Sudi Pigott discovers some culinary delights to tempt even the most demanding gourmet traveller
Seeking out delectable edibles of the highest and rarest order is undeniably the future of shopping, especially for the vast majority of hedonistic foodie travellers who don’t waywardly hanker after fitting into a size zero. According to forecasts by Datamonitor, gourmet shopping is growing across Western Europe at more than twice the overall market rate as shoppers become more cosmopolitan and adventurous. Gourmet travellers appreciate that the best way to understand a city’s personality is through its food shops and the treats that locals bestow on lovers, friends and families. Paying
attention to such details is the epicurean equivalent of
being sartorially well-accessorised and can transport even
the simplest celebration to a higher plane.
What better way to start filling the figurative hamper of definitive luxury ingredients than a bottle of one of the world’s premium (not to mention most pricey) champagnes? Even before its release, there’s a waiting list of canny connoisseurs for Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs 2000 (€1,000), which only comes from two tiny vineyards in the village of Cramant in Champagne and so is exceptionally rare, refined and delicious. Meanwhile vodka devotees will be thrilled with Roberto Cavalli’s exceptional Piedmont-made premium vodka – its final filtering is through flakes of Carrara marble, and the covetable bottle has a trademark Cavalli snakeskin pattern and transparent glass serpent wrapped around it (exclusive to Harrods until March 2007). For a memorable digestif, try the limited edition Hennessy Cognac Ellipse – complex, rich and velvety – in a bespoke decanter by Baccarat designer Thomas Bastide (around €3,500).
In Nice, there’s ample choice of Prada for the larder. Most Nicoise will happily quash any ethical doubts about the production of foie gras and wax lyrical about its incomparable silky texture, but be aware that it’s never worth buying tins of bloc de foie gras, however tempting the packaging, as this consists merely of machine-minced and pressed liver leftovers. Only foie gras entier is made with the whole lobes of the liver and is therefore worth splurging on. Le Moulin des Caracoles (5 Rue Saint Francois de Paule) has plenty of regional delicacies, including foie gras, on offer.
Equally luxurious are winter Perigord truffles, usually harvested up until March. The best are bought fresh in Cours Saleya market (beware of tricks of the trade such as an extra layer of dirt or a crafty pebble to add weight to the knobbly tuber, though a crust of earth is essential to keep the divine aromas intact). Expect to pay more than €2,000 a pound. It’s easier to shop for truffles jarred at peak perfection at the highly esteemed Terres de Truffes (11 Rue Saint Francois de Paul, terresdetruffes. com), which also sells salt cod brandade with truffles, white truffle fondue, and even honey or peach jam with truffles for decadent baguettes or breakfast.
Olive aficionados should seek out Cailletier extra virgin olive oil at the beautiful, wood-panelled Alziari (14 Rue Saint Francois de Paule, alziari.com.fr), which sells excellent olive tapenade too. For the sweet-toothed, jewel-like glacé fruits from patisserie/chocolatier Maison Auer (7 Rue Saint Francois de Paule, maison-auer.com) are a traditional Nicoise speciality.
Spanish destinations are a prime hunting ground for the gourmet traveller. Almost indecently proportioned langoustines and lobsters abound in Murcia, and it’s hard to beat gourmet shopping in the legendary Boqueria market just off Las Ramblas in Barcelona. Jamón ibérico de bellota carved to order is a must – this is the revered acorn-fed, black-footed ham that makes up a mere 10 per cent of Spain’s cured ham production, with an incomparable nutty, silky texture that true Spanish gourmets insist on. Surprisingly, Spanish foodies also rate tinned delicacies, including Ortiz Bonita del Norte tuna, Nardini smoked anchovies, and hand-peeled and beechwood-smoked piquillo peppers. Also popular is Spanish turrón (superior almond nougat – turrón de Alicante is hard, turrón de Jijona is soft) from Planelles Donat in Barcelona (7 and 25 Portal de l’Angel). For more on Spanish gourmet food, visit brindisa.com.
Still relatively undiscovered for its gourmet gems, Bari is the place to find burrata, a Puglian speciality and arguably the world’s most decadent cheese. Entirely handmade, it’s a heavenly, meltingly rich cow’s milk mozzarella filled with semi-liquid curds and cream and wrapped in aromatic young leek leaves that must be eaten within 48 hours of making (the most famous is from Andria). It is ideally accompanied by Altamura bread, which has been recognised by the Slow Food organisation as a delicacy to be saved and cherished. Almost as rare are taralli, special boiled and baked savoury biscuits with fennel seeds that are unique to Puglia. Bari’s prime gastro-shopping location is Antica Salumeria D.C.A. (28 Corso Vittorio Emanuele II).
Though Tuscany’s foodie credentials are well established, committed gourmet travellers prefer to seek out lesser-known delicacies from the region. Actress Trudie Styler has an estate, Il Palagio, just beyond Florence, which produces vastly superior extra virgin olive oil and honey (available from Harrods, harrods.com). Chocolate specialist Amadei, run by brother and sister Alessio and Cecelia Tessieri, produces the world’s finest single-plantation chocolates, Chuao and Porcelena, in strictly limited numbered bars.
