STARTERS ASK THE EXPERTS


OUR PANEL ANSWERS YOUR CULINARY QUERIES, FROM BUYING SPICES IN PERU TO DRINKING BEER IN PORTLAND


THE EXPERTS


I’m going to Northern Ireland — where, beyond Belfast, is good for food? Patrick Hanlon: Belfast punches above its weight when it comes to its food scene, but if you’re after both good food and scenic coastal drives, head for Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast. Hugging the Atlantic, running from Derry beyond the Giant’s Causeway, there’s an enticing choice of restaurants, cafes, bars, breweries and guesthouses dotted along the route. Grab a coffee and a pastry at Babushka in


Patrick Hanlon Food and travel writer at GastroGays.com


Portrush, set within a former boathouse on the town’s pier. Further into town, book a table at Ocho Tapas Bistro, where Iberian influence


GOT A FOOD


QUESTION? Email it to


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meets local produce with the most incredible seafood platters, tapas and wines. Along the coast, in Portstewart, stop by


Harry’s Shack, a restaurant on the beach serving the freshest catch paired with local brews and wine. Order the fish on the bone, which changes day by day. End the day with a pint of Guinness or a nip of


whiskey in the Bushmills Inn. Local produce is celebrated here — the menu features the likes of Broighter Gold oils, Corndale Farm charcuterie, Ursa Minor sourdough, Broughgammon Farm goat and veal, Morelli ice cream, Lacada craft beers and Bushmills whiskey, to name a few.


Nicholas Gill Food and travel writer and Latin America specialist


Causeway Coast in Antrim, Northern Ireland


Nicola Trup Deputy editor of National Geographic Traveller Food


Ghillie Basan Author of The Lebanese Kitchen


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I’m going to Lima soon and want to bring back some Peruvian herbs and spices. What should I look out for? Nicholas Gill: The building blocks of Peruvian cuisine are without a doubt ajíes, the vast collection of fragrant chilli peppers that come in an array of different colours, shapes and heat levels. The long, orange and only mildly spicy ají amarillo is used in recipes like ají de gallina (spicy shredded chicken) and in stews or sauces. Among the sea of Andean tubers and rainbow of jungle fruits at Mercado 1 in Surquillo or Mercado de Magdalena — two of Lima’s best markets — you’ll find ají amarillo, fresh or in its dried form, called ají mirasol. For travel-friendly packaging, it’s


NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.CO.UK/FOOD-TRAVEL


preserved in jars or in a paste, and available at any Wong supermarket. This also goes for other peppers: spicy ají limo,


which is finely chopped for ceviches; dark red and smoky ají panca for meats and stews; and the tiny, fruity ají charapita for Amazonian dishes. Herbs are mostly used fresh in Peruvian cooking, though huacatay, a type of black mint that’s essential for many Andean recipes, can be found as a paste. Finally, for speciality food items you won’t find


anywhere else — olive oils from the south coast, salt from the mines at Maras near Cusco, artisan piscos and Peruvian wines — there are gourmet shops like La Gastrónoma and the stand inside the restaurant Mó Bistró.


IMAGES: GETTY; JON WHITAKER


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