Exotic Ports of the Culinary Historians

"Exotic Ports" was the theme of the winter meal of the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor. Above: Kulibiaka, made from
a recipe by Anya von Bremsen -- my favorite of all the foods. Kulibiaka contains salmon, cod, kasha, and mushrooms,
baked in a crust, as you can see.  The platter, according to the contributor, was actually purchased at a flea market
in St.Petersburg, Russia, adding to the authenticity of the dish!

Amusing decorations contributed to the fun of the dinner.

My contribution: Champignons Provençale, from Provence and thus from the exotic port of Nice, France.

Other contributions came from around the world. Desserts: fruit salad from Singapore, macadamia nut pie from Hawaii, Scandinavian apple cake, and two gingerbreads representing the historic spice route ports where ginger has been traded for millennia. Fish dishes from Oman and from Sweden, and jambalaya from New Orleans. Chicken biryani and potato cakes from Bangladesh. Bankok red beef curry. A shrimp dish from a historic hotel in the port of Chicago. Spicy salad from Casablanca. And more. A few images:

  

Another favorite of mine: chirashi sushi from one of Japan's 104 port cities! The red is ginger, the green is seaweed.

The CHAA dinners are always fun. The flavors this time were remarkable, as everyone used a variety of spices; maybe the cooks were inspired by the word "exotic." It's amazing how some elements of cuisine appear in so many of these dishes -- for example, rice and ginger, which show up in dishes from around the world.