From their own island home in Charlottetown PEI, Editors Anna and Godfrey Baldacchino have circumnavigated the globe experiencing local and authentic food on islands around the world. They’ve compiled their experiences into a book, not only of recipes, but the history and transformation of the food they’ve eaten.
Should you be looking for some insight into an island on your bucket list or to be inspired to journey to a far-flung island, this book will assist you with your choice. As an avid foodie, all my travels have incorporated the search for authentic and local flavours to appreciate the culture and people serving the food. I’ve had the best breakfast meal in a hideaway of San Diego and tried an authentic Mongolian barbecue in Beijing China. The world is opening up again and it’s time to start exploring the culinary treasures in the many islands mentioned in this book.
When I asked Anne and Godfrey for their stand-out experience in traveling and eating around the globe, their reply was, “Sharing food (and drink) with the locals is a powerful way of learning and appreciating cultures and peoples around the world. Some of these culinary experiences are more savoury than others, of course. And unlike other passing fads, eating (and drinking) are not likely to go out of fashion. Which might explain why A Taste of Islands is our best-selling book.”
The Baldacchino’s take us to islands like Fiji and Tasmania but also Montreal and Little Cranberry Island in Maine. From Quebec, we feature the Montreal Poutine in our Recipe section. A basic recipe that you can add so many different ingredients to change up the presentation every time you make it.
The research into this book is extensive and each recipe and island provides both the geographical and cultural landscape of each locale as well as the significance and history of the dish highlighted in the book. We discover that “Black Butter” from Jersey, off the shores of England and France is neither black nor butter. Malta is the only country within the Mediterranean coastline that uses rice in its savoury meat pies like Pumpkin and Pork Pie. We also learn the difference between caviar and roe, the latter being used in a delectable Roe Pancake recipe from the Vega Archipelago just south of the Artic Circle.
You’ll want to grab a copy of this book and learn some other amazing insights from Anna and Godfrey’s travels at https://islandstudiespress.com/a-taste-of-islands/ or head to our Giveaway section to win a copy.
Contents and images used with permission by Island Studies Press. https://islandstudiespress.com/a-taste-of-islands/
