I think I suffer from a severe case of gastronomic xenophilia - a phrase and affliction of my own imagination. And like all imaginary afflictions, I seem to have all the right symptoms. Consider this:
- An indecent obsession with food
- The more foreign and untried, the better
- A strong urge to research the cuisine of a place I plan to visit even before reading about what the place has to offer
I tell everyone that I have wanderlust; the need to see new places, experience new cultures and meet new people. But who am I kidding? Instead, what I have is gastrolust - the need to taste new cuisines.
And on every trip of mine, I seem to fixate on one specialty of the region. On my recent trip to Brazil, it was Moqueca or more accurately, Moqueca Bahiana. Take a look at the picture.
Looks a lot like Kaeng Phet Daeng Kai - the Thai red curry; has similar ingredients too. But they are worlds apart (pun intended). Moqueca is mostly eaten with Farofa - a toasted flour mixture that is surprisingly filling.
It was Moqueca in Rio and Moqueca in Salvador. This single-item obsession of mine is the same as when I was obsessing about Assam Laksa in Malaysia and Pla Neung Manao in Thailand.
I seem to find no cure for it!
