Flavourful Saskatoon, August 17, 2020

Local News
The Saskatoon Farmers' Market Co-operative on Koyl Avenue had strawberries from Raina's Organics this week - yum!

Ayden Kitchen & Bar is holding a 4-course dinner with cider pairings from Crossmount Cider on Sept. 15. Call 306-954-2590 for a reservation.

I've posted a list of nature and environmental programs for Saskatchewan kids from pre-school to grade 12 on EcoFriendly Sask.

In the Kitchen
“Sourdough is this one space where we all agree, as a society, that microbes are helping us do wonderful things.” Here’s an article outlining the science behind sourdough bread: from how it works to tips on the caring and feeding of your starter (how much water, type of flour).

A chef takes cooking lessons for kids online and teaches them to make dinner, which presents some unusual challenges: “Chef Pascal," she says, "can you please slow down? My cat got out and I need to go grab him."

How many cookbooks do you own and how do you use them? “For many people, cookbooks are a way to learn about history and culture, or a person. Sometimes they are a path to armchair travel, or a deep dive into a single subject or cuisine. For some, it is simply a teaching manual, while for others a work of art to be admired or aspired to.” Gemma Croffie explores the variety of cookbooks on the market and asks herself why she loves them so much. “The answer is complicated: what I do know is that I have learnt so much beyond recipes from cookbooks even though the things which have enriched me have rarely been something I actively sought. They are a comfort to me, an escape, and a balm for my soul.”

Here are a few Nigerian recipes, including one for Spiced Squash, Butterbean, and Kale Salad that I would like to try.

Agriculture
A 22,000 square metre green roof on a university campus in Thailand mimics local rice terrace landscapes and grows up to 135,000 rice meals and other vegetables each year in addition to collecting rainwater.

Food for Thought
What does it mean when we talk about great food cities? “All it means is simply that these cities contain a certain number of quality and diverse restaurants. It says nothing about how prevalent food poverty or scarcity is in these cities, whether these restaurants are sustainable or how many people have access to these restaurants or what type of people have access to these restaurants, or whether the cities green spaces are pregnant with fresh produce, or indeed, much of worth at all.”

There is a row of Northeastern India restaurants and shops in Humayunpur, a South Delhi neighbourhood. “Humayunpur is an integral part of Delhi’s food scape. It is in spots like this where the usual parade of dominant-taste gastronomy is punctured, where food cultures usually kept at the periphery of Indian cuisine stand in the centre, and restaurants are both pillars to a community and affordable to the city’s new and young.” However, the properties are owned by Jats, upper-caste landowning Hindus, and the restaurateurs are under considerable financial pressure due to COVID.

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Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post articles about food that is good, clean and fair; travel; and books. You can follow Wanderlust and Words on Facebook, Twitter, or by email (top right corner).