WEBVTT - Rooting for the Curry Tree 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:10.879 Hello, and welcome savor protection of iHeart Radio. 0:00:10.920 --> 0:00:13.200 I'm any Reason and I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, and today we 0:00:13.240 --> 0:00:16.680 have an episode for you about the curry tree. 0:00:16.920 --> 0:00:20.919 Yes, my ohm, I was there any particular reason this 0:00:21.120 --> 0:00:22.080 was on your mind? Lauren? 0:00:22.880 --> 0:00:25.919 Was there? Oh? Heck, I don't know. I don't think. 0:00:25.960 --> 0:00:30.760 So that's interesting because I actually hadn't really heard about this. 0:00:33.240 --> 0:00:37.199 I can't say I haven't had it, but I haven't 0:00:37.200 --> 0:00:40.680 the curry leaf anyway, but I haven't knowingly had it. 0:00:42.120 --> 0:00:48.640 I've definitely had it in spice blends, and I strongly 0:00:48.720 --> 0:00:52.920 believe that I've consumed it in food that other the 0:00:53.000 --> 0:00:56.600 restaurants have cooked for me. So but yeah, no, I've 0:00:56.640 --> 0:00:59.200 certainly not had it fresh, and I don't have any 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:02.040 in my house. And now this is one of those 0:01:02.040 --> 0:01:05.520 episodes where I am craving so many things that I 0:01:05.560 --> 0:01:07.959 have never consumed, and I really need to get my 0:01:07.959 --> 0:01:08.480 hands on some. 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:15.200 Yes, it sounds so bright and delightful. It sounds like 0:01:15.240 --> 0:01:20.400 something I would really love. So I'm sad that I 0:01:20.480 --> 0:01:24.080 can't find it anywhere. But no, I haven't given up hope. 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:27.839 Okay, Okay, yeah. 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:30.479 Yes, Well I guess that brings us to our question, sure, 0:01:31.800 --> 0:01:35.880 the curry tree, what is it? 0:01:36.640 --> 0:01:40.319 Well, the curry tree is a tree that grows aromatic 0:01:40.400 --> 0:01:42.880 leaves that can be used as an herb to flavor 0:01:43.000 --> 0:01:46.640 all kinds of usually savory dishes. The leaves are these 0:01:46.680 --> 0:01:49.600 like small pointed ovals, dark green in color, with the 0:01:49.960 --> 0:01:54.160 citrus herbal, bitter, earthy, nutty sort of flavor. When they're 0:01:54.200 --> 0:01:56.360 young and tender, they can be chopped and eaten fresh 0:01:56.360 --> 0:02:00.520 and salads and dips, or cooked into soups, stews, fries, 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:04.080 rice pilluffs, breads, and sauces. When they're older and tougher, 0:02:04.200 --> 0:02:06.000 they can be cooked with a dish and then taken 0:02:06.000 --> 0:02:09.079 out for serving, and can also be dried and powdered 0:02:09.120 --> 0:02:12.960 and used however you like. Dried curry leaves do sometimes 0:02:13.000 --> 0:02:17.120 go into spice blends such as massalas. In English. We 0:02:17.200 --> 0:02:21.000 often call those curry powders, but they contain more than 0:02:21.040 --> 0:02:24.680 just curry leaves, and commonly don't contain curry leaves at all. 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:26.440 Anyway. 0:02:27.680 --> 0:02:30.760 It's a kind of flavor combination from what I understand, 0:02:30.800 --> 0:02:33.959 that you almost don't believe exists in a single plant, 0:02:34.080 --> 0:02:38.800 because it's so zesty and earthy at the same time. 0:02:39.639 --> 0:02:43.679 Like if you could take the iridescence of a butterfly's 0:02:43.720 --> 0:02:46.760 wings or a crow's feathers and make it a flavor. 0:02:49.440 --> 0:02:52.720 Oh that sounds so lovely. 0:02:54.440 --> 0:02:56.079 Really need to track some fresh ones down. 0:02:57.440 --> 0:02:59.600 I'm like this close to like to like trying to 0:02:59.680 --> 0:03:02.720 imp or a curry tree plant and seeing if I 0:03:02.720 --> 0:03:03.880 can get it to grow indoors. 