On the Eighth day, he made bread. And on the Ninth, a sandwich....
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| The Bosphorous |
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| Turkish fried chicken and chilli sandwich |
A few years ago, I went to Constantinople (which sounds wayyyyy better than Istanbul) and had this crunchy chicken and fried chilli sandwich. It was a cold and blowy day as I faced the Bosphorus, trying to take in the history of my setting and hoping that that damn wind would stop blowing. The wind didn't stop doing its job but this sandwich happily added some much needed heat to my body.
A few years even before that, I had this kickass sandwich called 'bifana' in a little bar in Lisbon. It is a stewed pork sandwich and just what you need when you have been driving a car for hours and desperately need a quick pee and then a pick-me-up. Accompanied by a cold beer.I can still feel that crunchy bread and that firm meat ...scarf!
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| Indian 'Zaiqa' roll |
And somewhere between these two sandwiches, in India, I had a 'zaiqa' roll from a street vendor. Curried chicken rolled up in 2 minutes flat! Who knows where his hands had been and who knows what all he had added but I didn't care that day. Street food rocks and whoever tells you to the contrary, please refer him/her/it to me and I will give them a stern lecture. You see, I am good at stern lectures on food.
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| Post christmas Turkey sandwich |
One fine day, it is the day after christmas and you wake up still not sick of turkey. So you do what a friend of mine does - make a turkey meal sandwich. In goes the turkey, the stuffing, the gravy- hell, chuck in whatever you have left in the fridge, on the countertop, in the pantry...make several layers and munch away.
WARNING: Not for the small-mouthed as you need a rather large mouth to take a bite.
Chinese steamed breads should be a category all on their own but this is about sandwiches and the below two were just too awesome to not include. The one of the left is actually a stuffed bread, stuffed with mostly Chinese water spinach, garlic, onion and soya sauce.
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| Stuffed Chinese bread |
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| Chinese bun with squid |
On the right is one of the best smoked sweet bun with inky squid that I have ever tasted. This delicacy is found a very special restaurant called Ignició, which boasts a smoked kitchen where all food comes out smoky and heavenly.. Madrid squid sandwich, eat your heart out!
Budapest, summer, late night: My son and I were hungry and we were wandering around when we espied a type of food fair going on. We just wanted something light so, seeing a type of calzone, went for it. It was lovely - roast veg and meat and just what any doctor would recommend ;-) especially washed down with a cold beer
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| Hungarian calzone |
And last but not the least, a very special mention to the Rancid Sardine ('sardina ráncida') sandwich that I ate, a while ago, in Zaragoza. It is basically marinated sardine in a crunchy bun and the bar is very famous for it, The Lince. Try it!
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| Rancid sardine sandwich of Bar Lince in Zaragoza |
One of the best sandwiches I ever ate was in Rome...not a panini..it was a pizza base cooked and sliced in half filled with roast beef, rocket salad and large flakes of permesan...there was a dressing made with olive oil and I think some balsamic vinegar...it was absolutely marvelous..and cost next to nothing. A tip for finding good cheap places to eat in Rome...go to places that accept workers lunch vouchers. The tourist traps don't, the places that do are usually incredibly cheap and pretty wonderful. I have yet to meet an Italian that will accept poor food whereas often the stuff served tourists is overpriced crap.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds amazing! I will remember your tip for my next trip to that beautiful city. Thank you!
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