Pequi pulp is a very popular food in the Cerrado area of Brazil. Pequi with rice is an especially popular preparation.

Global Cuisine

It's holiday season already, and I wanted to illustrate a recipe for traditional Russian salad that is still a must-have for New Year's dinner in my family.
It's a layered salad that is usually arranged on the platter in a certain order. Pickled sliced herring is laid on the bottom of the platter, and covered with layers of grated ingredients: fresh onion, boiled potatoes, carrots, eggs, and beets.
Salad is dressed with a mixture of sour cream and mayonnaise and decorated with grated egg yolk.
I was born in the Soviet Union and decided to bring that atmosphere to my illustration.

This one's a heritage recipe-passed down from one generation to the next. Its 100% vegan and has no onions and garlic too, making it a perfect offering to Lord Ganesha during festivals and special occasions. It uses seasonal veggies making it even more wholesome and nutritious!

A simple yet unusual rasam recipe featuring the tasty 'murungaka' meaning Drumstick. Usually used in the richer 'sambar' this is a light, tangy and refreshing Rasam, enjoyable with hot rice and ghee! A staple for me to ask my mother whenever I visited home from college, and now a frequent staple at my own home!

Ever wondered what goes in a traditional Swiss cheese fondue? What you call this last bit of cheese crust at the bottom of the pan? Here come the answers and the recipe for this Swiss winter staple which has somehow become part of global winter cuisine.

From Brazil to the world

The painting looks out over the Blue Mountain Range in Jamaica where their famous Blue Mountain coffee is grown.

Handpicked: Global Cuisine. As an expat American living abroad in the UK, I was pleased to see and try some of the holiday foods that help the English celebrate that differ from back home.

Global Cuisine
I grew up eating lots of delicious Korean food in Los Angeles so of course I love kimchi. I've been making it at home for years, mostly since I lived in Europe and couldn't find it readymade in the shops. This is the recipe I "follow" but to be honest I'm not much of a measurer! Traditional recipes vary a lot, but usually they add rice flour. I always forget to buy it so I never use it! Vegetarians and vegans can leave out fish sauce and add extra salt. I use this recipe for other veggies like green onions and root vegetables too. Enjoy!

No German Christmas market without caramelized almonds. There is a little stand on every market during the holiday season, where you can buy this sweet, sticky and delicious treat. I learned from my mother in law how to make caramelized almonds at home. You can try a version with different nuts and spices, but the almonds will always be a classic.

Global Cuisine - Severnoye Siyaniye (Aurora Borealis) Cocktail is authentic Soviet Union New Year special. It is very strong but festive and delicious drink.

In Azerbaijan, food is the center of everyday life and people here love eating. Since, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, they know how to add variety to it. For starters a well prepared tea is a must. Usually, it`s a black tea that can be flavoured with a slice of lemon, cloves or wild thyme. Other basic elements of a Azerbaijan breakfast are bread and cheese. Tendir is a bread made in a clay oven. Lucky you if you had a chance to try it right after it was baked! Cheese is another important part of the breakfast. Usually you can try 3-5 varieties during the meal. Also, you can enjoy freshly baked bread with farmed made butter and honey. Yum! And, for sure, you have to save some room for the main dish of the breakfast: Pomidor Yumurta - eggs and tomatoes, sautéed in butter. After that a long Azerbaijan breakfast should end with a cup of of the black tea in a traditional tea cup - armudu.

As a staple grain, oats have been hugely important in Scottish culture and cuisine.

A family favorite for the holidays—or for any time—as a flavorful and festive accompaniment to turkey or beef. Cranberries, oranges, apples, and nuts combine for a satisfying salad or relish.

I'm Tamil by birth, but moved around northern India with my Army family. Yet, every summer we would go back to Madras to spend the school holidays with the grandparents, and invariably attend a traditional wedding.

Each would follow the same format – a morning ceremony sandwiched between breakfast and lunch served feast-style on fresh banana leaves, with all our favourite foods, both sweet and savoury together. Everything was eaten with our hands, dished out by lungi-clad servers, and served with a side of gossip from all the 'maamis' (aunties).

I particularly wanted to highlight this kind of traditional vegetarian Tamil Iyer food because it's almost never served in the popular 'Indian' restaurants, which showcase mostly Punjabi food. You'd have to visit a Tamil home or a regional Tamil or generically 'south Indian' restaurant to eat anything close to it.

Created for the Global Cuisine challenge.

#vegetarian #feast #weddingfood