0:03:04.520 --> 0:03:06.880 I'm not sure about the legality in my area here. 0:03:06.919 --> 0:03:12.840 We are okay, only import plants legally, friends, It's important 0:03:12.840 --> 0:03:17.239 for your ecosystem anyway. The curry tree is a member 0:03:17.240 --> 0:03:20.000 of the rue family, a cousin to citrus. It's a 0:03:20.080 --> 0:03:24.360 tropical to subtropical big shrub or small tree, depending on 0:03:24.400 --> 0:03:27.160 your personal definition. It can grow to about twenty feet 0:03:27.240 --> 0:03:29.840 that's six meters in height, with a slender trunk and 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:33.320 a leafy crown. Different varieties have been developed with slightly 0:03:33.320 --> 0:03:37.600 different leaf sizes and flavors. They are evergreen and tropical climates, 0:03:37.680 --> 0:03:40.360 but will drop their leaves over the winter in cooler climates. 0:03:41.880 --> 0:03:43.680 The curry tree is not to be confused with the 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:47.120 curry leaf plant, which is an herb that looks a 0:03:47.160 --> 0:03:51.480 little bit like like silvery rosemary and apparently smells strongly 0:03:51.680 --> 0:03:57.280 of like bitter sagey maybe curry leaves, but more like 0:03:57.320 --> 0:03:59.920 bitter sage and it is not often used in cooking, 0:04:01.280 --> 0:04:04.040 but okay, curry trees. They bloom with these fragrant white 0:04:04.080 --> 0:04:06.680 flowers and will produce small berries that ripe into a 0:04:06.760 --> 0:04:09.360 deep purple black in color and do taste sweet. But 0:04:09.440 --> 0:04:12.040 they don't really produce enough fruit for humans to bother with. 0:04:12.680 --> 0:04:15.320 I do understand that they're sometimes eaten fresh locally, and 0:04:15.360 --> 0:04:17.560 if you do get a hold of some, note that 0:04:17.560 --> 0:04:19.359 you should not eat the seeds. They can cause a 0:04:19.400 --> 0:04:23.719 toxic reaction. The trees can be grown from those seeds, 0:04:23.760 --> 0:04:26.400 but the roots will also put off a little suckers 0:04:26.440 --> 0:04:30.719 that will grow into saplings. Those leaves can be sold 0:04:30.760 --> 0:04:34.640 fresh or frozen, or dried or processed into powder. The 0:04:34.720 --> 0:04:37.640 fragrant oils can also be extracted and used as flavoring 0:04:37.839 --> 0:04:41.000 or in the personal care industry and cosmetic soap stuff 0:04:41.040 --> 0:04:44.560 like that. I understand that when they're fresh, they yeah 0:04:44.680 --> 0:04:50.159 have this like pungent peppery lemon grass bergamot annis like 0:04:50.320 --> 0:04:54.279 mintea resiny nutty flavor. When they're dried, it sort of 0:04:54.279 --> 0:04:57.719 flattens out to like an earthy, bright herbal kind of combination, 0:04:59.200 --> 0:05:02.599 and when using the fresh leaves, cooks will usually remove 0:05:02.600 --> 0:05:05.240 the stems and then saute the leaves and some kind 0:05:05.279 --> 0:05:08.520 of fat like oil or ghee which is clarified butter, 0:05:08.760 --> 0:05:12.000 in order to release all of those flavor oils, and 0:05:12.040 --> 0:05:15.560 then use both the leaves and the fat in whatever way. 0:05:16.680 --> 0:05:19.000 Fats that have been flavored with herbs and spices like 0:05:19.040 --> 0:05:21.280 this is the base of a lot of savory recipes 0:05:21.279 --> 0:05:25.479 from South India and surrounding cuisines, and sometimes those crispy 0:05:25.480 --> 0:05:28.000 fried leaves are used to garnish dishes sort of like 0:05:28.000 --> 0:05:31.960 a fried sage leaves sounds so good? 0:05:32.520 --> 0:05:33.720 Yes, yes. 0:05:35.520 --> 0:05:37.760 The leaves can also be used in teas and other 0:05:37.839 --> 0:05:41.800 drinks like a sippable yogurt kind of situations, and in 0:05:41.839 --> 0:05:45.240 the United States you can often find them fresh at 0:05:45.320 --> 0:05:49.600 grocers that cater to South Indian and more broadly, I 0:05:49.600 --> 0:05:52.520 guess South Asian populations like Patel Brothers. If you've got 0:05:52.560 --> 0:05:55.240 one of those in your town, We've got a. 0:05:56.640 --> 0:05:58.440 We're going to have to go on an adventure, Lauren, 0:05:58.560 --> 0:05:59.320 I think. 