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Sampling the tastes of the world - in Peterborough
ONE of the best things about living in a city with lots in international residents is the variety of yummy food on offer.
ONE of the best things about living in a city with lots in international residents is the variety of yummy food on offer.Hannah Gray took her knife and fork and sampled some of the more unusual international cuisine available in Peterborough.
Two sides to Polish cuisine
The variety of Polish food is represented in the decor of a new restaurant in Lincoln Road, Pasibrzuch.
Kamil Kaleta (24), who works at the restaurant, said: "Like you can see here, we've got two sides to the restaurant. We've got the blue side, which is the sea side. The north side of Poland borders with the sea, there's lots of fish eaten.
"But on the other side of the restaurant and of Poland, we've got the mountains. There's different traditional foods there, such as beef fillets or pork neck."
Meat is a fairly key element of the Polish diet, Kamil said.
"Every Polish person eats hundreds of kilos of meat a month I bet," he said.
"We eat chicken in lots of different ways. Every part of the chicken is prepared in a different way and makes a different dish. And when somebody's killing a pig in the village, they do so many things from the pig. The sausages are brilliant and the cooked ham as well."
Because it is such a large part of their diet, the Poles know how to bring out the best in various meats, as The ET can testify.
We enjoyed two traditional dishes, breaded pork loin with cheese and mushrooms, and also two cabbage rolls, which are stuffed with mincemeat.
Potatoes also play a huge part in the Polish diet.
"Almost every dinner has got potatoes with it," Kamil said. "When I was younger I hated potatoes because we were using lots of them."
Soups are also very popular in Poland, as most meals are two courses, starting with a soup.
Deserts tend not to be Polish traditions, but ice cream, chocolate and fried bananas are all very popular deserts, and The ET can thoroughly recommend the latter.
As far as drinks are concerned, Kamil reckons that the Polish have got something special.
"We've got the best beer in the world, I reckon. Almost every city in Poland has got its own beer. There's really good vodka as well."
Pasibrzuch has been open for two months, and as well as offering an eat-in facility, fans of Polish food can call up and get it delivered across the city. The restaurant is also teaming up with the club Pulse 8, and if you have a party at Pasibrzuch, you can get free entry into the club afterwards.
"Polish people like to dance," Kamil said.
Pasibrzuch is at 385 Lincoln Road. For more information, call 01733 758931.
Taste of holiday at Portuguese eaterie
NESTLED in the heart of the busy Lincoln Road, in Peterborough, Churrasqueira is a Portuguese bar and restaurant, selling both hot food and traditional Portuguese cakes.
According to owner Acindino Correia, the Portuguese diet is rich in fish, including cuttlefish, salmon, sea bass and sardines.
Beef and pork are also key elements of the diet, and rice, potatoes and pasta are very popular dishes.
Although meat and fish feature heavily in the Portuguese diet, vegetarians need not despair, as there is some flexibility.
"I have two English customers who are vegetarians. I do special food for them. Generally in Portugal, people aren't vegetarian," Acindino said.
Sweets include natas do ceu, which is a dessert made from sweet eggs and cream, and beers such as Superbock and Sagres are popular, as is red wine.
Churrasqueira has been open for two years, and as well as Portuguese diners, it attracts English people as well.
Manuel Pereina, who is a friend and customer of Acindino, said: "Some English people go to Portugal and like the food so come here and try it again. This is very good food."
Churrasqueira is at 347 Lincoln Road. For more information, call 01733 314111.Authentic taste of Cypriot life
HAVING been to Cyprus, I can vouch that going into Salamis Taverna is like stepping into a authentic Greek Cypriot restaurant.
Cosy and homely, you can just imagine that outside the door is a quiet, sun-baked market square somewhere on the coast of Cyprus, rather than the busy and bustling Broadway, Peterborough.
But it should feel authentic, as the owner of Salamis, Andreas Eleftherioul, still has a home in a beautiful village near to Paphos.
Andreas has lived in Peterborough for 22 years, and named his restaurant after the town in Cyprus where he is originally from.
So what can you expect to see on the menu in this little piece of Cyprus?
