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France

Around the World in 30 Bites!

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Petit Fours

The “Petit Fours” at the France booth are delicate bites of heaven

Dayton’s 42 year old, A World A’ Fair, International Festival is set for this upcoming weekend.

Yes, from Friday until Sunday, Daytonians will be showing their heritage spirit through arts, crafts, clothing, dancing and our favorite part… FOOD !

Thirty booths will be set up, each for a different part of the world.  The purpose is to educate and to wow the crowds with their individual uniqueness.  But we buy tickets for one reason… the chance for a  great Food Adventure, where we can eat ourselves around the world in 3o bites.  Did we mention there is wine and beer???

Where else can you grab sushi, Puerto Rican rice and beans, haggis, a gyro, french pastries and a cannoli while watching African dancers?

 

HERE’S THE SKINNY:

— The event takes place at the Dayton Convention Center

   Festival Hours:
   Friday, May 15,  5:00pm – 11:00pm
   Saturday, May 16,  11:00am – 11:00pm
   Sunday, May 17,  11:00am – 6:00pm

— Tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for children at the door

— Full schedule of dancers and booths can be found at http://www.aworldafair.org/  

 

Travel the world with your tastebuds, without leaving Dayton.  Here are some of our favorites..

THE MUST EATS at the World A’Fair festival !!

 

MUST EATS:

Gyro

Dollar for Dollar – the best deal, for the flavor is the Greek Gyro

— GYROS at THE GREECE BOOTH:  These are the same ones they serve at Greek fest.  They also come in chicken gyro and vegetarian, but we prefer the traditional Gyros.  Pound for pound, probably the best deal at the festival.

 

— APPEL FLAPPEN at the NETHERLANDS BOOTH: People wait in lines that wrap around the arena for these powdered, deep fried apple rings.  One bite and you will see what all the excitement is about, and you will wish you would have ordered a few more.

 

— TIRAMISU at the ITALY BOOTH: Coffee like, creamy and dashes of chocolate.  This is dessert done right.  Try one of these cubes of perfection.  So good, it puts you in a trance.

 

— SAAG PANEER at the INDIA BOOTH: Make sure you get some of this Indian spinach dish and get a piece of Naan Bread too for dipping.  A great dish that is satisfying and vegetarian as well.

 

— PETIT FOURS at the FRANCE BOOTH:  Tiny bits of heaven  Choose from a nice selection and go to town.  Treat yourself, you deserve it after traveling the world.

 

Brews

Grab a cold Heiney at World A’Fair

— THE CREAM PUFFS at the SLOVIC BOOTH: Probably the best single item at the festival.  It is delicious and rich like it should be.   A generous helping of cream, on a huge crescent puff, this is grand finale to any visit to the World A’ Fair.  

 

— BEERS at the GERMAN, SCOTLAND and IRELAND BOOTHS:  Ireland and Germany typically have a couple of authentic beers on draft.   These are must drinks.  Nothing says World A’fair like a guy in a kilt pouring you a cold one with no underwear,

 

Here is a start, now you have a road map for the best food in the World.  Every year new food items are introduced, so keep your eyes peeled.  There will be so much delicious, international food, that you simply wont have the time or the hunger pains to try them all.  No worries, the fest is 3 days long !

Want more scoop and great photos of local food events and restaurants?  Follow Hungry Jax, Chef House and The Big Ragu on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Like to tweet? So do we.. check out our Twitter  @food_adv

Please browse the gallery below from some of our delicious Food Adventures where we traveled around the world in 30 bites !

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From Burgundy, with Love – National Chardonnay Day

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Bottles of wine from France and California

A sampling of the wines from the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting.

Steven Spurrier did not set out to send the wine world into a great upheaval. He was an advocate of French wine, and always looking for ways to further that belief. He was so confident of the superiority of his beloved wines that he arranged a blind tasting versus the wines of California to prove it. Paris was selected as the site (of course), and judges from all over the country were brought in for the event. The Paris Wine Tasting was going to prove once and for all that French wine was superior to all other comers. The year was 1976, the same year the United States was celebrating its bicentennial. Little did anyone know at the time that the U.S. was going to cause another major upheaval in a major European power during that anniversary.

Chardonnay was the white wine of choice for both countries; the French brought in a Bordeaux for the red, and the U.S. offered a Cabernet Sauvignon. There was so little doubt in the outcome, France sent no media. TIME magazine was the only press that attended the event. In a decision that stunned everyone in the wine world, the wines in the United States were declared the best across the board.

