nazaré

The older ladies of Nazaré can still be spotted wearing their traditional knee-length circle skirts with colourful aprons, wooly knitted socks, shawls, and patterned headscarves.

the art of smoking fish

Ah Scandinavia, where smoking fish is an art form. Smooth, salty salmon, crumbly fish eggs and creamy mackerel, all washed down with a beer by the sea. Who knew heaven was in Smygehuk?



Smygehuk is famous for being the southernmost point in Sweden, but to me, it's all about the harbour's fiskrökeri— the fish smokehouse!

pattern and colour at the fish market

finnish delights

If you lean towards the carnivorous end of the eating spectrum and find yourself in Finland, a taste of reindeer is absolutely necessary. At Aino, a 'real' Finnish restaurant in the North Esplanade of the city centre, I sat down to order the poronfileetä, mustaherukkakastiketta ja puikulaperunapyreetä— reindeer fillet with blackcurrant sauce, and mashed Lappish potatoes, which came highly recommended. The reindeer was not unlike venison, and melted in my mouth. I think the sauce was sweet, and the potatoes creamy— but really, all I can remember is that fillet— and the dreamiest mushroom soup, which sadly, I did not photograph. I lust for that soup...

The wee bit of Danish in me manifests in funny ways, one of them being a passionate love for anything fishy— so when I spied the mini fish called muikku, all fried up and waiting for me at a market stall by the harbour, I counted my coins and got in line. There also happened to be a salmon soup calling to me, served with a fish-shaped slice of buttery brown bread. The warmth of the soup, the sourness of the bread, and the crunch of the fishies... so, so good!
 


I enjoyed these muikku so much, that I later ordered a fancier version of them for dinner with a nice wine— and the following day, I had a creamier salmon soup at the EMMA café. I really could happily live off of anything that comes out of the sea.

the best twelve lira spent

One of the wonderful things we discovered in Antakya is that you can pick out some fresh fish from the fishmonger, then walk next door to a guy with a little hole-in-the-wall who will cook it up for you— for a mere three lira. This delightfully affordable and tasty meal would consist of a meaty, grilled sea bass (sadly, the levrek is not pictured), some grilled barbun (the lovely yellow-striped fish below), roka salad with pomegranate molasses, and grilled peppers.



The levrek was out of this world, with meat like a steak— but the barbun stole the show with its delicacy. Mint leaves a plenty, a never-ending supply of lavash smeared in spices... Who knew that heaven only cost about twelve lira?

flashes of silver and pink