Demo

ED

FOOD ORIGINS

01

SPRING 2017

WHETS TO NE

W HE T S TONE M A G A Z I N E

CO N T R I B U TO R S

Peggy Markel For 25 years, Peggy Markel has been taking people on culinary adventures around the world to discover the soulful roots of food and culture mostly in Italy, Morocco, Spain and India. You can find

FOUNDER

Stephen Satterf ield

her at peggymarkel.com

Victoria Bouloubasis Victoria Bouloubasis is a journalist, documentary filmmaker and

EDITOR

Heleene Tambet

PHOTOGRAPHY

Au n d re L ar row, Beve l D avi d Brow n M olly D e C o ud re aux Pe t e r E ve r so l l Pe tr u s M al h e r be Il an a S t o n e S tep h e n S m i t h A le x an d r a L am p e r t S te p he n S at t e r f i e l d

folklorist based in the South. She explores the intersections of food, migration, labor and identity. More at: victoriabouloubasis. com, @thisfeedsme

Ilana Sharlin Stone Ilana Sharlin Stone is an American freelance writer and former chef who has lived in Cape Town, South Africa since 1994. She writes about food and drink people, culture and origins for US and South African publications and for her blog, www.findingumami.capetown. Follow Ilana on Facebook: Finding Umami in Cape Town, and Instagram: @findingumami_capetown

Alexandra Lampert Alexandra Lampert is a cook, writer, and cookbook editor with an MA in Food Studies from NYU. She currently serves as the pastry

I L L U S T R AT I O N S

D a n Br an sf i e l d Tim A n d e r so n RS W h i p p l e

chef at Kimball House in Decatur, GA.

Stephen Satterfield Stephen Satterfield is an Oakland-based food writer, speaker and multimedia producer with an extensive hospitality background, including more than a decade as a sommelier. He is a former man-

DESIGN

Rob Phillips

CO N TAC T

P : + 1 4 04 - 5 09- 2 864 E : wh e ts ton e m ag az i n e @g m ai l . c o m W : wh e tst o n e m agaz i n e . c o m

ager at San Francisco’s Nopa Restaurant, where he co-founded Nopalize, a multimedia chronicle of the Bay Area’s local food culture that was the predecessor to this publication. @isawstephen

Heleene Tambet Native to Estonia, Heleene Tambet currently lives and writes from San Francisco where she is doing her graduate studies. She is a tireless and passionate student of global crop diversity, preservation and the creation of linkages that allow small-scale food production to remain sustainable.

2

WHETS TO NE

INTRODUCTION Not that I seek them out, but when I encounter stories of people who have risen to great heights in business or art, I always pay attention to the bios. Since I generally have a short attention span, I sometimes surprise myself with how these stories - with their predictable arcs - vie for my attention at all. They’re basically all the same. Someone had an idea. They kept working on it, it seemed like that idea would never come to pass, but then it did. Lots of success ensued. I don’t think the release of this magazine is the makings of a media dynasty, but it does have that familiar sequence of person + idea + struggle = triumph. It’s been a long time coming.

But perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that those stories of “beginnings” made such an impression on me. I am, after all, obsessed with stories of origin. I adhere firmly to the belief that it is impossible to understand something without understanding where it came from. This guiding belief is what led to the formation of this magazine. The more I wrote about food, the more agitated I became that these essential connecting threads of origin, were missing from conversations about dishes, regions, and cooking techniques.

I’ve been lucky enough to travel around the world documenting these alluring culinary allegories, all while working with phenomenally talented creatives. I have been unspeakably grateful for the experiences and communities I’ve encountered along the way. Sharing these stories feels not just like a natural conclusion, rather a sacred obligation.

The name Whetstone is a metaphorical ode to the stone that sharpens the chef’s knife. The imagery came to me as a counterpoint to the incessant coverage of chefs in food magazines. Lost in the fetishization of the final dish, is that beautiful, meditative ritual that greets each chef at each day before their work begins.

Whetstone is about that first step. It is about understanding the indispensable value of knowing the entire story.

From Oaxaca, the culinary capital of Mexico, to the Western Cape, the culinary capital of South Africa, Whetstone 001 is a global exploration of local food culture and origins. We hope you enjoy.

