Flavors of the Sun: Flavors of the Sun Travel

Showing posts with label Flavors of the Sun Travel. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Part II: The Spices of Morocco--the Blends

Part II: The Spices of Morocco--the Blends

Each cook has her favorite spice merchant where she knows she will glean the freshest products. Each cook knows how much of each spice she wants for a particular dish. A little more ginger, a token amount of turmeric, a wee touch of coriander, a big scoop of cumin, a modicum of paprika. Yes, she knows how to weave her particular magic and the merchants know how to weave theirs in their enticing displays. These lovely piles of spices are simply called "Epices Pour Tagine," or Spices for Tagines, those luscious stews favored all over Morocco.

These photos were taken last May when I led my sixth small group on a journey throughout Morocco. Want to know more? Just contact me for the 2012 itinerary.

The cook may want to choose her own mixtures, but when it comes to that special blend of 35 spices or more, Ras El Hanout, she can simply ask her merchant for his "Top of the Shop" blend.

Like what you see? Come and join me in Morocco in 2012. Contact me for more information.

Friday, August 5, 2011

The Spices of Morocco

The Spices of Morocco

by Victoria Challancin

They dazzle. They beguile. They beckon...the spices of Morocco.

Come with me today and stroll through the exotic spice souks of Morocco and see how many familiar spices you can spot. Today's post is meant to be a pictorial journey based on photos I shot in Morocco last May, but if you want to read about the spices, particularly that luscious blend called Ras El Hanout, then click here. Or if you want to join me on a very special Moroccan trip, contact me for an itinerary.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Juxtapositions: Istanbul

A painting on a museum's elevator doors

Juxtapositions: Istanbul

by Victoria Challancin

Sometimes I think I live for Juxtapositions. For Duality. For Contrasts. For Differences. It's why I travel, why I live in Mexico, why I married the man I did. Juxtapositions...those startling comparisons that jolt you into thought, action, change. It's true...I live for them.

And where better to process them than in Istanbul, that fabulous city of contrasts? A city of layers, everywhere you look. Scratch the surface and you will find the remnants of warring civilizations, now finally at peace with themselves and each other as they nestle side by side and peek through the modern layers of this ancient place. Ottoman Turk, Roman, Greek, Byzantine, Anatolian, Arab, Persian, Central Asian...all at peace with one another. All leaving their mark, blending in visual poem, a monument to Time.

Do these photos intrigue you? Come join me on my next tour to Istanbul in May of 2011 and see for yourself.

Contact Information: flavorsofthesun@gmail.com

Victoria Challancin

Flavors of the Sun Travel

San Miguel de Allende, México

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

On a Moroccan Table

Flowers, always flowers...everywhere

On A Moroccan Table

by Victoria Challancin

Morocco is a land of embellishments. Everywhere you look, life is visually enhanced. Nowhere is it more true than on the dining tables where you never know what will delight you: a few scattered flowers, a hand-embroidered tablecloth, a lei of roses, Arabic writing (my Arabic is just good enough to delight in deciphering the letters!), fresh crusty bread, a handful of olives, that unique triumvirate of Moroccan spices lovingly displayed (salt, pepper, ground cumin), or a simple glass of cold, crispy wine surrounded by tempting dishes...you just never know. But you do know that whatever you find, your senses will be delighted.

Normally, I have a distrust of rosé wines, but I discovered a lovely crispy dry one in Morocco...perfect with this soup, served on a hand-embroidered tablecloth in a favorite riad in Marrakech...

And if you are lucky to pass through the Valley of Roses, somehow a lei of roses just follows you around...from the car, to the room, to the table...

Yes, these make me happy...for silly reasons, I'm sure...

Delicious bread, freshly made, always on the table, ready to sop up those unbelievable Moroccan flavors...

Oil-cured olives and the ever-present triple condiment of spices: Salt, Black Pepper, and Cumin...soooo Moroccan...

And yet another version...

Salt, Black Pepper, and Cumin...yet again...this time in Fès at my favorite riad there...and that same rosé wine

If you enjoyed this post on food in Morocco, try the following:

Cooking at the Kasbah: A Cooking Class at La Maison Arabe

A Moroccan Picnic: First, the Shopping

A Moroccan Picnic: And Then the Food

Or go to my Travel Blog Index at the top of the Page and find articles on: Moroccan Ingredients, the Moroccan Olive Harvest, the Roses of Morocco, Moroccan Salads...and more...so much more...

Or better yet, join me this Spring for a Small Group Journey through enchanting Morocco. Contact Victoria Challancin here:

flavorsofthesun@gmail.com

Happy Holidays!

Victoria Challancin

Flavors of the Sun International Cooking School

San Miguel de Allende, México

Friday, December 10, 2010

Refections in Istanbul

Near the opening to the Black Sea as seen from a boat on the Bosporus

Reflections in Istanbul

by Victoria Challancin

Like everyone else I meander through my life reflecting on what I see, what I internalize, what I learn. I filter my world through my own private lens and color everything I see with my own interpretations. If I wrote about my reflections "on" Paris here, today I'll show you Istanbul. Still reflected through my eyes. Still seen through my lens.

The Blue Mosque

Part of my small group of six...times three

Inside the Basilica Cistern...magnificent even through the eyes of my point-and-shoot camera

Me, taking my own photo...reflected

The Blue Mosque through Ashley's eyes...or would that be Ralph's?

Inside the Blue Mosque...oh how I wish my tiny camera could do it justice...

A garden lit up at night...

And we certainly know from this post how I feel about the various lights of Istanbul...reflecting beauty, tiny fragmentations of color and light...bathing us with their startling imagery, knitting together broken light into one stunning burst of glory...

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy these photo essays:

Carried Away: The Lights of Istanbul

Reflections on Paris

Why Visit Morocco?

I Am Monet (...the Blue Mosque, Istanbul)

Images from Day of the Dead

Fall Comes to Paris

Stopping to Eat the Roses, Part I, Paris

Stopping to Eat the Roses, Part II, Istanbul

Or better yet, why not join me in Istanbul in May and see for yourself?

Contact Victoria Challancin at flavorsofthesun@gmail.com for more information on the May trip.