The Judgment of Paris launched California wines into the spotlight, Chardonnay being thrust straight to the forefront. But Chardonnay had a well-deserved reputation in the wine industry for centuries before that. No one is sure when or how this flexible grape came into being. The most popular theory is that the Romans brought the Gouais blanc variety of grapes to Gaul as they marched through Europe. The grapes started to cross breed with the native Pinot grapes, and the Chardonnay grape was born. In its European home it was used to create white Burgundy wine, seen as one of the finest white wines in the world. There was a blend of the soil, the flexibility of the grape, and the oak it was kept in that develop rich and complex flavors. It is also one of the three grapes (with Pinot noir or Pinot Meunier) that are commonly used in champagne production. Chardonnay vines love chalk, clay, and limestone soils the best, one reason it flourished in the Burgundy region. The vine also travels well, making it the second most popular white wine grape in the world, and fifth of all wine grapes.

Chardonnay grapes

Chardonnay grapes, just waiting to be plucked.

Planting Chardonnay grapes in your vineyard is almost a rite of passage; it is a relatively easy grape to grow. It also is not picky about where it grows, taking root all over the world. It buds early in the spring, but the right techniques can delay the budding for warmer weather to keep the grape’s acidity. The quick ripening does not have to be delayed, making it perfect for a short growing season. Cooler regions, like northern California and New York, are also ideal. The grapes do not ripen as quickly, allowing them to stay on the vine longer to develop some flavor. That is the one small drawback of this super grape. On its own, it does not have much flavor. It is completely dependent on two things: the soil it is grown in (or terroir) and oaking the wine (storing it in oak barrels). This means that the vintner has a big opportunity to implant their own mark on it. They have choices on if they want to put in oak (imparting vanilla and caramel flavors) and where to grow it. If they do not use oak barrels to mature the wine, they will use stainless steel columns. The stainless steel adds nothing, so the flavors of the soil are more pronounced. Cooler climates will impart fruit notes like apple or pear, while warmer climates can add tropical mango and pineapple flavors. The vintner can also choose to put the wine through malolactic fermentation. This changes malic acid to lactic acid, adding a butteriness to the wine. The charm and popularity of Chardonnay comes from the malleability of the flavor profile. This wide spectrum of flavors means that it can go well with any dish, from savory to sweet, if you select the proper wine.

A glass of Chardonnay

Golden, dry, and delicious.

It is not all sunshine and spring breezes for this widely loved wine. Talking about Chardonnay with some friends, one of them called it “the McDonalds of wines”. Much like McDonalds, and to the chagrin of many wine drinkers, Chardonnay is global. It is sturdy, easy to grow, and very profitable. With so much of it planted all over the world, it is very common as well. It lacks a distinction that a Chablis, made of the same grape, enjoys. The lack of flavor in the grape also means that it can be overpowered by strong flavors, especially when it is left in the oak too long. It has also been popular for a very long time, so it is associated with older wine drinkers. And no one wants to be drinking what their parents drank.

The Judgment of Paris opened the floodgates for Chardonnay all over the world. The tête-à-tête match in 1976 was not a random event; every competition between France and the United States afterwards has had similar results. The celebration and overall continued popularity of this dry, impressionable wine resulted in the creation of National Chardonnay Day in 2009. The actual day it is celebrated on, much like the wine it celebrates, is still malleable. It is near the last week of May, but various sites have it being honored on the 22nd or 23rd. It has also been enjoyed some years as late as May 26th. Of course, enjoying Chardonnay on all of those days is just as acceptable. Head to Arrow Wine, Rumbleseat Wine, The Wine Gallery, or any of the many wine merchants in Dayton and pick up a bottle or two to enjoy with friends. If you have any suggestions, we’d love to hear them in the comments below or on Facebook! Now, who has the wine key?

Tasting the Stars in Champagne

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“I only drink champagne when I’m happy, and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I am not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it – unless I’m thirsty.” ~Madame Lily Bollinger

Champagne coupe

Originally, champagne was served in glasses that looked like this.

Madame Bollinger would know the best time to drink champagne. As one of the greatest women to work in the champagne industry in the house whose name she bears, Mme. Bollinger brought champagne through the Great Depression and World War Two. She promoted a style of champagne that changed the industry, moving it from the sweeter side of the spectrum to the dry the British always seem to favor. She was the face of the Bollinger brand, an unusual position for a woman in 1941, and through her efforts, helped the city of Ay, after the war, while earning several honors from both Great Britain and France. She continued the tradition of providing the royalty of England with champagne for all of their events, but more importantly creating champagne so iconic that even James Bond drinks it.