0:05:59.480 --> 0:06:00.520 I'm into it. 0:06:01.000 --> 0:06:06.640 Yes, more food adventures always always Well, what about the 0:06:06.720 --> 0:06:11.560 nutrition you're not typically eating enough to make a real 0:06:11.640 --> 0:06:15.000 caloric difference, But curry leaves do contain lots of minerals 0:06:15.080 --> 0:06:18.839 and vitamins other micronutrients. You get more from fresh than 0:06:18.880 --> 0:06:23.279 from dried. That being said, the leaves and all other 0:06:23.320 --> 0:06:26.200 parts of the tree have been used in traditional areavatic 0:06:26.320 --> 0:06:29.360 medicine for a long time for a number of purposes, 0:06:30.400 --> 0:06:34.160 and research has found compounds that have shown potential in 0:06:34.480 --> 0:06:38.560 animal studies and in vitro in the lab to protect 0:06:38.560 --> 0:06:43.400 cardiovascular function and brain function and to have like anti 0:06:43.440 --> 0:06:48.560 inflammatory and pain relief properties. But that's all been with extracts, 0:06:48.800 --> 0:06:52.239 and again in animals and in vitro, not in humans. 0:06:53.279 --> 0:06:59.160 So you know, savor motto. More research is necessary because 0:06:59.200 --> 0:07:02.520 bodies are implicated and nutrition is complicated, and before you 0:07:02.560 --> 0:07:06.120 consume medicinal amounts of anything, you should check with a 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:10.080 medical care provider who is not us, because we're not that. 0:07:10.080 --> 0:07:13.360 That's not what we are, that's not what we're about, 0:07:14.000 --> 0:07:18.800 that's not what we have the training to be. No, no, nope, 0:07:19.320 --> 0:07:23.520 Well we've got a number for you. Kind of This 0:07:23.560 --> 0:07:25.800 is one of the ones where I couldn't figure out 0:07:25.840 --> 0:07:29.480 if I was using the wrong keywords in the wrong language, 0:07:30.120 --> 0:07:33.880 or if Google was returning things to me as like 0:07:34.000 --> 0:07:39.559 an American English speaker in an annoying way, or if 0:07:39.640 --> 0:07:43.360 it's just the kind of thing that, like crop numbers 0:07:43.400 --> 0:07:48.560 aren't really reported on that widely because it's more a homegrown, 0:07:48.600 --> 0:07:52.000 community grown kind of spice. 0:07:52.160 --> 0:07:54.120 Or orbb et, cetera. 0:07:54.280 --> 0:07:57.920 But I can tell you that in environments where curry 0:07:57.960 --> 0:08:00.720 trees are evergreen, you can harvest from the trees once 0:08:00.760 --> 0:08:03.680 every three months, up to every three months in trees 0:08:03.720 --> 0:08:05.200 that are older than five years of age. 0:08:08.840 --> 0:08:14.640 Yes, well, listeners, please write in if you have any 0:08:14.760 --> 0:08:16.640 more information, because a lot of the things I read 0:08:16.640 --> 0:08:22.240 were very personal stories of trying to get a curry 0:08:22.240 --> 0:08:25.160 tree or transported curry tree, or find where they could 0:08:25.200 --> 0:08:29.600 purchase it, people could purchase it. So listeners, please let 0:08:29.680 --> 0:08:34.000 us know. Oh yeah, but we do have a history 0:08:34.360 --> 0:08:35.559 of sorts for you. 0:08:35.960 --> 0:08:37.600 We do, and we're going to get into that as 0:08:37.640 --> 0:08:39.000 soon as we get back from a quick break for 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:40.679 word from our sponsors. 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:52.640 And we're back. Thank you sponsor, Yes, thank you, so yes. 0:08:52.720 --> 0:08:54.840 Going back to Lauren's point, the reason I said a 0:08:54.880 --> 0:08:59.600 history of sorts is because unfortunately a lot of times 0:08:59.800 --> 0:09:03.679 we're talking about something that is maybe not as popular 0:09:03.720 --> 0:09:07.319 in the United States or in the Western world, that 0:09:07.559 --> 0:09:10.720 the history or the research is not as easily found. 