Besides seafood, gourmet specialities to embrace in Lisbon include Portuguese black foot acorn-fed pata negra ham and a richly perfumed, buttery sheep’s cheese of almost spreadable consistency from the Serra da Estrela region. Sweetmeats are a treat for the notoriously sweet-toothed Portuguese, too. Greengages made into sugar plums, apricots, figs and peaches from the Alentejo are cooked and soaked in sugar syrup for six weeks, then washed and sun-dried.
Rare teas are an increasingly sought-after delicacy, and tea specialist Emeyu (emeyu.com), based in Copenhagen and London, sells exquisitely packaged white teas. These are picked and harvested before the leaves open fully, when the buds are still covered by fine white hair. White tea is scarcer, more complex and more delicate on the palate than other teas, and is correspondingly expensive. Tea aficionados also hanker after tantalising jasmine tea pearls; these are made by laying up to six layers of fresh jasmine petals atop the tea leaves to allow the scents to merge, and then rolling the tea leaves by hand into tiny aromatic balls.
Le luxe du luxe de la gastronomie
Partir obstinément à la recherche des mets les plus raffinés, de l’espèce la plus rare et de la plus remarquable, s’inscrit indéniablement dans les futures tendances du shopping. Cette pratique s’adresse principalement aux voyageurs hédonistes qui aiment se régaler sans vouloir tenter à tout prix de rentrer dans une taille 36.
Une des meilleures façons de commencer à remplir son panier gastronomique de luxe n’est-elle pas par une bouteille de Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs, millésime 2000? Ce breuvage exceptionnel produit dans deux petits vignobles du village de Cramant en Champagne est vendu au prix de €1000 la bouteille.
En ce qui concerne le rayon alimentaire, le choix s’avère infini pour le garde-manger. A Nice, le foie gras se situe en première place dans la catégorie produits de luxe, au même titre que les truffes hivernales du Périgord, que vous pouvez acheter fraîches au marché de Cours Saleya. En Espagne, de nombreuses destinations sont également des places de choix pour traquer les mets les plus privilégiés. Pensez à ces langoustines et ces homards aux proportions indécentes de Murcie ou au shopping gourmet inégalable du légendaire marché Boqueria, juste à côté des Ramblas à Barcelone. De son côté, Bari,
s’impose comme le lieu de La burrata, le fromage le plus singulier au monde, à base de lait de vache crémeux. Il s’apparente à la mozzarella, composé de ferments de lait semi-liquides et de crème, entouré de jeunes feuilles de jonc.
Les amateurs de sucré qui se rendent à Lisbonne pourront jeter leur dévolu sur un sucre naturel rehaussé de fruits délicats, cuits dans du sirop de sucre durant six semaines, rincés et ensuite séchés au soleil. Pour bien digérer toutes ces délices, les accros de la gastro, recherchent également les thés rares. A Copenhague et à Londres, le spécialiste Emeyu, propose des thés blancs superbement packagés, dont les feuilles sont récoltées avant d’arriver à maturité, au moment où les bourgeons sont encore recouverts d’un léger duvet blanc.
Lekker exclusief
Een shoppinglijstje vol verrukkelijke, maar vaak zeldzame en dus dure voedingsproducten is een trend in opmars. Vooral dan bij reizende ‘foodies’, voor wie het etiket op etenswaren belangrijker is dan het label (en de maat) van hun kledij.
Een eerste idee voor de mand met ultieme luxeproducten: een fles Perrier Jouet’s Belle Epoque Blanc de Blancs van 2000. De druiven voor deze bubbelende godendrank komen van twee kleine wijngaarden in het dorp Cramant in de Champagnestreek. Vanaf €1000 voor een fles.
En ook aan lekker exclusief eten geen gebrek. In Nice vind je bijvoorbeeld de heerlijkste foie gras en de al even luxueuze Perigord wintertruffels. Koop ze vers, op de markt van de beroemde Cours Saleya. Ook Spanje is een prima bestemming voor chique voedingswaren. Wat dacht je van reusachtige langoustines en kreeften uit Murcia? Voor lekkernijen gaat er maar weinig boven de legendarische Boqueriamarkt vlakbij de Ramblas in Barcelona. En wil je ’s werelds meest decadente kaas in je koelkast, dan moet je in Bari zijn voor een portie burrata: een hemelse mozzarella met romig kern, omwikkeld met jonge preibladeren.
Zoetekauwen haasten zich naar Lissabon voor een voorraad gekonfijt fruit, dat eerst zes weken in suikerstroop werd gekookt, dan gewassen en vervolgens in de zon gedroogd.
Eindigen doe je met een kopje zeldzame thee, bijvoorbeeld van theespecialist Emeyu, die je zowel in Kopenhagen als in Londen vindt. Ze verkopen er fraai verpakte witte thee, gemaakt van gesloten bladknoppen die nog bedekt zijn met fijn, wit haar.
No comments yet.
