HaYa's Mediterranean Cuisine

Head to Haya's Mediterranean Cuisine during Gourmet Week to try the freshest, homemade laffa, pita breads, hummus, salad dressing, and fresh squeezed lemonade to satisfy your Mediterranean cravings. Haya's is a fusion of Israeli, Mediterranean and European culinary styles, and its two-year-old location in Dagu Rd is a spin off of their popular bakery, Mediterranean Bakery Products. "Our breads are distributed everywhere in Shanghai – from restaurants such as Element Fresh to supermarkets like Carrefour," owner Tzachi Ronen proudly points out.


My friends and I gave Haya's food two very enthusiastic thumbs up. The laffa and pita breads were served piping hot fresh out of the oven, with delicious (depending on what you choose) hand ground hummus and zesty tzatziki, a traditional Greek dip with yogurt embedded with cucumber and garlic. Definitely try the Jerusalem Majadara – fluffy steamed rice and lentils with sautéed onions topped with an egg sunny side up and served with a bowl of yogurt on the side – and wash it down with their signature sweet and tangy lemonade. The lamb skewered shish kebab was lean, flagrant, and tender to taste. Off the menu, try the moist and creamy cheesecake with chocolate drizzle or Krembo, a light cream filled chocolate encrusted dessert with a cookie bottom.

The quality of the food is a surprise to customers who are skeptical of the understated and unpretentious café-style décor of the restaurant. Ronen continues, "But that is the point, we serve high quality food for our customers who are looking for a regular hangout spot to relax and catch up with friends."

Posted on City Weekend: http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/articles/cw-magazine/cw-gourmet-week/ha-yas-mediterranian-cuisine/

Travel Benefits of Soy: Fact or Urban Myth?

I love traveling to third world countries. I've traveled to many parts of China, Southeast Asia and Africa. Each time I travel, I am told by my relatives and family that the first thing I should do to when I arrive in a new country is to look for and consume soy products, so that my body can adjust to local foods. I undoubtedly comply each time, and have never gotten sick. But are soy products really a cure-all for travelers, or an urban myth?

First, I checked the health benefits of soy. Soy carries 8 essential amino acids, fiber, calcium, Omega-3 and B vitamins. Soy also lowers the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, symptoms of menopause and decreases the risks of breast and prostate cancer. In addition, soy contains isoflavones, a plant compound that boosts the immune system. But other products such as lentils, chickpeas, peanuts and green tea also contains isoflavones as well as various other health benefits. Why not consume these products instead of soy?

One reason might be that soy (especially soy flour with full-fat content) contains the most isoflavones compared to other isoflavone products, according to isoflavones.com. In ancient China, soy was considered one of the five holy crops, the other four rice, wheat, barley and millet. The nutritional value of soy and its consumption was and still is accessible to all ranks of society. Traveling through Asia and Africa, I found this to be true as tofu is quite easily accessible; a quick fix to my travel woes. I have never gotten sick each time I consumed soy prior to eating local foods in a foreign country. The key, however, is to consume soy products when you first arrive in a new country, to build up your immune system.

My conclusion: it is a fact that soy's nutritional value helps boost the immune system, but it's always prudent to take health precautions when traveling to a foreign country.

In Shanghai, soy milk is carried by most food vendors for RMB1-2, depending on where you go. Tofu dishes are a staple dish and tofu desserts are available at most restuarants. Happy eating and drinking!

Oysters: The Food of Love

With Valentines Day just around the corner, what better way than enjoy this day with your sweetie over a glass of wine and the food of love: oysters?

You curiously ask, “Why are oysters the food of love?” Well, let me tell you. Oysters, along with pine nuts, bananas top the list of aphrodisiacs. Aphrodisiac foods are derived from Greek mythology, where it was believed that certain foods symbolic of the female and male anatomy stimulated and aroused the opposite sex. The oyster is said to resemble the female anatomy. Scientifically, consumption of oysters show increased levels of estrogen and testosterone, though the exact amount consumed to excite the opposite sex is still under study.

Probing to learn more, you ask again, “What else should I know about oysters?” There are two types of oysters – saltwater and freshwater oysters. The most consumed in the world are the Pacific and Eastern oyster, grown primarily in the north and west coasts, as their name suggests. In China, oyster estuaries and cultivation occurs primarily in Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Liaoning, and Shandong. In Shanghai, a majority of oysters consumed in Shanghai are imported from Italy and Germany. In earlier times when cultivation methods were less advanced, it was believed that oysters should not be consumed in months ending with “r,” since these warm months are when oysters spawn, thus effecting its freshness. But with advancements in cultivation techniques the oyster is a perennial food that could be eaten year-round, which means you can enjoy oysters regardless of if you are in a relationship or if it is a special occasion.

Enough talk about oysters: “How and where are oysters best eaten in Shanghai?” For a quick oyster fix, head out to Nanjing South Road by Shimen Yi Road to get your hands on plump grilled oysters for RMB5 each. I like my oysters raw. For raw oysters, head out to 海之幸 on 222 Huaihai Road. Happy eating!

Nostalgia

Su candy: A Shanghai specialty

This particular brand is also marketed in Japan

Do you remember the first time you were a kid and ate a piece of candy that made you feel so happy you could run through a field of sunflowers? A candy that was so good the mere sight of it transcends you back to that very first time? If you know what I’m talking about, then you would understand it is rare to find a candy that conjures up feelings of nostalgia in adulthood, as I have found in Shanghai’s specialty, Zhimasu, or sesame flaky candy.

