The Flying Anchovy!!
Travel, Work, Eat, Sleep and repeat….Party….Maybe…
Why the Anchovy? So many times present along my travels and my Gourmet experiences, as a few examples but memorable ones…
Pintxos, the famous tapas from San Sebastian where I lived 7 months, calle St Jeronimo, the heart of la Parte Vieja. Those delicious and amazing Pintxos made or decorated with
the famous Spanish anchovy, or boquerones…
The Flying fish, badly associated sometimes with an Anchovy, anchovy again….. Have you ever been face to face with a flying fish cruising on a catamaran in Barbados?? Amazing Barbados, coral island with its amazing pinky white sand beaches, blue waters, the nicest people and the finest and oldest Rum of the Caribbean, Mount Gay Rum. Sorry for my Caribbean friends, but my favorite island in the Caribbean!!
Tapenade, the best thing ever for a great and healthy Apero. Puree of black olives, Nicoise or Kalamata, mixed with fresh Anchovy filet, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil, basil or thyme. Anchovy again!!
Did you know that the famous Nuoc Mam sauce was made with Anchovy in Phu Quoc, a little island hidden in the Gulf of Thailand, off the cost of Cambodia but still in Vietnam. Phu Quoc is also known for its Coconut Tree Prison during the Vietnam War and his black pepper.
The Nuoc Mam sauce is used by the greatest chefs as a condiment. Like how olive oil is to the Italians, Red wine is to the French, fish sauce is to the Vietnamese. It is a pillar of the Vietnamese dishes.
One of the very basic of fish sauce is the dipping sauce that can be used as a dip for spring rolls, as a dressing for noodles and rice or as a marinade for grilled meat. Fish sauce can be mix with lime, garlic and chili.
Funny enough the Anchovy helped me discover my favorite cuisines: Greek, Italian, Spanish, and Vietnamese, Japanese, Peruvian.
15 years traveling the Caribbean and Latin America, 2.5+ Million miles with American Airlines, I’m sure now you understand the link with food and travel.
It would have been so easy…..
In fact, the name came after a memorable night spent in Cannes with 2 very good friends of mine. I don’t remember how we have been lucky enough to end up lock inside a nice restaurant with the even nicer owner, having drink in front and behind the bar, by the kitchen. The restaurant, O’ Detour, was full of my cigar smoke, we were serious, discussing about how we will change the world and change the whole decoration of the restaurant, inside/outside and give it a real name. Being in Cannes we look for something fishy and culinary, Mediterranean with some poetry…..Here comes our Flying Anchovy !!!