Kiros shares her travel recipes

TESSA KIROS was born in London. Her mother is from Finland and her father is Greek-Cypriot. When she was four, her family moved to South Africa. In her twenties she spent time working in various restaurants and with families in London, Sydney, Mexico and Athens.

“I love travelling. Different cultures and traditions. Why they do what they do and how they put their dishes together. How people, families and nations connect.” Her 11th book, Provence to Pondicherry, is a collection of recipes from her travels. “The places I am instinctively drawn to are all reached by water. An obvious consequence of the seafaring nature of colonialism.”

Kiros takes us on a gastronomic voyage from Provence in France to Guadeloupe in the southern Caribbean, then to Vietnam, Pondicherry in India, Le Reunion in the Indian Ocean and back to France, this time to Normandy.

Tessa’s degree in Anthropology and Sociology adds value to this book and besides the pleasure of the recipes, her cookbook experience means there is much to read, learn and enjoy as well. The recipes range from the easily doable to those more challenging.

Among those from Provence you’ll find bouillabaisse (fish stew) and sacristains (twisted almond pastries). Guadeloupe offers acras de morue (cod fritters) and colombo de poulet (curried chicken and vegetable soup). From Vietnam one can try pho bo (beef noodle soup) and bun cha (pork meatballs and noodles). From spicy Pondicherry there’s poriyal (stir-fried vegetables) and potato

dosa (pancakes). Bon voyage gastronomique!