— Stephen Satterfield

3

WHET S TONE PHOTOGRAPHER

David Brown

4

W HET STON E

5

W HETS TONE

6

WHETS TO NE

Guadalupe Nos Cuenta CONTRIBUTOR

Victoria Bouloubasis PHOTOGRAPHER

Peter Eversoll

Victoria Bouloubasis is a journalist, docu-

G

uadalupe toasts peanuts, ses-

round head hits as high as Pete’s

ame seeds and pepitas in her

hip, which provides a sturdy base

home in eastern North Carolina on

for Pete to rest the hefty Canon

a summer Sunday afternoon. It’s

DSLR camera he’s been holding.

hot out, the way it always is in July in the South, when the mosquitos get

“Take a picture, man,” Pete says,

tangled up in the humid, stagnant

kneeling to meet Wilbur’s eye lev-

air before they reach your skin.

el and to show him how to cradle the camera in his pudgy hands.

mentary filmmaker and folklorist based in

In the trailer, the makeshift cur-

the South. She explores the intersections of

tains are drawn, keeping it dark

Wilbur grips the Canon with both

food, migration, labor and identity.

and cool enough for Guadalupe, in

hands, his finger barely reaching

a Lycra tank dress, to toil over a rich

the shutter. The smudgy lenses

mole for her guests, my friend Pe-

of his glasses poke the view-

ter and me. Guadalupe’s kitchen is

finder as he peers through a tiny,

modest. The limited décor includes

morphed rectangle to watch his

monsters drawn in crayon, by her

mother flip tortillas on the stove.

eight-year-old son Wilbur, all over

He bobs his head from side-to-

the walls and above the stove, and

side with the camera pressed

a photograph of her parents in a

firmly against his face, becom-

dusty frame on top of the refrigera-

ing comfortable with the view.

More at: victoriabouloubasis.com, @thisfeedsme

tor. She brings it down to show it to me; her father had died a cou-

Pete visits Guadalupe and her two

ple of weeks before. She has no le-

young sons at least monthly as

gal permission to travel, to mourn

an employee of North Carolina’s

at home. She is, in a sense, stuck.

migrant education program. His job is to ensure the boys, children

With a long, definitive swoop of

of a migrant worker, are getting

a pencil, Wilbur finishes the last

what they need from school. To-

problem set of his math home-

day he arrives with a bag filled

work at the kitchen table and

with notebooks, pencils and eras-

scurries out of his seat. He stands

ers, stories, and lastly, a carton

up next to Pete, who is nearly six

of Neapolitan ice cream — our

and a half feet tall. Wilbur is eight

contribution to Sunday supper.

years old, with a big belly and a shy smile. The spiky hair atop his

Guadalupe

chats

with

me

as

7

WHETS TO NE

she toasts her mole ingredients. Wilbur waits,

are undocumented, mistreated and underpaid, in-

as if he’s waiting for just the right light. He looks

cluding reports of injured employees with severed

both professional and miniature behind the lens,

fingers being deported back to Central America.

the camera resting on the curve of his protruding belly. I hear the prolonged click of the camera’s

Guadalupe tells me how her older daughter married

shutter over the sizzle of seeds popping on a pan.

very young, barely out of her teens. In telling me this story, I notice a departure from the way she normally

Wilbur makes straight A’s in math at school. He

speaks Spanish, which is pretty quickly and a bit jum-

speaks better English than Spanish. He also speaks

bled. There’s a rising lilt in inflection in a way that

better Mam than Spanish, the language indig-

perhaps Mam has. But when she speaks of her fam-

enous to his mother’s mountain village in Guate-

ily left behind — of the parents who no longer walk

mala. They’re here because here, there are jobs.

the hills of her village, of the daughters she talks with almost weekly, but hasn’t embraced in over a decade

Guadalupe works the overnight shift at a poul-

— Guadalupe slows down. She looks up, anguished,

try processing plant. She cuts chicken breasts

yet composed. It is a look that needs no words, no

off of the bone, by hand. Hundreds of them,

translation. That maternal gaze riddled with worry.

from 7pm-to-7am. She’s living in this small trailer home with her two boys and two friends.

