WHAT? Slithery sustenance. The Japanese love kabayaki—grilled eel in a sweet, soy-based sauce—so much, they have even dedicated an entire day to eating it. On Ushinohi, which is celebrated in August, eel restaurants all over Japan do a booming business; politicians are sometimes photographed smiling as they dine on their kabayaki; and, according to Charmaine Solomon’s Encyclopedia of Asian Food, 900 tons of eel are consumed. The eel is served over rice and is thought to be restorative in the enervating August heat. A Dictionary of Japanese Food calls kabayaki "one of Japan’s great treats," and a Japanese friend confirms that Japanese people would consider it right up there with sushi and tempura as a representative food of their country. These days though, she confesses, not everybody eats kabayaki straight from the grill as a connoisseur would insist. "Nowadays you can buy it in the supermarket and microwave it."
WHAT? Fragrant fruit. Until recently, American cooks had a hard time getting hold of Kaffir limesbumpy-skinned, deep green, intensely fragrant citrus fruits that give a jolt of flavor to many Southeast Asian dishes. Dried or fresh, the leaves, rind, and juice of the fruit are indispensable elements in enlivening soups, salads, and curries. Kaffir limes are used in the cuisines of such countries as Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia "with a frequency bordering on automaticity," Alan Davidson writes in The Oxford Companion to Food. Davidson, incidentally, objects to the name Kaffir and suggests the alternative of Makrut lime, the Thai word. Kaffir, he writes, probably comes from the Arabic word for infidel and has long been used in South Africa as a pejorative term for blacks.
WHAT? A hot commodity. More common in Hawaii’s Chinese restaurants than on mainland take-out menus, kau yuk, a pork belly preparation, was one of the first Chinese dishes adopted into Hawaiian cuisine. It owes its Polynesian popularity to the large number of Hawaiians descended from Chinese laborers, many of whom first came to the islands in the nineteenth century to work on sugar plantations. In this labor-intensive dish, pork belly is first boiled, then roasted or fried, then sliced and marinated in a combination of ginger, soy sauce, Chinese five-spice powder, and red bean paste, and then, finally, steamed to produce its meltingly soft texture and deep flavor.
WHAT? South African Krispy Kreme. Although the name may not register, most likely you’ve eaten something similar to koeksisters (or koeksusters), which are made by frying braided strips of sweet dough and then dipping them in a cold sugar syrup. Koeksisters are said to be descendants of a Cape Malay sweet made of a spiced fruit or nut dough, fried and dipped in concentrated fruit juice. Like many fried foods the world over, koeksisters are much loved. In the African Cooking volume of the Time-Life Foods of the World series, Laurens van der Post wrote that the pastry is “part of the mystique of national taste…It is one of the most fattening pastries ever invented, and enough to make a diet-conscious diner blanch with horror—but it is delicious.” One Afrikaaner town, Orania, has even co-opted the doughnuts as a symbol of nationalistic pride, erecting a six-and-half-foot high polystyrene statue of a koeksister.
WHAT? Japanese food syndrome. The Internet is filled with websites praising the health benefits of the seaweed kombu (also konbu), known in English as kelp and in Latin as Laminaria. Whether or not kombu is a cure for cancer or has natural cholesterol-lowering abilities, it is certainly one of the foundations of Japanese cooking. To make the ur-stock, dashi, which is at the base of most Japanese cooking, a piece of dried kombu is simmered in water. The kombu is removed and flakes of katsuoboshi (dried and smoked bonito) are added, simmered, and strained out. Kombu is also used to marinate fish. Kombu grows in clear, shallow ocean water, such as that found off the coast of Hokkaido in Japan or Hawaii. It can reach 30 feet, but it’s usually cut to lengths of a few inches for sale. There are, of course, different varieties for different purposes, but all contain an impressive amount of natural monosodium glutamate that accounts for its flavor enhancing and transformational marinating properties.
WHAT? Iranian frittata. The herbs used to make kuku sabzi symbolize rebirth and the eggs fertility, which is why this Persian omelette is traditionally eaten at Noruz, Persian New Year. The herbs (sabzi), in fact, are key to the celebration; they are one of seven traditional items-symbolizing seven guardian angels—that are part of every table setting for the New Year's feast. According to Margaret Shaida's Legendary Cuisine of Persia, kuku sabzi is the most famous and popular of the many varieties of kuku (omelette). It can be eaten hot or at room temperature. Iranians cook one side of the omelette in a frying pan, then cut it into wedges before flipping each slice to brown. When done, the outside of the kuku should be a crispy bronze, the interior tender and green from generous handfuls of cilantro, dill, mint, chives, and other herbs. Chopped barberries (a sour red berry) or walnuts are sometimes added to the filling as well.
WHAT? Indian ice cream cone. The Chinese first introduced ice cream to the world as early as the first century, but it was the Mughals that brought kulfi, a denser version of the frozen treat, from Persia to India in the sixteenth century. Kulfi’s unique conical shape sets it apart from most Western-style scoops—it’s also made without egg yolks as a thickener. Rather, its texture comes from milk that is boiled down until thick and creamy, then mixed with pistachios, cardamom, rose water, or other delicate flavorings before being poured into cone-shaped metal molds, sealed, and frozen in large earthenware vessels. The creamy confection is traditionally served with falooda (fine, silky Indian noodles made from corn flour), and is prized as a hot weather refresher. The dessert is so popular in India that master ice cream makers called kulfi-wallahs are often hired to make fresh kulfi on-site for special events, such as weddings.
WHAT? Pampered pigs. By now we know all about the coddled cows that become Kobe beef, but lately we've been seeing a lot of marbled beef's porcine equivalent, kurobuta pork. This dark, rich, flavorful pork first came out of Japan, but the hogs used to create it date back to 18th century England. Prized for their superior taste and texture, these black Berkshire hogs were presented to the Japanese by the British government as a diplomatic gesture, and have since become a highly prized commodity. So, what turns a Berkshire pig into kurobuta (meaning "black pig") pork? Pampering. The succulent swine are fed a special diet that includes beer and mixed grains and are massaged to create the marbling that has become so closely associated with Kobe beef. American farmers are now producing their own kurobuta pork made from Berkshire pigs as well as other crossbreeds. This month, chef Bruce Riezenman will be pairing kurobuta pork loin with Asian pears and plum chutney.