0:09:10.800 --> 0:09:13.440 And I tried a bunch of different terms because this 0:09:13.600 --> 0:09:18.120 tree does go by a bunch of different terms. So 0:09:18.440 --> 0:09:22.680 once again, listeners, if you have any information, please let 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:24.920 us know. We would love to look into it further 0:09:24.960 --> 0:09:27.840 and shout it out. Oh yeah, But that being said, 0:09:28.679 --> 0:09:32.680 historians believe the curry tree is indigenous to modern day India, 0:09:32.720 --> 0:09:37.280 Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. As early as the first century CE. 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:40.400 Records indicate that people that lived where the tree was 0:09:40.440 --> 0:09:43.680 grown were using the leaves to flavor their food, though 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:46.240 some suggest it was being used as early as sixth 0:09:46.320 --> 0:09:50.400 century BCE. They were also being used medicinally for all 0:09:50.520 --> 0:09:53.080 kinds of things. Pretty early on. It was quite a 0:09:53.120 --> 0:09:58.880 long list. Immigration and trade introduced curry leaves to places 0:09:58.880 --> 0:10:03.080 like South Africa and Malaysia. Over time, the leaves were 0:10:03.080 --> 0:10:05.920 integrated into all kinds of dishes in India, particularly in 0:10:06.040 --> 0:10:08.960 South and West India and other areas that it grew 0:10:09.080 --> 0:10:12.560 or was available, as well as things like cosmetics and 0:10:12.720 --> 0:10:18.240 hygiene products like soap. In the eighteenth century, the British, 0:10:18.400 --> 0:10:22.640 who had a colonial presence in India allegedly invented curry 0:10:22.640 --> 0:10:27.600 powder to mimic Indian flavors outside of India, And yeah, 0:10:27.640 --> 0:10:31.960 these powders sometimes included ground up curry leaves, but not always, 0:10:32.600 --> 0:10:35.880 and even when they did, the flavor was largely lost. 0:10:35.880 --> 0:10:40.160 From what I've read. For a good long while, the 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:44.480 curry tree and its leaves remained fairly local to the 0:10:44.480 --> 0:10:47.559 places it had historically been grown, with a few pockets 0:10:47.600 --> 0:10:50.839 of Indian immigrants in other countries. And as I mentioned, 0:10:50.880 --> 0:10:54.800 there are lobtails of the difficulties of transporting the tree 0:10:54.960 --> 0:10:57.880 to a new home, the anxiety of losing. 0:10:57.960 --> 0:11:00.960 Yeah, yeah, this important colony, this important part of your 0:11:01.000 --> 0:11:03.880 culinary tradition. Yeah, and they are a little bit tricky 0:11:03.920 --> 0:11:07.079 to grow from seed. Cuttings are easier to get going, 0:11:07.320 --> 0:11:09.120 but they're also more difficult to transport. 0:11:09.320 --> 0:11:15.200 So yeah, I actually really recommend reading them because it's 0:11:15.240 --> 0:11:17.200 something we've talked about before. But when you have a 0:11:17.240 --> 0:11:22.360 plant that you just are like, please don't die, but 0:11:22.640 --> 0:11:28.840 need you, yeah, do everything you can, it just means 0:11:28.880 --> 0:11:29.959 a lot to you, of. 0:11:29.920 --> 0:11:32.000 Course, I mean, you know, aside from it being a 0:11:32.040 --> 0:11:34.840 living thing and just wanting to care for something and 0:11:34.880 --> 0:11:39.199 not you know, let it down, right, but. 0:11:39.240 --> 0:11:42.200 Especially for something like this where you might not be 0:11:42.240 --> 0:11:45.840 able to get these curry leaves so easily. So if 0:11:45.880 --> 0:11:51.959 you're curry tree dies, yeah, yeah, it's an important part 0:11:51.960 --> 0:11:56.200 of your food way, sure, exactly. That being said, with 0:11:56.280 --> 0:12:00.199 the growing interest in trying new things in places the 0:12:00.280 --> 0:12:03.480 US to Indian food in general, and increased exposure to 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:07.240 the ingredient through medium, more and more people who have 0:12:07.360 --> 0:12:12.280 never tried it before previously are seeking it out. Other 0:12:12.320 --> 0:12:17.120 cuisines have started incorporating these leaves into dishes as well, 0:12:17.160 --> 0:12:19.160 so it's one of those things that's getting a lot 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:22.400 more recognition. But I would still say, as I mentioned, 0:12:22.440 --> 0:12:27.000 I haven't heard of it, so a long way to go, 0:12:27.080 --> 0:12:27.480 I guess. 