Champagne is a drink of celebration, and is there a better time to be celebrating than on Valentine’s Day? Love is in the air, chocolates and flowers are roaming through offices and homes around the world, so why not bring out that bottle of champagne you were saving for a special occasion? And while you are enjoying your wine, enjoy some interesting facts, trivia, and quotes about this bubbly beauty.

  • Dom Perignon, considered the father of champagne, was not trying to create a sparkling drink. He was trying to demi_sec
    prevent it. The bubbles in champagne were a flaw caused by secondary fermentation. Cold stops the fermentation process, and can leave some sugar in the bottle. When spring comes back and the weather warms up, the fermentation starts up, and creates the fizz. Dom Perignon was the father of blending grapes before pressing them.
  • The grapes blended to make champagne in the modern era are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier.
  • Modern champagne tastes were determined by the British. Champagne was first deliberately created by a man named Christopher Merret in the mid 17th century. They liked the carbonation in their wine, though it was the French king that Louis XIV made it popular with the nobility. It was much sweeter at the time. It was the British again that demanded drier and drier champagne, giving us the general range of sweetness we enjoy today.
  • Uncorking a bottle of champagne is serious business. Before the glass was strong enough, the secondary fermentation caused bottles to explode. All of that gas with no outlet builds up pressure. It can be up to 90 PSI, just under three times what is recommended in a car tire. Plenty of pressure and a little neck, when put together, create a weapon that can shoot the cork at speeds of up to 50 MPH. That could put your eye out. Ain’t nobody got time for that on Valentine’s Day.
  • If you are going for distance, not speed, you are going to have to shoot your cork over 178 feet to break the world record, set by an American in 1988.
  • Champagne_bubblesThe bubbles are crucial to the enjoyment of the champagne. There is an estimated 49 million bubbles in a bottle. Moet and Chandon, in tandem with Heineken, spent $7 million dollars on special photography that revealed 250 million bubbles were contained in each bottle. To get the most bubbles in your bubbly, cool the bottle to about 45 degrees F. With the bottle at a 45 degree angle, put the bottom of the bottle against your hip or thigh. The first thing you will need to do is remove the foil, then the cage on the cork. Be careful; sometimes the cork is loose, and removing the cage will cause the cork to pop. Take a towel and wrap it around the neck, making sure you cover the cork. Holding tight to the cork, twist it gently until it comes out. The less noise you make, the more bubbles you get to enjoy in your glass.
  • Champagne only comes from France by international law. Champagne is part of the larger group of sparkling wines you can find anywhere in the world. If you get it in Italy, it is prosecco , which is becoming very popular. Spain has cava, Germany has sekt, and Portugal has espumante.

    Bottle of Cava

    The Spanish sparkling wine cava, made mainly in the Catalona region.

  • How sweet do you want your champagne? Brut Nature  is the driest of the dry, with no sugar, or very little, added to the wine. Extra Brut has some sugar added, but it still very dry. Brut is the most commonly purchased champagne, and is still a little on the dry side. Extra sec has a little more sweetness than Brut, and a little more sugar added. Demi Sec is dessert-level sweet, with quite a bit more sugar added. Sec is a very sweet champagne, definitely served after a meal as a dessert.
  • We prefer to drink champagne in a flute, but if you watch older films, you can see them drinking champagne out of a wider glass known as a coupé. It does not hold the bubbles as well, but was the traditional way of drinking champagne. It is also said to be molded from the breast of Marie Antoinette. Let them eat cake indeed…
  • Beautiful women have always been linked to champagne. One of the most beautiful women of all time, Marilyn Monroe, is rumored to have taken a bath in over 350 bottles of champagne.
  • The tallest champagne flute was revealed at a festival in Italy. It stands seven feet tall and can hold twenty two bottles of champagne. The largest bottle of champagne currently made is called Midas, holding forty regular sized bottles of premium bubbly. Only six were made, at a cost of $100,000 a bottle.

While Valentine’s Day is a special day and calls for a special celebratory beverage, champagne is something that can be enjoyed every day. The season of champagne tastings is usually in December for New Years or Christmas, but many restaurants will sell certain champagnes by the glass if you are looking to try some out. The staff here will let you know when the next tastings or events are.  Spend today surrounded by friends and loved ones, and celebrate with a drink that has a little more sparkle.