Wilbur’s laugh snaps her out of it. His glasses and his big belly are pressed against the static of the tel-

In the United States, poultry is a $50 billion indus-

evision screen as he laughs along to an episode of

try. According to Oxfam, workers process chickens,

El Chavo Animado, a cartoon version of the classic

by hand, using the same motions at least 20,000

Mexican comedy series El Chavo del Ocho. At Gua-

times per day. Their research states that “the upper

dalupe’s urging, he gets up to help me clear the ta-

limit on line speed has increased from 70 birds per-

ble of his toys and math notebooks. We all sit and

minute in 1979, to 91 in 1999, to 140 today.” North

eat the decadent beef mole Guadalupe fixed for us

Carolina is ranked #3 in poultry production, with

and talk about fashion and homework and school.

hundreds of thousands of workers. Many of them

8

W HET STON E

9

WHET S TONE

10

WHETS TO NE Wilbur’s teenage brother doesn’t say much, but he

cies and community prejudice. Our food system en-

blushes and smiles a lot, often staring down at his

courages families to cross borders and to work for

high-top sneakers. He has worked unofficially as a mi-

a dream that doesn’t necessarily exist as a reality.

grant farmworker for a couple of years, but is back in North Carolina now with the hopes of staying perma-

What does that mean, then, for our neighbors who

nently. He left his abusive father in Guatemala to be

live this way, but who are always spoken about in

with his mother. He, like his mother, is undocumented.

the context of labor? Why do we label Guadalupe as

He picks tobacco and harvests sweet potatoes. At the

a worker? Perhaps she identifies her worth and val-

time we meet, he’s 14-years-old and in deportation

ue more as an amazing cook, as an avid gardener,

proceedings. He still attends school while he waits

as a mother doing all she can to fight for her chil-

on his case, still trying to learn English — and better

dren’s education and well-being? It’s easy for me,

his Spanish — throughout. He slicks gel in his hair

for any scholar or journalist, to become entranced

every day and continues to make friends, while our

with the rhetoric attached to communities we docu-

government works equally diligently on his expulsion.

ment. But if we don’t check ourselves, we perpetu-

Last I heard, Guadalupe’s diabetes became too much

ate a sort of paternalism. Our society demands a

to bear. Absent health insurance in the States, she

lot from the underserved and underprivileged, that

moved back to Guatemala and took Wilbur with her.

they prove their existence and justify their struggle.

Here in North Carolina, a powerful, thriving, domi-

At the end of our meal, though I am considerably larg-

nant agricultural industry is tightly interwoven with,

er than her, Guadalupe tries to convince me to wear

and hugely dependent on, migrant labor.

Because

one of her traditional Guatemalan dresses. She chang-

we eat, because we consume, and because we are

es her clothes to show me the handmade fabrics so

fed, too many of us are comfortable (or comforted)

delicately woven together in her home village. She re-

in our ignorance about the interconnected realities.

quests a portrait with her two sons in front of the garden outside of their home. The corn stalks tower over

Seasonal, migratory labor to the rural South has be-

the family as they stand up straight in a regal gaze.

come the norm. The hands that feed us are hands

Wilbur grabs his mother’s hand and squeezes it tight-

tied to a cycle of repression and injustice. Support-

ly. The tips of the corn husks catch a breeze and wave

ing that is a variety of societal behaviors. Among

reverently.

them: consumer choices, discriminatory legal poli-

11

WHETS TO NE

A shot with...

Stephen Smith T

hat moment between the days, when the moon

sity of conditions in which grapes are grown — from

lingers, and gives way to the sun, these seem-

the aspect, to the soil type, to the direction the vine-

ingly tireless vineyard workers harvest the hillside

yard faces, or the proximity to water — these infi-

Cabernet Sauvignon in the Bear Canyon Vineyard

nite variables are what make every bottle of wine so

on Long Meadow Ranch in Napa Valley, California.

special. Through my time as an assistant winemak-

The crew picks these delicious berries during the

er, viticulture apprentice, and wine and spirits sales

dark hours as it is a bit more comfortable, and the

rep, I realize the more I know about wine, the less I

winery crew can receive the fruit at the beginning

know about wine, which only enhances my love and

of what will be a long day of winemaking. The diver-

curiosity.

