In Tanzania, we have a choice of 2 or 3 yogurts .... here you can find a whole aisle of them !
Part of the bakery section of the deli .... my favourite part, as you can imagine !
I stocked up on various pasta's from this section - including a wholewheat one, all the way from Greece !As I’ve mentioned before, we do not have a huge selection of products available to us in Tanzania, and our shopping options are somewhat limited. As you know too, I love to cook and it is impossible to find certain “essential” ingredients there – things that I take for granted when visiting the ‘first’ world like …. wholewheat flour and pasta’s, bran, flax/pumpkin/sunflower seeds, white sugar, quality stock cubes/granules, quality flaked salt, flavoured mustards, pesto’s and vanilla extract … to mention but a few.
Don’t even get me started on the fresh produce ….. figs, pomegranates, fennel, fresh herbs & miniature vegetables which we battle to grow in East Africa – and things like a huge array of cheeses (ah – real Parmesan !), quality chocolate, bread (ah – Rye bread !), preserves, balsamic and other reductions and ‘new’ food finds like Quinoa to experiment with…. oh … and don’t forget the meat. The biggest selection of quality meat you could ever hope to find, along with things like chorizo sausage, prosciutto and parma ham.
When I’m here, I buy, eat and cook as much of the ‘unusual’ stuff as I can. I also try as many new things in restaurants as I can … I admit, I even carry a small pocket book in my handbag and sometimes scribble down descriptions of what I’m eating, so that I can try and recreate the flavours when I get back home !
When I travel back home to Tanzania, you’d be amused to see what we carry in our luggage … lots of the above ingredients (well, those that are not too perishable !) …. it’s like Christmas when I unpack it all and my pantry shelves creak under the weight of all the new goodies. (I’m sure that the Custom’s officials wonder why on earth I bring half the stuff into the country !).
Anyway, I wanted to post a few photo’s of a wonderful deli which I often visit when I am here in Johannesburg. We usually stock up on all sorts here as it carries a vast selection of products from every corner of the world and has sections for Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Italian and Indian food along with an impressive cheese counter, bakery and butchery.
Ainsley Harriott (my all time favourite cook !) appeared at this very deli a few years ago and my Mum met him in person and even got him to write a message and sign a copy of his (then) latest book “Ainsley Harriott’s Barbecue Bible” for me … and she told him all about his fan, living in the foothills of Kilimanjaro and watching his cooking shows via generator power on satellite TV !
When stocks are running a little low on the farm, I’ll re visit this blog post and drool over the groaning shelves in the above photographs …. and when I get home, you can expect to see some interesting food posts popping up as I cook recipes using some of the ingredients bought in this very deli, and carried home safely across the African continent ….. to my humble farm kitchen in the foothill’s of Africa’s highest peak. (I’m sure that Ainsley would be proud !)
Don’t even get me started on the fresh produce ….. figs, pomegranates, fennel, fresh herbs & miniature vegetables which we battle to grow in East Africa – and things like a huge array of cheeses (ah – real Parmesan !), quality chocolate, bread (ah – Rye bread !), preserves, balsamic and other reductions and ‘new’ food finds like Quinoa to experiment with…. oh … and don’t forget the meat. The biggest selection of quality meat you could ever hope to find, along with things like chorizo sausage, prosciutto and parma ham.
When I’m here, I buy, eat and cook as much of the ‘unusual’ stuff as I can. I also try as many new things in restaurants as I can … I admit, I even carry a small pocket book in my handbag and sometimes scribble down descriptions of what I’m eating, so that I can try and recreate the flavours when I get back home !
When I travel back home to Tanzania, you’d be amused to see what we carry in our luggage … lots of the above ingredients (well, those that are not too perishable !) …. it’s like Christmas when I unpack it all and my pantry shelves creak under the weight of all the new goodies. (I’m sure that the Custom’s officials wonder why on earth I bring half the stuff into the country !).
Anyway, I wanted to post a few photo’s of a wonderful deli which I often visit when I am here in Johannesburg. We usually stock up on all sorts here as it carries a vast selection of products from every corner of the world and has sections for Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Italian and Indian food along with an impressive cheese counter, bakery and butchery.
Ainsley Harriott (my all time favourite cook !) appeared at this very deli a few years ago and my Mum met him in person and even got him to write a message and sign a copy of his (then) latest book “Ainsley Harriott’s Barbecue Bible” for me … and she told him all about his fan, living in the foothills of Kilimanjaro and watching his cooking shows via generator power on satellite TV !
When stocks are running a little low on the farm, I’ll re visit this blog post and drool over the groaning shelves in the above photographs …. and when I get home, you can expect to see some interesting food posts popping up as I cook recipes using some of the ingredients bought in this very deli, and carried home safely across the African continent ….. to my humble farm kitchen in the foothill’s of Africa’s highest peak. (I’m sure that Ainsley would be proud !)
Chicago Sun-Times online published this blog post on 25th July '08. Click here to view it.
