Week 30: Austria

Week 30: The hills are alive.....


It is a comfortable overnight flight from South-Africa to Austria, and when we lived in Johannesburg, we exploited this convenience. Sharing the same time line also helped, as one could get on a plane, wake up in Austria and be on the slopes within hours...... without jetlag. I have two lasing memories of Austria: the best ever chocolate cake (sachertorte) and the worst ever hangover. The former was in a coffee shop in Salzburg near Mozart's birthplace.  The latter was in a mountain hut pub, after a fantastic day of skiing the glaciers in Steinplatte. We were trapped by a heavy snowstorm with a group of  Swedish snowboarders and a couple of bottles of Hexengeist (a locally brewed schnapps).
The pub owner, of course, encouraged some friendly competition, promising to award a certificate to anyone who can down 10 shots of Hexengeist....while flaming! Need I say more.....


There is only one Austrian restaurant in Brisbane (within our Family-Friday-Night-Out geographical bounds). We travelled 14km to the west of the city to Sinnamon Park. At first I thought that is was a horrible spelling error, but as it turns out, Sinnamon park has nothing to do with the aromatic spice, but is named after the Sinnamon family. John Sinnamon, a Northern Ireland farmer of Huguenot  origin, his wife Margaret and their 5 children arrived in Queensland from Tasmania in 1863. Sinnamon Farm was established on the south-western reaches of the Brisbane river, producing maize, potatoes, pineapples and dairy (later on farming cattle and horses). In 1870,  they built the farmhouse Beechwood,  a school and a church (all heritage listed today). In 1960 part of the farm was sold off to develop the residential suburbs of Sinnamon Park and Jindalee. The little school they built in 1875 was still in use until Jindalee State School opened in 1966. The history of this family and their involvement in the region is fascinating, but back to Austria.....


Austrians started to arrive on our shores during the 1850's gold rush era. The aftermath of WWI saw the settlement of hundreds of Austro-Hungarians, and after WWII many Austrian Jews created a new life in Australia. Today 42,341 residents have Austrian ancestry. Wolfgang Kasper is one of them. K and K Austrian Cafe and Restaurant is the shopfront to Wolfgang's Private Chef and (white glove) Butler Service. Dinner is only served on Friday and Saturday nights. During the week one can sit on the shady verandah and indulge in the huge selection of Austrian cakes and pastries. It is the refined sweet tooth of the Austrians that sets their cuisine apart from their German neighbour:  Sachertorte, Apfelstrudel, Kipferl, Kashingskrapfen, Topfenknodel and Zwetschkenfleck.... the Konditorei offers a combination of nostalgia, tradition and quality.


The peaceful suburban quiet was a welcome change to the inner-city bustle we encountered the last couple of weeks. We ordered some Austrian beer, a bottle of Lens Moser Prestige Pinot Gris and a couple of Almdudlers.
After spotting the Kaiserschmarren mit Zwetschgenroster dessert on the menu, we decided to skip entrée, go straight to the main, and conclude the evening with this classic signature dessert. Mahlzeit!


The menu is quintessentially Viennese: speciality schnitzels, gerostete Leber, Breuschel, Leberkase, Krautfleish, Goulash, Geselchtes, Rindsroulade and a variety of Grostel. The portions were generous  and very tasty. Austrian cuisine is influenced by its history and its neighbours, with that of Hungary and Germany particularly noticeable. Pickling of vegetables and preservation of meats feature prominently, and veal is the favoured protein.


While we enjoyed the gemutlichheit of our surrounds, the conversation turned to fact-sharing (see blog week 1 re FNO rules), with Phil keen to slip in some Freudian facts (Freud was convinced that a morphine addiction could be cured with cocaine....he eventually committed suicide), Keith elaborated on the Vienna Boys Choir, Boetie is always handy with facts on the flag (second oldest in the word), and national animal (the Black Eagle), Martina and Nielen Googled the same facts and engaged in some fact-expansion on obesity numbers, we touched on the Viennese Waltz, Mozart and The Sound of Music. First-timer Kerry was fact-free (we'll forgive her this time). Whether your musical taste is whiskers on kittens or Requiem in D minor, common-ground will be found around a plate of Austrian dessert.