Portrait by RS Whipple 12

W HET STON E

13

WHET S TONE

The Plight of the Cavendish Banana

14

WHETS TO NE CONTRIBUTOR

Heleene Tambet ART

Tim Anderson Dan Bransf ield

W

Native to Estonia, Heleene Tambet currently lives and writes from San Francisco where she is doing her graduate studies. She is a tireless and passionate student of global crop diversity, preservation and the creation of linkages that allow small-scale food production to remain sustainable.

hile the number of breakfast cereals on super-

tains 100 times more vitamin A carotenoids, and Se-

market shelves is an uncountable entity, the

ñorita from Phillipines has found to be many times

singularity of our beloved banana may threaten its

sweeter than the Cavendish. So far, however, none

existence. On the edges of the store, fruit is stacked

of those varieties has sparked a commercial interest.

into a colorful, eye-catching cornucopia, but the contents of those fruit piles indicate the opposite trend.

While genetic diversity sounds like a happy concept, the purchasing habits of Western consumers says oth-

The deadly Panama disease, caused by Fusarium

erwise. We do not want to eat every banana. We hunt

oxysporum, is a soil borne pathogen that erodes

for sweetness, soft texture and long shelf-life. We asso-

the roots and vascular integrity of the plant, and it’s

ciate our bananas with creaminess and dessert. Seeds

destroying banana plantations across the globe.

are unwanted. Although most of us will not claim so

Thousands of hectares have already been wiped

individually, a slight deviation from what is seen as a

out in Philippines, Indonesia, China and Austral-

“regular” fruit results in a dramatic plunge in demand.

ia. Once the pandemic reaches Central America,

The corporate food companies responsible for the

the banana as we know it is in serious trouble.

global import and distribution of bananas reinforce this quandary by limiting options, and consumers,

While it is widely agreed that the fruit is native to

unaware of the environmental catastrophe of mono-

Southeast Asia, where bananas have been culti-

cropping, continue in their unwitting participation.

vated for more than 7,000 years, its single origin is still unresolved (though Papua New Guinea is the

Gros Michel, a sweet, bright yellow cultivar of ba-

most recognized source). After domestication in

nana, was the first one to take over commercial

the Philippines, the fruit quickly dispersed across

production and trade in the beginning of the 20th

the tropics, reached India, Oceania and Australia,

century. Meticulously developed by plant scien-

and arrived in Africa around 1,000 BCE, where it

tists, the variety perfectly fit the preferences of the

was quickly established as an irreplaceable staple.

daily consumer. It was seedless, non-acidic, and traveled well. In Latin America, thousands of hec-

The thirty pounds of bananas that the average Ameri-

tares of biodiverse tropical forests were taken

can annually consumes is all of a single variety. Aston-

down and turned into vast Gros Michel plantations.

ishingly, ninety-nine percent of what reaches the U.S. is a type of banana called Cavendish. It wasn’t until

Gros Michel was also the first one to become a vic-

the dawn of 20th century that banana was dominated

tim of its own success. Uniform genetic composi-

by a single-variety. On the contrary, there have been

tion and singular planting of the crop made it ex-

over a thousand banana species recorded in the wild.

tremely vulnerable to pests or disease. Gros Michel,

In Indonesia, locals love their Pisang Kepok, Kluthuk,

like many other monocrops, was sterile, and could

Susu, and Khabu Banana. In Uganda, it’s Kayinja, Ndi-

only be reproduced by propagation via cloning.

izi, and Nakitembe. Many Polynesian nations have historically relied on Hua Moa and Ele Ele bananas as

When Panama disease emerged in the 1950s, the en-

staple food. The orange Karat from Micronesia con-

tire global banana production was suddenly on the

15

WHETS TO NE

verge of disappearance. Panama disease, uncontrolla-

riety was named after one of the richest and

ble with chemical sprays, makes the leaves of a banana

most influential aristocratic families in England.

wilt and crumble, resulting in lack of photosynthesis and protection from the sun. The plant, no longer able

Back in the 19th century, the gardener of the Duke

to produce sugars, is left to die. Plantations of Gros

and Duchess of Devonshire was in constant search

Michel were wiped out across the globe, but fortunate-

of exotic fruits to earn the favor of the British royal

ly, plant scientists and growers were quick to react.

family. In 1830, one of his experiments resulted in a banana plant from the colony of Mauritius being

16

In search of a banana resistant to the disease,

planted in the majestic Cavendish family garden. Sev-

they stumbled upon Cavendish. Most banana pro-

eral years later, an exemplar of the plant, then car-

duction takes place in the tropics, but the sto-

rying the name of the family, was taken as a gift to

ry of Cavendish is slightly more exotic. The va-

South Sea Islands, where its global conquers started.