I love candy, but Shanghai’s sesame candy is my favorite. The first time I came to visit Shanghai in 2002 I picked up an unassuming white package with Zhimasu written in bold Chinese letters in the front, about the length of my first finger. The candy is the color of black ground sesame seeds, cut into fourths, sometimes with black sesame seeds embedded in it. Gently placing the powdery consistency of the candy in my mouth, the sesame flavor immediately melts and dissolves into a light creamy consistency of sesame goodness. My eyes rolled back into my eye sockets. Lord, I have died and gone to heaven!

Quick facts about Shanghai’s sesame candy, Zhimasu:

Fact 1: Shanghai’s sesame candy is hand-made and has over 100 years of history.

Fact 2: Shanghai’s sesame candy originated from the ancestors of Zhang Caigen, whom were also the creators of the pear syrup candy, a famous Shanghai specialty.

Fact 3: Since Shanghai is a relevantly young city, its major influences for the sesame flaky candy are from Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Yangzhou.

Fact 4: What makes the sesame flaky candy different from those from other countries is its consistency. While the sesame flaky candy from Suzhou is a molten sugar candy covered with white sesame seeds, in Hangzhou, the sesame flaky candy is deep fried.

“Many young people do not particularly have feelings of nostalgia attached to this candy,” explained Shanghai native Reika Li. “It is a candy that is treasured by people from an older generation. However, it is still a famous candy because of its long history. When foreigners come they will want to purchase Shanghai specialties to bring back home, and this candy is one of them.”

“A ton of this sesame flaky candy is made each day at my manufacturing company,” exclaims 6th generation owner and distributor, Ms. Qian Pei Li. “We have 50 variations of this candy. Our best seller is the sesame flavored flaky candy, peanut flavored the second, and rose and green bean flavored candy the third.”

It takes approximately 5 hours to make the flaky candy by hand, with the sugar being heated at 120° C. The process of making the candy involves special techniques incorporating sugar, flour and sesame (or various other flavors). Thereafter, the candy is cooled at 27° C and cut. One batch makes approximately 15 pieces which are then hand-cut and wrapped.

Despite all the work it requires to make the candy, it is still relatively cheap given its long history and tasty nature at RMB12 a gram. The candy is distributed at No. 5 Nanjing Road, Yuyuan market, subway stops, Pudong and Hongqiao airports. Happy eating!

Snails or Escargots?

Snails, or escargots, if you will, is an unusual delicacy and acquired taste for those with an unfamiliar palate. After all, these gastropods live in the soil and feed on algae and dead plants, why would anyone new to this delicacy want to try it?

Given the bad press snails have been getting in the past 6 months, the answer might be no one. Last June, over one hundred people contracted meningitis from eating apple snails at a local Beijing restaurant. Meningitis is the inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord, caused by the parasite carried by the snails, angiostrongylus cantonensis, when consumed undercooked or raw. In addition, the snail’s ability to withstand pesticides and droughts has been considered a nuisance to agricultural producers in southern China, where the warm climate is most favorable to these mollusks.

Before you snicker at this delicacy as pests, be rest assured - officials have confirmed that apple snails sold for consumption at local restaurants and eateries in Shanghai are safe. Also, the parasite causing meningitis is not exclusive to just snails, but is present in all freshwater products including fish, crabs, and shellfish. Contracting the parasite is fully preventable given that these shellfish are cooked at temperatures that reach up to 90° C or 194° F.

If you are still not convinced, consider this - Romans have been feeding on these creatures since the times of Caesar, and even influenced the French to adopt them as a delicacy since the mid-nineteenth century. In addition, it has been documented in ancient Chinese history that snails and their shells have medicinal purposes which calms asthma, detoxes, and disinfects. First introduced to Guangdong in the 1980s, snails were once a high-protein, low-fat staple food for farmers. Today, these mollusks have become commercially profitable, where exports of snail and snail-related products generated approximately US$33,656,000 for China in 2005, its biggest consumers Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, respectively, according to China Customs Statistics. With southern China providing the largest amount of exports, Shanghai alone generated US$30,000 in 2005.

So is it snails or escargots? Linguistically they’re the same thing, but in the culinary world, the differing opinions may lie in the way these mollusks are cooked. Escargot, a French word for snails, are traditionally cooked with red wine, stuffed, and buttered. On English menus, the word “escargot” is used for these traditional methods of French cooking. The primary difference between Chinese and French culinary styles lay in the spices in which the snails are cooked and the way these mollusks are presented. Snails in Asia are steamed and stir-fried with spices and sometimes stuffed, but usually cooked with peppers and thus spicy. The biggest notable difference between the ways snails in Asia are prepared compared to those aboard is that they are not gutted. However, only the body, or meat of the snail is edible, so do not eat the sack containing its internal organs and possible offspring. Also, in Asia, instead of a fork, you get a toothpick to enjoy your snails.

Please, do try snails, and ask for tianluo (田螺). If you decide to cook your own, make sure you purchase snails at licensed vendors, and clean the snails well by purging, or fasting the snails at least four days before you cook them to remove all possible toxins. Live snails are sold at the Oriental International Aquatic Products Trade Center on军工路in the 宝山 district, and cooked snails can be found at和豐樓or next door at上海老隍 in Yuyuan market, or nearby restaurants. Happy eating!