The market · Fruit · Southern Europe, The Middle East
Lemons
The Mediterranean's sour: juice for brightness, zest for fragrance.
sharp · floral
What to do with it
Ibu Sari's Beef rendangLemon would cut through its richnessAna Etxarri's Pil pilLemon would cut through its richnessTolu Adeyemi's SuyaLemon would cut through its richnessTolu Adeyemi's Rendang, the Lagos wayLemon would cut through its richness
TurkishDolmaVegetables hollowed and filled, or vine leaves rolled, round rice with herbs and spices and sometimes meat.No one here has made it yetTurkishLahmacunA round of dough rolled very thin, spread with raw minced lamb, onion, pepper and tomato, and baked for a minute or two in a very hot oven.No one here has made it yetTurkishMercimek çorbasıRed lentils cooked with onion, carrot and a little potato, blended smooth, with red pepper butter and a wedge of lemon.No one here has made it yetAndalusianPescaíto fritoSmall fish, squid and pieces of dogfish tossed in flour and fried fast in hot olive oil, eaten crisp with salt and lemon.No one here has made it yetCastilian and MadridBocadillo de calamaresRings of squid, floured and fried, packed into a crusty white roll — Madrid's cheap, much-loved sandwich.No one here has made it yetAsturianPixín fritoMonkfish — pixín in Asturian — cut into chunks, marinated with garlic and lemon, then floured, dipped in egg and fried.No one here has made it yetLyonnaisTablier de sapeurSquares of ox tripe marinated in white wine and mustard, breadcrumbed and fried, served with a sauce gribiche.No one here has made it yetAlsatianCarpe friteCarp cut into thin slices across the bone, coated in fine semolina and deep-fried, eaten with mayonnaise, lemon and chips.No one here has made it yetNormanSole normandeSole poached in wine or cider and fish stock, garnished with mussels, prawns and mushrooms, in a sauce of the reduced liquor with cream and egg yolks.No one here has made it yet
Kitchens that keep it in
Gujarat — western India, on the Arabian SeaGujaratiSweet, sour and gently hot: a largely vegetarian kitchen of gram flour, jaggery and buttermilk, of steamed and fried snacks, and a thali with a little of everything.9 classicsLebanon, Syria, Palestine and JordanLevantineThe cooking of the eastern Mediterranean: olive oil, lemon, tahini and herbs, eaten as a spread of small dishes to share.11 classicsItalyItalianNot one cuisine but twenty regional ones, united by a respect for a few very good ingredients and the argument about how each dish is 'really' made.11 classicsGreece — the mainland and islands of the Aegean and Ionian SeasGreekOlive oil poured freely, lemon and oregano, wild greens and sheep's cheese, and fish grilled by the sea — food for sharing, slowly, outdoors.10 classics