Next week we'll trade the Hexengeist for some Ouzo....see you in Greece.

Week 29: Mexico

Week 29: Estados Unidos Mexicanos


We returned to West End last night (see suburb profile week 23). About halfway down bustling Boundary Street, in amongst a clutter of fast food outlets, other ethnic restaurants and street buskers, you will find El Torito (after a struggle to find parking). Jorge and Doris Perez (two of 3,576 Mexican residents in Australia) established El Torito in 1996, bringing the unique flavours of Mexico to Brisbane.  There are many ordinary franchised Mexican eateries around town, however El Torito stands apart when it comes to freshness and quality. You may have to wait a little bit longer for your meal, as each dish is freshly prepared.  It's BYO (wine only), and the kitchen closes at 9pm. Provecho!


The key ingredients of Mexican cuisine are corn, beans and chili peppers. Corn is the most planted crop in Mexico, with over 42 different types of maize to choose from. It therefor comes as no surprise that corn flatbread or tortilla is eaten with every meal. Tortillas can be large, small, soft or crunchy; they are rolled, folded, stuffed or fried. To distinguish between Burritos, Chimichangas, Enchiladas, Fajitas, Nachos and Taco's is simple...it all depends on what they do to the tortilla (sort of). So we tried them all. Whether it had a black bean puree, chicken or beef filling, or whether it had extra jalapeno's, another dollop of guacamole or more salsa -   they were all delicious. Couple of Mexican beers, some good Spanish red wine - how could you not be happy.


Mexican cuisine does not only centre around corn flatbread. The pantry is also filled with tomatoes, some squashes, rice, bellpeppers, cocao, vanilla and avocodo's. If you are an avo fan, there is nothing tastier than a delicious chunky guacamole - so I thought I'd share my favourite guacamole recipe with you:

1 large ripe red tomato

3 avocados, very ripe but not bruised

juice 1 large lime ( or two small ones...hint: roll the lime on the kitchen bench with the palm of your hand before squeezing...this will allow you to extract more juice)

handful coriander, rinsed, leaves and stalks chopped, plus a few leaves, roughly chopped, to serve

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 chilli, red or green, deseeded and finely chopped

tortilla chips to serve

1. Use a large knife to pulverise the tomato to a pulp on a board, then tip into a bowl. Halve and stone the avocados (saving a stone) and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh into the bowl with the tomato.
2. Tip all the other ingredients into the bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Use a whisk to roughly mash everything together. If not serving straight away, sit a stone in the guacamole (this helps to stop it going brown), cover with cling film and chill until needed. Scatter with the coriander, if using, then serve with tortilla chips or spicy potato wedges and sour cream. It is also delicious on a piece of toast for breakfast!

Fact sharing was interesting last night, There were eleven of us, so the contribution was enormous , and fused into conversation and discussion rather than the usual bullet-point style of fact-sharing. Margo set the tone with an animated description of the Aztec sacred ritual of  Human Sacrifice and how 80,000 mortals were sacrificed over a period of 3 days in early 1500. This opened the door for our first ever in absentia fact, sent by Louise who could not make it: On 31 October, for up to 3 days, the Mexicans celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), honouring deceased family and friends with the favourite foods and beverages of the departed, decorated sugar skulls and wreaths of marigolds. Which led to Andrew's fact: never (ever) give a (living!) girlfriend a bunch of marigolds. We discussed the fenced border with the USA (then I foolishly shared some very politically incorrect Mexican jokes which were not appreciated...); how Mexico City is built in the middle of a lake that formed in a volcanic crater and is actually sinking by 1cm a year  - in fact, it has plunged more than 10m in the last century...and you thought Venice had a problem!; the wealthiest man in he world (2013) was Mexican Tele-communications entrepreneur Carlos Slim (today the second wealthiest); the mysterious Teotihuacan Pyramids (and their role in human sacrifice); of course the flag and the national animal (Golden Eagle); the oil industry and silver mining (Mexico is still the largest producer of silver in the world) and many, many more.

But we have to move on. From Burritos with salsa we go to Beuschel und Spatzle... Austria, here we come! 

Week 28: Bangladesh

Week 28: The land of Bengal.

