Bread

Bread-Adjacent Tourism

Rachel Glessing Johann Barnard

Rachel Glessing, Johann Barnard

— 5 min read
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Bread-Adjacent Tourism
Yeah, that really was pretty much the size of Rachel's head (and a quarter of the size of Johann's). [📸 Johann]

WHAT IS BREAD? If anything, our worldwide romp has been a meditation on this question. At its most basic, bread is joy.

At its essence, bread is a mixture of flour and water which is then baked. Dough, also known as raw bread, may be conceived as an essential precursor to bread. But what about mixtures of flour and water which are not dough (think batter) which transform into something other than bread (think pancakes)? Within this framework, we propose to call these things ‘bready’ or ‘bread-adjacent.’ 

And so, considering Rachel’s dietary restrictions, we turned to a form of food tourism centred around gluten-free bread and bread-adjacent items. For your salivation, the bready fruits of our labours.

Taiyaki - Kyoto, Japan

A sweet fish-shaped cake filled with red bean paste. Looks like a fish, tastes like sweet, sweet beans. [📸 Johann]

Ramen - Kyoto, Japan

Skinny boiled bread, hiding in the depths of soup. [📸 Rachel]

Gyōza - Kyoto, Japan

Definitely had garlic, definitely probably shouldn't have eaten them, still worth the pain. [📸 Rachel]

Scones with jam and tea sandwiches - Bath, England (Mr. Darcy’s Afternoon Tea)

Yup, devoting my life to these. [📸 Rachel]

Oat Cakes - Edinburgh, Scotland

The urge to eat oat cakes on a ramble through the Scottish countryside was irresistible. (Thanks Linh!) [📸 Us :) ]

Kaab al Ghazal cookies - Tangier, Moroccan

The half-moon cookies we got were filled with dates and orange blossom water. Divine. [📸 Rachel]

Crêpes - Paris, France

A sad smidge of tomato and ham wrapped in salty tissue paper, for a lot of money. Sorry, but the Dutch and Nepalese and South Africans all do these much better. [📸 Rachel]

Sfogliatella, Babà al Rum, and Tiramisu - Naples, Italy 

There was booze in some of these. 😉 [📸 Johann]

Potato pancake - Khumjung, Nepal

A grated potato and egg batter, topped with boiled yak milk. It tastes like a flavourful, thin goat cheese on the kind of crêpes we wish the French would make. [📸 Rachel]

Sal roti - Pokhara, Nepal 

A round of sweet rice flour and milk: the classy halo of the bread universe. [📸 Rachel & Johann]

Makki Ki Roti - Kathmandu, Nepal

Corn roti (at the bottom of the photo)! Oh and Johann had roti with whole garlic cloves in it, for which he shall never be forgiven. [📸 Rachel]

Simit - Istanbul, Türkiye 

Turkish halo of the bread universe. Affordable, plentiful, delicious - it really is one ring to bind our stomachs. Also the name of our future cat child! [📸 Rachel]

Baklava - Istanbul, Türkiye 

Self-explanatory sweet ambrosia. Johann would literally commit actual crimes for these. [📸 Rachel]

Kürtőskalács - Transylvania and Prague

A bready muff (of contested origin) with which to warm your hands and heart. Or to put ice cream in. Or sausages, for some reason, specifically in Prague. [📸 Rachel]

Lángos - Budapest, Hungary

Flat deep-fried crêpe-adjacent bread-adjacent joy topped with a lot of bacon and cheese and sometimes too many onions. [📸 Johann]

Babà and Apple Strudel - Budapest, Hungary

Yup, 10/10 would bread again. [📸 Rachel]

Panettone - from the grocery store on a train

This seasonal Italian treat was surprisingly widespread in Peru - like literally, you could find it in every Peruvian convenience store. [📸 Rachel]

Zapiekanka - Krakow, Poland

Cheese and sautéed mushrooms on a baguette? Yup. [📸 Johann & Rachel]

Pierogi - Krakow, Poland

Melt in your mouth soft! And maybe, possibly related to gyōza. There's totally a continuum here. Wikipedia has a list of notable dumplings that we recommend reading for fun on a Friday night. [📸 Johann & Rachel]

Kaiser roll - Vienna, Austria

Good bread. Brings imperial thoughts to mind. [📸 Rachel]

Lokše - Bratislava, Slovakia

Thin potato towel filled with sauerkraut/cheese. [📸 Rachel]

Pannenkoek - Amsterdam, Netherlands

Thick and filling, with Gouda and bacon cooked in. Yes, yes, yes! [📸 Rachel]

Tres Leches Cake - Lima, Peru

Fluffy sweet milky goodness with whipped cream (a.k.a. gluten-free joy). [📸 Rachel]

Empanadas - Cusco, Peru

We had like twelve of these, they were so good. [📸 Rachel]

Avocados and Smoked Andean Trout on Bread - Cusco, Peru

So much infinitely better than any avocado toast we've ever born witness to. [📸 Rachel]

Medialuna - Buenos Aires, Argentina

With dulce de leche por favor. [📸 Rachel]

Dulce de Batata Cookies - The Grocery Store, Argentina

Sweet potato jelly! [📸 Rachel]

Alfajores - El Calafate, Argentina

A cookie sandwich stuffed with dulce de leche. This one is (correctly) coated in chocolate. [📸 Rachel]

Beskuit - South Africa

A rusk with many forms. Johann wants to start a cult for worshipping these. [📸 Rachel]

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