Yotam Ottolenghi Teaches Us How To Travel For Food, And Really Good Wine
Jerusalem-born chef Yotam Ottolenghi's eponymous food shops in London are always packed, and his cookbooks are bestsellers. Penned with co-author/partner Sami Tamimi, both Plenty and Jerusalem have set sales records in both the United States and Europe for their thoughtful approach to cooking the flavors of the Mediterranean and Middle East with simplicity in mind. But when we recently caught up with the chef, we wanted to talk about the messy, sometimes stressful, infinitely rewarding concept of world travel. And as we find out, there are four rules to drinking wine on the road: red, white, good and local.
Where are you planning to travel in 2014?
This year I'm going to Puglia, in Southern Italy, where I will spend time with my family. I'm also going to the Greek island of Kea, with friends, for the third year running.
If you could travel anywhere (else), and had infinite resources, where would you go in 2014?
If I could go on a food adventure anywhere, it would be Iran. I've never been able to travel there and am completely infatuated by the richness of Persian cuisine.
How much does food/drink have to do, if at all, with your travel plans for 2014?
Is there another reason to travel?
What was your most memorable trip from the past few years?
Boston, January 2013. We were there for a few months, with the gift of time. We used it wisely, working our way around nearly every café, tapas bar, restaurant, bakery, charcuterie and street food joint in town. It was the time of our lives.
What airlines do you fly, prefer to fly? Do you have any frequent flier programs?
Whichever gets me from A to B in as straight a line as possible. I'm loyal to any airline that will allow my legs to stretch out beyond the brace position.
What about hotels? Any standout places that you've stayed or would like to stay?The pool at the Park Hyatt hotel in Tokyo was pretty standout, as was its New York bar and Kozue restaurant.
What are you favorite cities for food, and if not mentioned above, where are you yearning to go to try the local cuisine?
I had a big love affair with Tokyo when I was there. Days spent in the food halls – Isetan Shinjuku was my favorite – and nights spent eating noodles, raw fish and friend foods like a man on a mission. I loved it. The Mission district in San Francisco feels like a home away from home. And Istanbul. The list could go on...
Is there a food you have traveled over 1,000 miles for?
Oyster omelet, Taiwanese style or Thai style. I'd travel to the moon for those.
Best travel advice you have been given lately?
Always have a backup plan if relying on the tube in London. It's the striking season!
Best food-related souvenir that you have ever brought back?
I picked up a brass mortar and pestle last summer, in Marrakesh, which I now use daily in the Camden test kitchen.
Any favorite cocktail/beer/wine spots from your travels?
It's wine every time: red, white, good and local.
Have you ever brought beer/wine/booze back from someplace, and if so, how'd you carry it?
Corsican wine, tons of it, on my last visit there.
Any items you must travel with?
My faded orange Moroccan slippers and my shiny iPhone with lots of freshly downloaded podcasts. Part-grandad, part-teenage through-and-through.
Worst travel nightmare story?
Casablanca airpoirt, Morocco. A TV crew and I were on track to catch a flight to our next location before we got pointlessly held up for two hours by a customs office having a quiet day. We were grilled and fried and then all made to run very, very fast to catch our plane.
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