Category Archives: Terroir

A Canadian restaurant critic goes home to the Med and writes a story bout an Island (Crete), good friends, and food. He was in search of his Greekness. At times, he really wondered what he was discovering.  

It’s a bit of a hybrid, this book; part travelogue, part culinary adventure, and part personal odyssey for the author.

 “In Chania, one never questions the purpose of life, one simply eats it.”

Completely honest about both the joys and frustrations of life on Crete,  Natural and man-made disasters at a retirement cottage.  Crisis Management -Greek style.

Reminds me of so many Greeks we know.

Crete on a Half Shell, Byron Ayanoglu, ISBN 0-00-639160-5

Many cheese and wine varietals have grown up together, oftentimes on the same farm or within a small village. Eegional recipes for wine, cheese, and other local dishes were paired. Passed down from generation to generation, these pairings continue to exist centuries later. The roots of regional pairings go no deeper than those in Europe.

Scientists believe foods that sit on opposite ends of the spectrum of taste often create a pleasant taste sensation, triggering a good match in the mind. This is true for wine and cheese as well as many other food and drink combinations.

Studies also point to the science behind “palate cleansing” to help explain how food pairing works. This is an oft-referenced concept in the realm of food pairing. Astringent foods alternated with creamier foods often create a pleasant taste combination. This discovery helps to explain why wine and cheese have been paired together for so long, as the two developed simultaneously centuries ago.

Cheese is a fatty food. Wine is astringent. They oppose each other to create a balanced mouthfeel. Because fatty foods are oily, eating them lubricates the mouth. You take a bit of cheese and your mouth feels slick. Take a drink of wine and the tannins will make the mouth feel dry or rough.

Sauvignon Blanc is often paired with goat cheese. The citrus and mineral notes found in Sauvignon Blanc will bring the tasting experience to the next level. This is because the wine’s aromatic flavors make the herbal notes in the goat cheese stand out.  

The best cheeses to pair with red wine are hearty ones – semi-firm, firm and aged hard cheese. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, Tempranillo and Sangiovese are but a few of the red wines that pair well with aged Gouda and Cheddar, aged Manchego or Pecorino and other similar cow, goat or sheep milk cheeses. 

For younger, lighter and more fruity firm or semi-firm cheese,  go back to serving a white wine or a very light red such as an old world Pinot Noir, Schiava from Alto Adige, or Beaujolais.

“I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain’d, I stand and look at them long and long.

They do not sweat and whine about their condition, They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins, They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God, Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things, Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago, Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.”  Walt Whitman … “Song of myself”

A tale of the ordinary lives of families in East and Central Africa.  The author was a pioneer in the study of the mountain gorillas in the early 60s.

I found it a great family history read.

The Year of the Gorilla – George B. Schaller – ISBN 0-226-7368-5

“The Harem”  also does not deal with the Harem entirely. It covers the palace of the Sultan, which the Harem is only one part. So don’t expect an entire book on slave girls. It covers everything else and only spends part of the book on the women themselves.  But it’s still an excellent accounting of the history of the Seraglio.  The Nurses’ quarter was fascinating.