activity, this is where you can instantly get to know the locals and enjoy many regional delicacies…
“I thought the farmers’ markets in my hometown of Melbourne were fantastic for local produce and delicious creations (they are), but when I walked into Barcelona’s La Boqueria market, I think I died and went to heaven. The market has been operational since the 1200s, so you know they’re doing something right, and the sheer variety of ingredients – much of it sourced locally – is a food-lover’s dream.
In its April 2013 edition, the influential New York-based Travel + Leisure magazine, which boasts a monthly readership in excess of 4.5 million, has listed the Hanoi Cooking Centre as one of the best cooking schools in the world.
Founded in 2009 by our very own Intrepid Foodie, Melbourne chef and cookbook author, Tracey Lister, the Hanoi Cooking Centre was one of only four schools in Asia to make the list of 27, which includes the likes of internationally acclaimed Culinary Institute of America (CIA).