0:12:28.120 --> 0:12:28.520 Yeah. 0:12:28.600 --> 0:12:32.920 Yeah, I can't recall ever seeing it in a grocery store, 0:12:33.160 --> 0:12:35.800 but to be fair, I haven't been looking for it, 0:12:35.920 --> 0:12:40.320 so there you go. One issue here has been that 0:12:40.400 --> 0:12:43.280 curry trees are carriers of a couple pests and diseases 0:12:43.320 --> 0:12:47.960 that can affect other tropical crop trees like their citrus cousins. 0:12:48.480 --> 0:12:51.600 Citrus greening disease is the big one. It's a bacterial 0:12:51.679 --> 0:12:54.600 infection that's spread by insects. It can ruin a citrus 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:58.000 crop and there's no cure for it, like you just 0:12:58.080 --> 0:13:00.960 have to prevent the bugs from spreading it or kind 0:13:00.960 --> 0:13:04.360 of like burn everything down. So in the United States, 0:13:04.400 --> 0:13:07.160 for example, there have been some regulations put in place 0:13:07.280 --> 0:13:12.480 about growing and shipping curry leaf trees in and among 0:13:12.520 --> 0:13:15.760 states that do have significant citrus crops, like like California 0:13:15.760 --> 0:13:19.080 and Florida, which are also basically where curry trees would 0:13:19.080 --> 0:13:23.559 grow best. But yeah, like there's this obvious and only 0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:28.880 increasing interest in curry leaves, so certainly since the turn 0:13:28.920 --> 0:13:31.240 of the twenty first century that there's been a bunch 0:13:31.240 --> 0:13:36.800 of research into how to integrate curry trees into the agriculture. Here, 0:13:38.160 --> 0:13:39.960 I read that there are somewhat popular crop in parts 0:13:39.960 --> 0:13:41.280 of Hawaii. 0:13:43.440 --> 0:13:51.000 Once again, listeners, let us know. But also in more 0:13:51.040 --> 0:13:56.200 recent times there have been concerns around over harvesting, sustainability, 0:13:56.240 --> 0:14:01.160 and climate change. In response to that those things, there 0:14:01.200 --> 0:14:04.080 are efforts to educate and research ways to preserve and 0:14:04.120 --> 0:14:08.920 sustain the curry tree, which of course is very important 0:14:09.080 --> 0:14:13.920 if we're talking about more people using it cuisine or 0:14:14.040 --> 0:14:22.200 it's spreading around. So yeah, yep, and that's unfortunately what 0:14:22.320 --> 0:14:27.960 I could find. It's a shorter history section. But I 0:14:28.000 --> 0:14:30.680 don't know. I hope that. I hope there's more written 0:14:30.720 --> 0:14:33.440 about it, and maybe I just couldn't find it, yeah 0:14:33.560 --> 0:14:36.120 in English, or maybe people are just so used to 0:14:36.200 --> 0:14:39.080 it where it is that they I don't know, it's 0:14:39.160 --> 0:14:40.200 ubiquitous or something. 0:14:40.280 --> 0:14:40.600 Yeah. 0:14:40.760 --> 0:14:43.280 Yeah, I did read a few references to the leaves 0:14:43.320 --> 0:14:48.160 being used in different cultural practices, ceremonies, things like that, 0:14:48.200 --> 0:14:50.680 but I couldn't really follow I couldn't follow up on 0:14:50.720 --> 0:14:53.280 any of those leads with anything that seemed concrete, so 0:14:53.320 --> 0:14:54.480 I didn't want to include it. 0:14:54.560 --> 0:14:56.200 But yes, absolutely, if. 0:14:56.120 --> 0:15:00.680 You have any personal history with Curly, we would love 0:15:00.720 --> 0:15:01.360 to hear about it. 0:15:02.200 --> 0:15:07.160 Yes, absolutely. In the meantime, that is what we have 0:15:07.280 --> 0:15:10.720 to say about Curry Tree and Curry Leaves for now. 0:15:11.720 --> 0:15:13.720 We do already have some listener mail for you, though, 0:15:13.760 --> 0:15:15.240 and we're going to get into that as soon as 0:15:15.240 --> 0:15:16.880 we get back from one more quick break for a 0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:19.280 word from our sponsors. 