OZY Classics: Enticing Foods from Around the World

They are worth the climb. When you think of going out for amazing dumplings, you don’t picture yourself climbing up a rickety ladder in a former military community in Chengdu, China, and crawling through an oversize window. But that’s exactly where you’ll find the best dumplings you’ve ever had: after stepping into a small apartment and into a dense cloud of Sichuan spices. Dry Chili Chao Shou does not show up in Google. It doesn’t have a Facebook page, nor is it listed with a geotag on Instagram. In fact, the mom-and-pop shop doesn’t market itself at all. Yet the Dry Chili Chao Shou sells out of its homemade dumplings almost nightly.

It’s gotten to the point that deep dish, like the “The Bean” and Chicago’s unforgiving wind, have been ingrained in people’s minds as a Chicago staple, even though it’s not. The deep dish is neither Chicago’s first nor its favorite pizza, and it’s definitely not the most consumed. In fact, the deep dish wasn’t even made by Chicagoans. The true Chicago-style pizza is tavern style — a thin, crispy-crust pizza typically made with pinched sausage and Giardiniera peppers and cut into various square sizes (boosting its share-ability), and it’s time it takes the throne as Chicago’s official pizza.

You might need a breathalyzer after eating this famous cake. Many restaurants and pastry shops in Germany serve Black Forest Cherry Cake (“Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte”), but master baker Claus Schäfer’s version is special. He owns the original recipe, dating back to the early 1900s. Oh, and watch out for the cherries. They are 56 percent alcohol.

Is the knafeh Palestinian or Israeli, Turkish or Egyptian? The sweet-as-sugar dessert that’s filled with cheese and topped with nuts has a long history, dating back centuries — perhaps as far back as the 10th century. Since then, it’s become a beloved treat across the Middle East — so much so that multiple nations try to claim it as their own, a culinary kerfuffle almost as heated as the centuries-long conflicts that have ravaged the region.

The chocolate industry in the U.K. alone generates 2.3 tons of carbon emissions annually. Cocoatrait, designed and produced by chocolatiers in Chennai, India, is trying to change that, one bar at a time. Cocoatrait bars use cocoa husk paper packaging and biodegradable wrappers, and the chocolate is made using unrefined sugar and other natural ingredients. With this chocolate, the feel-good aftertaste is as great as the actual flavors.

For carb-loving kids, Passover is not the tastiest of Jewish holidays. But one treat that Jewish families always look forward to is the charoset served during the Passover Seder. Eating the sweet, cinnamon-infused spread — which is often slathered on top of matzo or spread into little sandwiches — might bring some people a surge of dopamine. But the paste, which is made of nuts, honey and apples, is, in fact, rooted in an ancient political struggle for freedom.

For centuries, Bolivia’s Aymara indigenous community has cultivated potatoes and turned them into a freeze-dried product called the chuño, which can last up to four years. It’s often their most reliable source of calories in the bitter cold of the Andean highlands. Legend has it that Incan warriors carried chuños and survived on them during long military expeditions. But climate change is doing what colonialism and innumerable wars and conquests couldn’t: force the Aymara to contemplate a change in their diet. Unpredictable weather manifesting itself in the form of frost, rain and sun on consecutive days is making cultivation hard.

A staple in Ethiopian cuisine, this gluten-free grain is also gaining popularity with farmers responding to climate change. They are drawn to it for its drought-resistant properties while you may be more excited by the health perks of the world’s smallest grain. Teff is a good source of protein and contains lots of beneficial minerals, along with a high dose of the amino acid lysine. It’s also one of a range of old, climate-resistant grains — some dating back over 7,000 years — that researchers globally are trying to revive as the answer to food security challenges of the future.

Edible insects — already popular in large parts of the non-Western world — are rich in protein yet are more sustainable to produce than beef or pork. All of which is driving an explosion in demand for these creepy crawlies, which are expected to have a global market worth $4.6 billion by 2027. One country that could really benefit economically is Mexico, home to 29% of the world's edible insect species.

on The Carlos Watson Show, season 4!

Until very recently, being vegan was practically a foreign concept in meat-obsessed Argentina. But things are changing, and fast. So much so that six out of every 10 Argentines are considering giving up beef and going vegan, according to a recent study by the country’s Institute for the Promotion of Beef. A change in health habits and the deep economic crisis that has shot meat prices through the roof are some of the reasons.

The Balkan country is breaking with its meat-and-leather-loving neighbors, steadily adopting veganism. This is partly thanks to a network of activists organizing public protests on the streets and online, with popular artists and entrepreneurs giving a helping hand. The results started to show a few years ago with the number of vegan restaurants growing across the country’s capital. But fighting an often unpopular battle comes with risks — including threats and abuses.

Sin City is known as the land of excess, home to all that is over the top, including food — all-you-can-eat buffets, bottomless Bloody Marys, world-renowned steakhouses. What’s a vegan to do? Years ago, not much. But today’s Vegas has gone through a plant-based makeover. The hip off-Strip Downtown area is the new hot spot for vegan eats, and many of the resorts now even offer special menus.

What’s your favorite enticing (and perhaps interesting) food?

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