Top Ten Thursday: Tasting a Place?

This weeks top ten Thursday is all about those foods that when we eat them the taste transports us to another place. My list is going to be a mixture of places and people, as I think that food can remind us of people as well.

1. Egg and Bacon Pie. This is a recipe from my mum and it is so simple but so delicious and whenever I used to cook it just the smell alone would transport me home to the farm I grew up on. It would also remind me of how my brothers and I would fight over the left over pieces. It's purely puff pastry, bacon, eggs, and a little bit of seasoning. I made the one above for me and Ken hence the heart decorating it.

2. Chicken Shawarma. There was a man with a cart in the compound I lived on in Saudi Arabia who sold shawarmas garnished with chips (french fries, not crisps) and chilli sauce. I know, its sounds awful, but it was scrummy. Flat bread, a token bit of salad, chicken, chips, and sauce - just what you need after a long shift in the hospital. I know I'll never have this again but just the thought of it has me back there.

3. Pavlova. When I was little I didn't like this dessert and I'll never understand why as it's delicious, so this actually reminds me of being given jelly whilst everyone else indulged in pavlova. I'm not sure when I realised it was good but now I make it myself. (and I don't care what the Kiwis say, it's an Australian invention).

4. Marshmallows. These transport me back to youth group weekends at Hellyar Beach in Tasmania. We used to play a game called chubby bunny where you had to see how many marshmallows you could fit in your mouth whilst still being able to say chubby bunny. It will probably come as no surprise to some people that I won with a total of 19 marshmallows in my mouth.

5. Marmalade. Another thing that I didn't really like when I was young so I used to try and get just the juice on my knife rather than slices of peel. This reminds my of my nanna who made marmalade which my dad loved - the smell of the oranges cooking down was lovely.

6. Plum Pudding. I know it's not the most attractive looking thing, but I've never quite perfected how to get it out of the cloth it cooks in for four hours. This is my mum's recipe and all of us children know if mum had used a different recipe - this was the one we wanted. It's a taste of home and the only way to eat it is with loads of runny cream.

7. Waffles. The first time I ever had waffles was at Disneyland in California so now I always associate them with America. It was a waffle in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head, covered with strawberries and cream - yum.

8. Anzac Biscuits. These are a biscuit that originated in the First World War when Australian women wanted to send a biscuit to the troops that wouldn't spoil on the journey and were originally called Soldier's biscuits. In our family we called them Brian's biscuits as I think he (my brother) brought the recipe home from either school or Sunday school, so these biscuits make me think of him.

9. Instant Noodles. The smell alone reminds me of living in the nurses home whilst I was doing my nurse training, as we used to live on quick and simple foods.

10. Mint Slices. These are Australia to me. My favourite biscuits in the whole world and they don't sell them in the UK!! Everytime we go home for a holiday I always come back with several packets in our luggage and my lovely mum often includes a packet with our Christmas present.

Now I'm hungry, and realising that I've got a dreadful sweet tooth. I'm glad that only two meat dishes made it onto the list and no, it hasn't made me want to eat them again.

What are the foods that you associate with a place? Before you go, pop over to Tamara's blog and see what my fellow bloggers have come up with on their lists - Click Here To Visit.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and enjoy one of your favourite foods this week.

Pamela & Ken
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