Seafood is a big part of Greek food, including prawns and even squid.
Lamb also plays a part, particularly in the form of kebabs, although these are not the kind you'd pick up on the way home after a night out, but rather cubes of juicy meat on a skewer, served with lots of salad.
One of the most famous elements of Greek food is the meze, which is a Greek version of a popular Spanish meal.
It's a very sociable affair, with lots of dipping and sharing. Pitta bread is dunked in a variety of dips, including houmous (chickpea), tsatsiki (youghut and mint) and tarmasalata (fish).
Olives and feta cheese are also key parts, as is the salty, squeaky, grillable cheese, haloumi.
"We put the plates in the middle and we share in the food," Andreas said. "It's a very good idea. It's similar to the Spanish tapas."
Away from meze, mousaka is another popular dish, as well as vine leaves.
To flavour Greek food, key herbs and spices are mint, oregano and cinnamon.
Garlic and parsley are also used, and Greek cooks have a cunning way of using them together.
"If you eat garlic and then eat parsley you stop the smell," Andreas said.
Those with a sweet tooth are not forgotten in Greek or Cypriot cooking.
A popular food is baklava, which is a rich dessert made from pastry, honey and pistachio nuts, eaten in very small servings due to its very sweet nature.
"It's very popular, people go mad for it," Andreas said.
For those looking for a healthier option, mixed fresh fruit is another popular desert.
Andreas's restaurant is popular not only with any Greek or Cypriot members of the Peterborough population, but also with other communities. Andreas estimates that 99 per cent of his customers are either English or Italian.
He boasts that he is able to cater for both intimate groups and also big parties – and the latter can even indulge in another Greek tradition, plate smashing, which was made popular by Aristotle Onassis.
Andreas said: "We have to have a party table in the middle. A small group, they come in for a chat, but if it's a big party, I have the belly dancing and the plate smashing."
A word of warning though, if you go for a meal at Salamis, don't be tempted to chuck your plate on the floor at the end of your dinner – Andreas uses special plates for this purpose, which smash cleanly, not the ones you have just eaten off!
Salamis is at 31 Broadway, Peterborough. Call 01733 341616.
Czech out Katie's tasty treats
IN the Czech Republic, a cake or sweet shop is known as a cukrarna, and now we have our very own right here in Peterborough.
Katie's Cakes, near to the Posh ground, in London Road, opened in February this year.
As well as serving sandwiches and hot drinks, the shop specialises in delicious, traditional hand-made cakes.
The shop is owned and run by married couple, Katie Bockova (31) and Lubos Bocek (31).
On first appearances, the cakes Katie makes look a bit like their English counterparts, but get a bit closer and you can see the ingredients are slightly different.
"English butter cream is just butter and sugar, and I'm using a custard, sugar and butter. It's not as sweet as English cakes, but not so fatty, as it has the custard," Katie said.
Rum and punch flavourings are popular in Czech cakes, and nuts and coconut are key ingredients.
Katie spent three years honing her cake making skills at a specialist school back in the Czech Republic. Ironically, she then went off making cakes, but recently has rekindled her passion for it.
"I was doing some cakes at home for friends and everybody was like 'it's nice why don't you do it for customers?'," she said. "Because my husband lost his job, we decided to try this. I know there's nothing like this in Peterborough, or maybe in England."
The shop is proving very popular with English Peterborians, but also Czech people who are delighted to be able to get their hands on a little reminder of home.
Katie also does birthday and wedding cakes, making delicious-looking three layer sponges.
But no one can live by cakes alone, even though it may be fun trying, and so Katie also gave us an insight into other types of traditional Czech food.
Pork, dumplings and cabbage are all popular, as are mixed vegetables served in spice and cream.
Katie said she and Lubos usually eat Czech food at home, although she is also a fan of Chinese.
However, one of our native English dishes has not endeared itself to her.
"I don't like fish and chips, it's too fatty," she said. "I like fish, but chips are fried in oil and fish is fried as well."
Katie's Cakes is at 9 London Road. For more information, visit www.katiescakes-uk.com or call 01733 564118..
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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