A Global Culinary Thanksgiving: From Italy's Pasta to Kashmir's Bread

It’s Thanksgiving week, and everybody’s thinking about food. Whether we’re spending the holiday at home or traveling, food—and probably lots of it—will be a part of our weekend. In the U.S., our Thanksgiving tradition goes back to the Pilgrims of the 17^th century. President Abraham Lincoln established the day as a national holiday on the last Thursday of November in 1863. Sarah Josepha Hale, the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, had campaigned for the holiday for decades.

            When we travel, we like to sample the foods of the places we visit. My husband is on a quest to find the best Bolognese pasta sauce; so far, he says, the most delicious he’s had was prepared by a Macedonian chef on board a cruise ship during our sailing around Italy in 2007. Italy, of course, is world-renowned for its cuisine, but it’s not always about pasta.

            One of Italy’s most famous exports is Parma ham, frequently used in prosciutto. It enjoys a special protected status: only meat cured in the northern region of Emilia Romagna using Italian-grown pork legs, salt and air can be certified as authentic Parma ham, with annual sales of $1.6 billion. Tourist foodies flock to the region for Parma ham, balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese. But a warming climate and the spread of viruses affecting the pigs are causing shortages of Parma ham. Some countries, like China, Japan and Taiwan, have closed their markets to Parma ham because of African swine fever. The U.S., Canada and Europe have implemented regional bans, depending on where the virus has been most prevalent. But the industry is adjusting and visitors to the region are still enjoying Parma ham and other local delicacies.

            Here in Wisconsin, we love our cheese. They love it in Europe, too. Earlier this month, the World Cheese Awards were handed out in Portugal. In the biggest contest ever, nearly 4,800 cheeses from 47 countries were judged by a panel of 240 experts. The winner: Queijo de Ovelha Amanteigado, a soft, ewes’ milk cheese produced by a small, 10-employee shop in Soalheira, Portugal. Among the 13 other cheeses that made the finals were five Swiss cheeses, plus entries from the U.S., Brazil, Norway, Italy, Germany and Spain. Cheeses from Norway and Switzerland were winners in the past two years.

            The judging was a spectacle by itself. Over 100 tables were set up, each one filled with around 40 cheeses of all shapes, colors, sizes, ages and textures. The winner was described as “voluptuous” by one of the judges. The lone American-made cheese in the finals was produced by Cellars at Jasper Hill in Vermont. Holland’s Family Cheese of Thorp, up here in northwest Wisconsin, had some entries in the field.

            Fresh bread always finds a place on our Thanksgiving table. We’ll get a loaf or two from one of the many fine bakeries in our area, but when we travel, we like to sample local breads. France is generally regarded as one of the best bread producers in the world, but that status might be challenged now by a place generally known for its soaring mountains and political tensions.

            The Kashmir region of northern India has been contested between India and Pakistan for a long time. Centuries before those countries even existed, the famed Silk Road trade route passed through Kashmir. In the city of Srinagar, amidst the natural beauty of the Himalayas, bakers known as kandurs produce breads that are gaining worldwide recognition among bread gourmands. Nearly a dozen varieties are baked, each one with its own peculiar ritual and time of day to be consumed.

            A Kashmiri kandurwan uses clay tandoor ovens to bake its breads, with methods common in Central Asia. The baking technique has remained largely unchanged for centuries, deeply ingrained in Kashmir’s culture. Crisp-on-the-outside, pillowy-on-the-inside, circular girda and crunchy, thin lavasa are staples in the region’s homes. Picking up the bread at a bakery is a social occasion, with customers visiting while shop boys wrap their breads in day-old newspapers. At home, the bread is consumed along with noon chai, a savory tea. One of the region’s special-occasion breads is bakarkhani, a layered bread that is baked in sizes ranging up to 3 feet in diameter, typically served with mutton dishes.

            Many of Kashmir’s bread traditions, including recipes, are passed down through the generations as oral history, but restaurants in greater India are picking up on them. Kashmiri breads can now be found in Mumbai and other Indian cities, imported by chefs who have learned how to replicate the region’s baking process. It’s only a matter of time, we think, before Indian restaurants in Europe and the States start featuring Kashmir-inspired bread.

            Ready to explore the culinary delights of other countries? Give us a call!   

         Sue Tindell