In Okinawa, Japan, the Tokko Shrine honors a sailor named Maeda Riemon for bringing sweet potatoes to Japan in 1705. He had encountered this plant—which isn’t actually a potato—in the Ryukyu Islands of the South China Sea, where locals called it “Chinese potato.” Riemon was so impressed by the flavor that he brought tubers home…
Harnessing the Multitudes of Garlic
I still have a lot of garlic from last year’s harvest. So to make sure I get through it all before the new crop comes in, I have increased my consumption. Thanks to this project I’ve been cooking garlic as if it’s a vegetable, rather than a spice. And given that garlic is plant material,…
Make Plov, Not War: The Rice-and-Meat Dish With Peacemaking Potential
Plov is a hearty and meaty rice-based meal from Central Asia. The dish is widely considered the progenitor of rice pilaf and a cousin to paella. Native to present-day Uzbekistan, plov has spread throughout the former Soviet republic, where it varies by region. Some renditions include chickpeas. Azerbaijani plov contains dried fruit. Ukrainian plov often…
Relish the Radish
At the final farmers market of the summer, I was buying winter melons from a farmer named Nancy. She’s from Northern China and often sells produce I’ve never heard of. After I filled my bag with those obscure winter melons, which taste sweetly like muskmelon, Nancy pivoted smoothly into giving me the hard sell on…
Pomegranate Magic
As winter heads into full gear, fresh produce is starting to feel like a faded memory. The tomatoes are mealy and the lettuce has jet lag, but the pomegranate harvest has just begun. Don’t take the lovely pomegranate for granted. The bright red orbs dangle brightly from the bushy plants like Christmas tree ornaments. The…
Adventures in Green Tomato Cookery
When you hear “green tomatoes,” does the word “fried” come to mind automatically? Aside from that Southern classic of breaded green tomato slices fried golden, few people have any idea of what else to do with hard, unripe tomatoes. Last week at a blustery farmers market, there were green tomatoes for sale. But nobody—vendors or…
A Side of Salsa, Extra Smoke
At the 12th annual Butte Bouldering Bash a few weeks back, rock climbers gathered to scramble up the crystal-flecked boulders that sprout from the earth along the Pipestone section of Montana’s continental divide. Climbing requires a lot of nourishment: carbohydrates to keep you going, and protein to rebuild those tired muscles. And, just as importantly,…
Learning to Love the Shishito
It wasn’t love at first bite, but I finally warmed up to the shishito pepper. The name is an abbreviation of “shishitogarashi,” which is Japanese for “the tip of this pepper looks like a lion’s face.” This description is as fanciful as looking for faces in clouds, but you don’t need to imagine a lion…
This Pork Chile Verde Is the Best Thing to Cook With Tomatillos
Pity the misfit tomatillo, also known as the Mexican husk tomato. Most cooks don’t know what to do with that swaddled orb that looks like a paper lantern and tastes like some underripe fruit. Green salsa is the most common application, but I usually prefer tomato salsa, in part because tomatillos can be a bit…
The Pickle Project: A Quest for the Perfect Refrigerator Pickles
It began with my friend, Amy Alkon, gushing about Dietz and Watson brand kosher dill pickles, which she calls “the crowning glory of picklehood.” Alkon is an award-winning, science-based advice columnist and author. On Twitter, she called her D&W’s the “best thing to stress eat … when the writing is going a little hopelessly.” Her…
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