0:15:26.840 --> 0:15:29.680 And we're back. Thank you sponsor, Yes, thank you, and 0:15:29.720 --> 0:15:31.360 we're back with listener. 0:15:38.800 --> 0:15:40.000 Yeah. 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:42.360 It's like a bright I don't know why, I just 0:15:42.400 --> 0:15:44.600 have in my head that it's like a bright flavor. 0:15:45.480 --> 0:15:47.840 But hopefully one day I can try it. 0:15:47.920 --> 0:15:50.400 Yeah, yeah, kind of citrusy, so there you go. 0:15:50.560 --> 0:15:56.320 Yeah, Okay. I'm so excited to share this because it 0:15:56.400 --> 0:16:00.080 was It features in an episode we had done a 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:02.600 while back that I'd kind of put out of my mind, 0:16:02.640 --> 0:16:05.560 and now I'm angry at myself that I had because 0:16:05.600 --> 0:16:11.560 it was joyous. So Judy wrote, first of all, thank 0:16:11.600 --> 0:16:15.800 you for this Easter's podcast about Torda pascadina. It sounds 0:16:15.840 --> 0:16:18.760 like the perfect Easter main dish for my vegetarian grandson, 0:16:19.000 --> 0:16:21.200 and I have saved some recipes to try it for 0:16:21.280 --> 0:16:23.400 next year. I'm behind on my podcast, so I heard 0:16:23.440 --> 0:16:26.600 this too late for this year. A year or two ago, 0:16:26.760 --> 0:16:30.760 your Easter podcast was about lamb cake. I wrote you 0:16:31.000 --> 0:16:33.520 about my family tradition of making a lamb cake out 0:16:33.520 --> 0:16:37.479 of red velvet cake so it looks like roadkill inside, 0:16:37.960 --> 0:16:43.120 and decapitating it for my son, whose birthday is always 0:16:43.160 --> 0:16:47.400 near Easter, and giving him the head to eat. You 0:16:47.800 --> 0:16:51.600 even read my letter in the show. This year, my 0:16:51.720 --> 0:16:55.680 daughter once again made the cake using her grandmother's original pans, 0:16:55.880 --> 0:16:59.960 which we figure are over seventy years old. As usual, 0:17:00.160 --> 0:17:02.760 my son got the head and his children argued over 0:17:02.800 --> 0:17:05.879 which of them would get the backside which had the 0:17:06.119 --> 0:17:11.480 most frosting. I am attaching three pictures for your amusement. 0:17:12.160 --> 0:17:14.679 One is the cake before we cut it. My youngest 0:17:14.720 --> 0:17:18.679 grandchild thought it was a puppy. The second is the 0:17:18.760 --> 0:17:21.440 cake after the head and all the nether regions had 0:17:21.480 --> 0:17:25.560 been served. The last is my son's new way to 0:17:25.680 --> 0:17:31.119 eat the head. He scooped out the brains. As you 0:17:31.200 --> 0:17:34.160 can see, the humor over here is a bit twisted, 0:17:34.480 --> 0:17:39.159 but we do have a good time, all right. Okay, 0:17:39.400 --> 0:17:43.360 a couple things. Number one listeners, if you haven't heard 0:17:43.400 --> 0:17:48.359 this episode, you must be one. You must have several questions. 0:17:48.920 --> 0:17:51.119 If you did not grow up with the tradition of 0:17:51.200 --> 0:17:54.000 making a lamb shaped cake around Easter. 0:17:55.040 --> 0:17:58.280 That's a thing that occurs, and it's wondrous, and you 0:17:58.359 --> 0:17:59.960 need to look up pictures immediately. 0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:03.800 Uh huh. Yes, that they range in appearance from. 0:18:04.359 --> 0:18:11.280 Glorious to real goofy to terrifying to quite terrifying. Yes, 0:18:12.880 --> 0:18:14.960 this one, I would say, is on the goofy, on 0:18:15.040 --> 0:18:19.240 the goofy side, little little white white lamb, a little 0:18:19.280 --> 0:18:23.359 bit googly in the eyes, little heart shaped nose. It 0:18:23.400 --> 0:18:25.040 doesn't not resemble a puppy. 0:18:26.600 --> 0:18:28.359 I can see the puppy I can see. Don't know, 0:18:28.880 --> 0:18:30.560 I don't know if I would have put that together 0:18:31.840 --> 0:18:36.280 without you mentioning it, but right, I see the puppy. 