Šoreiz gribu turpināt iepriekš iesākto tēmu par Latvijas un Jaunzēlandes virtuvi. Esot Latvijā kā tūristam, ātri kļūst skaidrs, ka latvieši savus ēdienus un nacionālo virtuvi tur augstā vērtē. Ierodoties lidostā, viens no pirmajiem viesus sagaida «Lido» restorāns. Visi pilsētas ceļveži, ieskaitot «Lonely Planet» tipa izdevumus, ziņo, ka ciemošanās Latvijā nebūs pilnvērtīga, ja neapmeklēsiet šo vai kādu citu restorānu, kas piedāvā latviešu ēdienus.
Kad angļu TV seja Maikls Palins veidoja raidījumu sēriju un pēc tam arī grāmatu par ceļojumu pa Austrumeiropas valstīm, Latvijai veltītajā daļā lielākoties bija aprakstīts viņa pavadītais laiks kādā labā latviešu restorānā, kurā gadu iepriekš bija ēdis Džordžs Bušs. Arī fakts, ka ap «Lido» atrodas liels atpūtas un izklaides parks, atklāj latviešu mīlestību uz ēdienu. Tādu lepošanos ar savu virtuvi neesmu redzējis nekur citur. Iespējams, to varētu salīdzināt ar jaunzēlandiešu lepnumu par savu dabu un «tīrās, zaļās zemes» tēlu. Arī francūži un itāļi acīmredzami lepojas ar savu virtuvi. Bet mūsdienās to var nobaudīt jebkur pasaulē, turklāt viņiem ir arī daudz citu lietu, kas pievilina viesus.Jau rakstīju, ka Jaunzēlandei nav daudz ēdienu, ko tā varētu saukt par nacionālajiem. Taču mums ir īpaša ēdiena pagatavošanas metode, kas patapināta no mūsu valsts iedzimtajiem – maoriem. Paši maori to sauc par «hangi».Hangi ir vesels pasākums. Vispirms cilvēki izrok zemē lieli bedri. Tad tiek savākti milzīgi, izturīgi akmeņi, kas bedres dibenā tiek karsēti uz uguns apmēram pusotru stundu. Tad no tiem noskalo pelnus un ieliek audekla maisos. Tālāk nāk produkti – parasti jēra, cūkas vai vistas gaļa un dārzeņi, kā saldie kartupeļi, sīpoli, kāposti, ķirbis, kartupeļi un burkāni. Visu ēdienu ietin samitrinātā kokvilnas audumā, uzliek to uz maisos ieliktajiem akmeņiem un citus maisus pārklāj vēl pāri. Visbeidzot bedri atkal aizber. Pēc trim stundām ēdiens ir gatavs un to rok ārā. Skaidrs, ka tas ir milzīgs process, tāpēc to dara tikai īpašos gadījumos vai, izrādot tūristiem kā daļu no vietējās kultūras bagāžas. Lai gan Jaunzēlandē esmu dzīvojis visu mūžu, no hangi esmu ēdis tikai dažas reizes. Tas nav tik ātri pieejams kā «Lido» un to nevar uzskatīt par obligātu lietu, kas jānobauda, esot Jaunzēlandē, taču tā ir unikāla maoru tautas vērtība. Latvians love their foodCarrying on from last week on the theme of food, I will this week continue discussing cuisine and the significance it holds within Latvian and New Zealand cultures.Coming to Latvia as a tourist, it is quickly obvious that food and national cuisine is something Latvians hold in high regard. When arriving at Riga airport, one of the first things to greet visitors is a Lido restaurant. Every tourist guide to the city, including the likes of Lonely Planet declare that a visit to Latvia is not complete without visiting a Lido or a restaurant offering the same traditional Latvian offerings. When famous English television presenter, Michael Palin produced a television series, and subsequently a book documenting his travels through Eastern Europe, the time spent discussing Latvia mainly referred to time he spent at a famous Latvian restaurant, where George Bush had eaten a year previous. The fact that Latvia’s ‘theme park’ exists around a Lido restaurant summarises the love that Latvians have for food.The pride that Latvians take in their traditional dishes is like that which I have never experienced in other countries. I could perhaps compare it to the pride we as New Zealanders take in our nature and ‘clean, green’ image. Obviously the French and the Italians are famous for their food but it can now be found anywhere in the world, and they also hold many other attractions for the visitor.As I mentioned last week, I am a big fan of Latvian cuisine (even if I did claim that my favourite food here is actually of foreign roots! Apologies to any one I may have offended!) and New Zealand lacks what could be called traditional dishes.What New Zealand does however offer is a traditional method of cooking their food, courtesy of the country’s native people, the Maori. The Maori people call this method a ‘hangi’.The hangi is an event in itself, beginning with the men digging a large hole in the ground. Large rocks, selected on their ability to withstand great heat are then heated in a fire at the bottom of the hole for about one and a half hours. The rocks are then quickly sprayed with water to remove ash and then covered in Hessian sacks. Next comes the food, traditionally mutton, pork or chicken and vegetables such as kumara (sweet potato), onions, cabbage, pumpkin potatoes and carrot. All the food is wrapped in muslin or cotton sheets which have been dampened in water. The food is then placed on top of the Hessian sacks, before more Hessian sacks are placed on top of the food. The final stage of preparation sees the holed filled in with soil again. It is then left for two to three hours before the soil is once again dug up.Obviously it is a huge process so it is only done on special occasions or as part of cultural experience shows for tourists. Although I have lived in New Zealand for all of my life it has only been on rare occasions that I have eaten from a hangi. It is also not as readily available as the food from a lido and would not be considered a must-do while in New Zealand, but either way it is somewhat unique to the Maori culture.
