Week 16 - Cuba

TOSTADA

After last week's exotic Gunfo, I thought we'd stick a little closer to home with the simple Cuban breakfast:  Tostada and Cafe con leche.  Or, toasted buttered bread and coffee with milk.


Now, from all this breakfast research I know that a large portion of the world regularly eats toast first thing in the morning so it would seem silly to feature such an ordinary food.  But so many sources talked about the awesome wonder of Cuban Tostada and actually argued about the best bakery to go for Cuban bread that I figured it was worth investigating.

Cuban bread is fairly simple and is traditionally made in long white loafs similar to Italian or French bread.  It has a secret ingredient however that sets it apart - that old chestnut from our grandmother's kitchen, LARD.

When I set about making Cuban bread I have to admit that I didn't even know where in the grocery story to go to find lard.  After searching the baking and dairy aisle I finally found it hiding among the vegetable oils and pickles and was astonished by it's low price.  (For those foodies out there, I realize that quality lard is best obtained at the butchers.)

Once out of the oven the bread, like all fresh baked bread, smelled great.  In fact it was so inviting that we cheated and skipped the toasting altogether, just smothering the hot bread with butter and stuffing it in our mouths. (It should've technically been toasted like a panini and dipped in our coffee.)

Mmmmmm, it might've been my imagination but I think that maybe Cuban bread did taste creamier and smoother than regular white bread.  Other than that it tasted like.... bread with butter.  But sometimes the simplest things are the best.

The Verdict:

For Ease of Preparation:

I give this a three because as far as breads go it was fairly simple.  It would be even easier if you lived in Miami or Cuba and could just pick this up at your local Bodega.

For Degree of Separation:






Bread with butter, 'nuf said.

For Guestability:






Nothing is more warm, inviting and hospitable than fresh-baked bread.

For Sustainability:







For Overall Appeal:

Though rather ordinary, Tostada was a welcome break or "palate-cleanser" from five crazy months of exotic breakfasts.

Join us next time as we tackle one of the most complex breakfasts yet - traditional Japanese 朝食.

Week 15 - Ethiopia

GUNFO

Ethiopia has a rich culinary tradition and breakfast is no exception.  For the Ethiopian Breakfast entry I could've chosen to make Fit-fit (shredded injeera with spices), Dulet (a spicy meat dish), Fatira (fried pancake with egg and honey), Chechebsa (spicy pancake), or Kinche (spicy cracked wheat).  But for some reason I settled on Gunfo - Barley Porridge with Spicy Butter.

Unfortunately for me, (and my poor mother who was visiting at the time), Gunfo is probably the least delicious of the breakfasts we've made so far.  Even my Ethiopian colleague commented, when she found out we made Gunfo, "Oh no!  Gunfo is not delicious!"  But I digress...

Niter Kibbeh

Gunfo is a stiff porridge made traditionally from barley flour (wheat flour can be substituted).  It's formed into a volcano shape and in the spout you pour Niter Kibbeh (clarified butter infused with garlic, ginger and other spices) and top with a generous helping of Ethiopia's favourite spice mix, Berbere.

Berbere Spice Blend

As we already had some Niter Kibbeh on hand (who doesn't?), and my Ethiopian co-worker had been extremely generous and gotten me some Berbere spice straight from Ethiopia, Gunfo was a snap to prepare and extremely inexpensive.  Just stir water and barley flour over low heat until it forms a thick paste and, presto, you have Gunfo.

As for how it tasted:  I won't say it tasted bad, it was just that the barley flour porridge was extremely bland and had a unpleasant paste-like texture.  The Niter Kibbeh with the Berbere spice was fantastic however.  It was deliciously buttery and spicy and gave a good inkling that probably the other breakfast options that incorporated it would've been great...

The Verdict:

For Ease of Preparation:





Gunfo took a measly 10 minutes on the stovetop to prepare.

For Degree of Separation:

For Guestability:





Sorry Mom!  But thanks for being such a great sport...

For Sustainability:







A little hard to judge as I don't think either of us ate enough to tell.

For Overall Appeal:






I quite enjoy Ethiopian food on the whole, but Gunfo was not something I want to add to my normal breafast rotation.  Perhaps later I'll go back and try one of the other breakfast options Ethiopia has to offer...

Next up, a quick bite in Cuba!

Week 14 - Ontbijt - The Netherlands

HAGELSLAG


It's time.  Time for sprinkles for breakfast!  And they are every bit as good as you imagine.


Sprinkles, jimmies, nonpareils, hundreds and thousands, confetti, hagelslag... the sheer number of names for the humble sprinkle is amazing.  But make no mistake, Hagelslag is a sprinkle above the rest.  Yes, even above the lofty french non-pareil!

Hagelslag (dutch for hailstorm) were officially invented in 1936 by the Venz company.  However some form of chocolately bread topping has been around the Netherlands since at least 1860 from the "Master of Bread Toppings" De Ruijter.  (see box below)

A very popular breakfast choice in the Netherlands, you can buy Hagelslag or their cousin the Vlokken (shavings), in a large array of flavours, shapes and colours.  Word is that the Dutch consume more than 14 million kilos a year!  That's a lot of sprinkles.









The standard procedure for Hagelslag: butter a piece of white bread, sprinkle with Hagelslag and enjoy.  Unlike the German Weisswurst however, Hagelslag is open to interpretation.  You can enjoy it on toast, crepes, ice cream (well maybe not for breakfast), with peanut butter, cream cheese...whatever sparks your fancy.  So far we've tried it standard, toasted and with peanut butter.  And we've tried it a lot.  In fact, since we first tried this breakfast (admittedly several weeks back) we've gone through two whole boxes of Hagelslag!  It's quick and convenient and a lot of fun.  (a component that doesn't make it into a lot of breakfasts)

You bite into the nice soft, fresh white bread, savour the creamy butter on your tongue and as the Hagelslag enter your mouth they melt, almost like you're eating a delicious chocolate frosting spread on bread.  Mmmmmm... As Jon would say: "I wish I was eating them right now."

The Verdict:

For Ease of Preparation:  

It doesn't get any easier than this folks.

For Degree of Separation:

Although made with humble bread, the original use of ordinary ingredients blew my mind.

For Guestability:

For Sustainability:

Overall Appeal:

Some more Hagelslag trivia:

-Supposedly invented when a 5 year old boy wrote DeRuijter asking for a chocolate bread topping.

-Hagelslag must contain over 35% cocoa or they're called "cacao fantasy hagelslag" - AKA fake hagelslag.

-Pink or blue Hagelslag flavoured with anise seeds are a popular baby shower treat in the Netherlands.

Next time we head to Africa and explore how Ethiopians start their day....