0:18:37.040 --> 0:18:41.280 There's also, yes, an image of the scooped out brains. 0:18:42.160 --> 0:18:45.160 That's the right, the decapitated cake head on a plate 0:18:45.200 --> 0:18:48.200 with the brains having been the brains having been scooped out. 0:18:48.280 --> 0:18:55.480 Yeah, and the and the rompe removed. I do appreciate 0:18:55.560 --> 0:18:57.560 that people were fighting over it because it had the 0:18:57.560 --> 0:19:02.240 most rousting that. You know, you've got to have your priority, you. 0:19:02.200 --> 0:19:02.960 Do, you do. 0:19:03.680 --> 0:19:08.000 And I appreciate how much each slice must look like 0:19:08.080 --> 0:19:10.560 a steak when you played it, because of the white 0:19:10.800 --> 0:19:14.560 icing relatively resembling a fat cap and the red of 0:19:14.600 --> 0:19:15.080 the cake. 0:19:19.440 --> 0:19:25.199 It's absolutely, it's excellent, it's beautiful, it's fantastic. And this 0:19:25.320 --> 0:19:28.960 is certainly a humor that Lauren and I can get 0:19:28.960 --> 0:19:29.480 on board with. 0:19:29.600 --> 0:19:31.160 Oh yeah, yeah, if you couldn't tell. 0:19:32.040 --> 0:19:35.720 Yes, absolutely. 0:19:37.119 --> 0:19:39.800 So thank you, yes, thank you so much for sharing. 0:19:41.560 --> 0:19:43.560 Let us know next year if you work out a 0:19:43.640 --> 0:19:48.199 torta pascalina recipe. Ye, oh god, I really need to 0:19:48.280 --> 0:19:51.359 really need to make one of those. How I'm hungry today. Okay, 0:19:51.359 --> 0:19:55.119 here we are EJ wrote, I thought I wouldn't be 0:19:55.160 --> 0:19:57.040 writing to you for a while, but then you suddenly 0:19:57.119 --> 0:19:59.639 hit us with a chata episode. As with most of 0:19:59.640 --> 0:20:01.800 my email, I'll start with a short anecdote about your 0:20:01.840 --> 0:20:05.879 latest episode before it inevitably veers into another food story. 0:20:05.960 --> 0:20:09.440 That pattern isn't going anywhere. About ten years ago, some 0:20:09.480 --> 0:20:12.120 friends invited me to go shatake picking in the mountains 0:20:12.119 --> 0:20:14.480 of the rural Japanese town we lived in at the time. 0:20:15.040 --> 0:20:18.280 I love shatake, though back then I was more familiar 0:20:18.280 --> 0:20:20.720 with the dried kind with its rich umami that works 0:20:20.760 --> 0:20:24.000 well in Chinese dishes, but I mostly used it as 0:20:24.040 --> 0:20:27.320 the main protein in a cream based pasta I flavored 0:20:27.359 --> 0:20:30.159 with star Annis. It took us almost an hour to 0:20:30.200 --> 0:20:32.920 find the meeting spot. When we finally arrived, we met 0:20:32.920 --> 0:20:36.800 the other participants, mother and daughter, and our guide, a sweet, 0:20:36.880 --> 0:20:40.520 elderly gentleman. At the time, our Japanese was pretty limited 0:20:40.600 --> 0:20:43.960 and the guide's gruff rural dialect didn't help. Still, we 0:20:44.000 --> 0:20:45.600 got by with what we knew and a bit of 0:20:45.680 --> 0:20:48.800 nonverbal communication. He led us to the mushrooms, which were 0:20:48.800 --> 0:20:51.320 growing in a forested area behind some houses on the 0:20:51.320 --> 0:20:55.080 mountain side until then I'd always imagine shitake to be 0:20:55.119 --> 0:20:58.359 about two inches across, but we weren't prepared for the 0:20:58.400 --> 0:21:00.800 size of these things. To this day, I'm not one 0:21:00.880 --> 0:21:04.639 hundred percent sure they were all chatake. The smaller ones, 0:21:04.720 --> 0:21:07.720 which were still pretty big, definitely were I guess the 0:21:07.720 --> 0:21:11.280 rest had just been left to grow wild. The guide 0:21:11.280 --> 0:21:13.719 also pointed out some seasonal fruits, and soon we were 0:21:13.760 --> 0:21:16.520 picking per simmons and figs too. They cooked some of 0:21:16.520 --> 0:21:18.639 the mushrooms and fruits we picked and had ourselves a 0:21:18.680 --> 0:21:22.320 little picnic. They also offered wild boarn meat, which was delicious. 