I still have the vinyl LP box-set of The Concert for Bangladesh  held in 1971. On request of Bengali musician Ravi Shankar, George Harrison staged the first humanitarian effort which connected politics and music - a formula later adopted by Sir Bob Geldof with Live Aid and the likes. In only one day, the whole world new the name Bangladesh. To understand the motivation for the concert, a brief historical overview is important:


The ancient and historic region of Bengal dates back to the Copper Age, over 4000 years ago. There has always been a tussle between Hinduism, Buddhism and the Muslim faith in the region. A proposal for a United India (Pakistan/India/Bengal) was rejected because of continuous inter-religious violence. In 1947 British India was partitioned into Pakistan (mostly Muslim), India (mostly Hindu) and East Pakistan (the Bengal bit - mostly Muslim). Geographically, East Pakistan was separated from Pakistan by 1600km of India, which led to political isolation, economic neglect and ethnic and linguistic discrimination. The War of Independence was inevitable. and the independent state of Bangladesh emerged as a nation after separation from Pakistan in 1971. After the war, the new state endured famine and widespread poverty - exacerbated by a spate of natural disasters and disease. The Concert for Bangladesh brought these horrific conditions to the world's attention and raised money to aid its suffering people. 


Modern Bangladesh is an emerging market with above trend economic growth ( 6% per year), and ever improving conditions for the very proud Bangladeshi people.


Last night we visited The Bengal Kitchen, 3km south of the CBD in Woolloongabba (see suburb profile week 9: France). The Bengal Kitchen is owned by Ali, who moved here 21 years ago on a student visa to further his studies in hospitality. Proudly wearing a bandanna sporting the flag of Bangladesh on his head and a Bronco's rugby jersey on his chest, Ali and his sister enthusiastically share their passion for Bangladeshi food with the people of Brisbane. Bangladeshis in Australia are one of the smallest immigrant communities in the country (about 20,000), with 1672 living in Brisbane.


The food from Bangladesh is a culinary art form. It is the only country on the subcontinent with a multi-course tradition, analogous to the modern service a la russe where the dishes are served course-wise rather than all at once. The cuisine is influenced by it's geography. Being a peninsula surrounded by the Bay of Bengal, seafood  features prominently. The fertile flat lands are perfect for cultivating rice (a dietary staple, together with lentils), and neighbouring India clearly played a part in shaping the profile of this cuisine. It offers a taste-tantalising blend of fragrant spices, which can vary from sweet to very spicy. Mustard oil is preferred as cooking medium, and the spice combinations are a variation of cumin, red chili, turmeric, garlic, fenugreek, coriander and black mustard seeds. For the home cook, it might be more convenient to buy a packet of panch poran, which is a general purpose spice mixture, ideal for giving a dish a bit of Bengali flavour.


The 10 of us shared a variety of starters, including Aloo gobi, Onion Bhaji and samosas, and then we ordered a different curry each. Seafood, chicken, beef, lamb, vegetarian - all showcasing the variety of spice combinations and heat intrinsic to the taste structure of a Bangladeshi meal. The food was delicious, the company was great, and the fact sharing (see week one blog regarding Friday Night Out fact sharing rules) as varied as the spice combinations ! From Finn's World's largest Human Flag fact (see image below).....

to Boetie's real flag fact (the red disc in the centre of the green flag is actually slightly off- centred to the hoist, which allows it to appear centre when the flag is flying. Mandy and Andrew G both shared demographic stats (average height of male is 5"7; average child bearing age is 18....), Martina and Keith emphasized the potential disaster facing the country, should the sea level rise by 1m due to global warming and the ensuing mass human displacement (considering this is a nation with 160 million people who mostly live on low-laying land). Andrew M shared a tooth-fairy fable (kids throw their baby teeth down a rat hole, which apparently will result in their adult teeth being nice and strong)....should we consider a fable to be a fact? Louise, sticking to her textile theme from Nepal, outlined this strong female-dominant industry and it's substantial contribution to the GDP. And then there was Phil's fact that the origin of the name Bangla Desh is uncertain, and there are conflicting theories surrounding it's meaning....can an uncertainty be considered to be a fact?


What we know as a fact, is that we have another 24 weeks of culinary exploration to go, and next week we shall investigate the spice combinations of Mexico!