0:21:22.760 --> 0:21:25.359 One of my friends, a vegetarian at well pescatarian in 0:21:25.440 --> 0:21:28.480 Japan since dashi is hard to avoid, even had a bite. 0:21:28.800 --> 0:21:31.280 She said, I've never had wild boar before, and I 0:21:31.320 --> 0:21:34.520 don't know if we'll ever get another chance. Then the 0:21:34.560 --> 0:21:36.680 guide excitedly told us that one of his friends had 0:21:36.680 --> 0:21:38.520 just caught a bore and asked if we wanted to 0:21:38.560 --> 0:21:40.800 see it. We were taken to a shack behind a 0:21:40.840 --> 0:21:43.920 house where a majestic boar lay on its back halfway 0:21:43.920 --> 0:21:46.840 through being skinned. We didn't know quite what was going 0:21:46.880 --> 0:21:50.199 on until they handed each of us a knife. So 0:21:50.880 --> 0:21:54.960 there we were, including my vegetarian friend, unsure what to do, 0:21:55.040 --> 0:21:58.120 but helping butcher a wild boar, we just did our 0:21:58.119 --> 0:22:02.360 best hakuna matata. I guess they offered us some meat 0:22:02.400 --> 0:22:04.760 to take home. My friends weren't sure what to do 0:22:04.800 --> 0:22:07.719 with it, so I ended up with about two kilos 0:22:07.800 --> 0:22:11.720 of wild boar for free. I don't really remember what 0:22:11.800 --> 0:22:13.800 I did with the chitake. I think I made a 0:22:13.840 --> 0:22:17.320 lot of omelets that week. The boar meat eventually became 0:22:17.440 --> 0:22:20.840 a smoky chocolate chili concarne, which was a big hit 0:22:20.880 --> 0:22:24.960 at our next movie night. PS here's the vegetarian in 0:22:24.960 --> 0:22:28.480 her natural habitat. She shared her thoughts on the whole experience. 0:22:29.080 --> 0:22:31.920 This wild boar had lived freely and just happened to 0:22:31.960 --> 0:22:35.119 be caught, which felt consistent with the natural order of things. 0:22:35.359 --> 0:22:37.639 She said she wished all food could be sourced as 0:22:37.680 --> 0:22:45.360 ethically as this, and attached photos are of a mushroom 0:22:45.400 --> 0:22:50.159 cap that is the size of this lady's head. It 0:22:50.280 --> 0:22:53.640 is quite a large mushroom cap. And then a basket 0:22:53.800 --> 0:22:56.800 of all those look lovely. Oh my goodness, just really 0:22:56.880 --> 0:23:00.840 just really like if a hob bit new where those 0:23:00.880 --> 0:23:03.160 were growing, you would have to watch your watch, your 0:23:03.160 --> 0:23:05.440 stash because they would absolutely be on that. 0:23:06.720 --> 0:23:14.600 Yes, yes, I also have to say shout out for 0:23:14.840 --> 0:23:19.720 using hakuna matata. Yeah, talk to you about butchering a 0:23:19.760 --> 0:23:26.520 wild boar. I'm sure Pumba would appreciate. Yeah, appreciate that. 0:23:33.640 --> 0:23:37.840 But this sounds lovely. This whole experience sounds really lovely. 0:23:39.920 --> 0:23:45.720 And getting to getting this kind of surprise wild boar situation. 0:23:45.920 --> 0:23:50.400 Oh yeah right right, like not only not only mushroom foraging, 0:23:50.520 --> 0:23:53.040 but then you also get like like per simmons and 0:23:53.080 --> 0:23:55.280 figs and wild boar and a little picnic. Oh it 0:23:55.320 --> 0:23:57.920 all sounds and a free butchering class. 0:23:59.640 --> 0:24:06.160 Yes you know all these things. But also yeah, it's 0:24:07.119 --> 0:24:10.480 the things that you made with the omelets, the smoky 0:24:10.760 --> 0:24:14.280 chocolate chili concarne. That sounds delicious. But it is nice 0:24:14.280 --> 0:24:18.199 when you hopefully are participating in the food ways in a. 0:24:18.200 --> 0:24:22.880 Way like this. Yeah, that feels more responsible and more 0:24:23.760 --> 0:24:29.919 ethical perfor Yeah yeah, but it looks it looks delicious. 0:24:32.240 --> 0:24:33.080 Thank you for sharing. 0:24:33.280 --> 0:24:36.960 Yes, yes, oh so much. I'm so hungry. 0:24:37.040 --> 0:24:42.480 Okay, well, thank you through both of these listeners for 0:24:42.520 --> 0:24:43.919 writing in. If you would like to write to us, 0:24:44.040 --> 0:24:47.119 you can. Our email is Hello at savorpod. Dot com. 0:24:47.119 --> 0:24:48.399