WHETS TO NE

A map showing the spread of Panama disease as of 2017. It was first found in Thailand and hit the African coast for the first time in 2016. As of today, Central America remains in constant fear of the arrival of the disease.

Though shipping of Cavendish requires more care, and

ment for pests to thrive. Banana producers spend a

its sweetness level does not compare to Gros Michel,

third of their income on controlling these pests. On

its quality was found to be the highest among cultivars

average, chemicals to control worms, weeds and

resistant to Panama disease. The production of Caven-

funguses amounts to approximately one litre of ac-

dish was given a boost, and it quickly took over as a sin-

tive ingredients for every forty pound box of ba-

gle variety of most of the big scale plantations globally.

nanas exported to consumers in the global north.

The global banana industry relies almost entirely on

These are the conditions in which the fungus that

huge farms that exclusively practice monocropping,

caused Panama disease were adapted. A new

growing nothing but bananas, and no more than one

strain of it has emerged, Panama disease TR-4. It

variety. Favorable weather, redundant crops, and

was first found in Thailand, and

year-around food supply makes an ideal environ-

than 10,000 hectares of Cavendish have already

now, after more

17

WHETS TO NE been wiped out in Southeast Asia, the outbreak has

While breeding a new variety could be a solution for the

spread to Australia and the Middle East. In 2016,

current problem, it doesn’t do much to alter the cause,

the first case was discovered in Tanzania, Africa. As

the design of the production system. As it stands, we

of now, the heart of banana production for US con-

just have to admit that its storage life, travel tolerance,

sumers — Central America — remains in constant

and compatibility with Chiquita’s color charts make

fear of Panama disease reaching the continent.

Cavendish irreplaceable in the current food system.

Among the limited ways to control the disease, con-

Nature might have 1,000 different bananas, but we

tainment and quarantine are perhaps the most

have not been able to use this diversity for our ben-

straightforward. But at the end of the day, Pana-

efit. Until our demands of what we are presented

ma disease is just a fungus living in soil. Who can

shifts, this will continue to be the case. If the world

guarantee that a well-intentioned traveller, com-

actually utilized the thousand nutritious, unique varie-

ing from the Philippines to an American port, isn’t

ties of banana, we’d spare scientists across the planet

carrying a bit of soil on the bottoms of their shoes?

working tirelessly to find us a solution — if they still can.

Even still, the most widely praised plan on table is the same as the old — simply find a new, resistant banana. Essentially we have two options. The first is the same way we’ve been building “resistance” in banana plants, by picking the varieties with preferred characteristics, and use them to breed new, stronger cultivars. This is something agronomists have always done, crisis or not. The process, however, takes many years. The second path — the faster and more modern one — is decoding banana genes. Often stigmatized for its environmental uncertainty, genetic engineering could be used to grow resistance in bananas with genetic material from other fruits or vegetables.

Regardless of which option we choose, the inconvenient truth is that a global food system means people from all over the world are impacted by the potential demise of the banana. After all, 85% of the world’s banana production is used for local consumption in tropical regions. Americans might consume 30 pounds of bananas per year, but Ugandans, for instance, consume 550 pounds. All African nations considered, the livelihoods of more 100 million small-scale farmers would be affected if bananas were to go extinct.

Those small-scale farmers also have a third solution to offer. Bananas for home-consumption are grown in a mixed system, along with cacao, avocado, mango, corn or citrus. These production systems rely on fewer (if any) pesticides, and have shown more resilience to a changing climate — a rather burning issue for tropical growing regions in coming decades.

18

W HET STON E

19

WHETS TO NE

Growing Wild Food in a South African Township CONTRIBUTOR

Ilana Stone PHOTOGRAPHER

Petrus Malherbe

U

nlike most white people in Cape Town, wild food

ban garden Moya we Khaya. We’re miles from Cape

advocate Loubie Rusch regularly drives the sand

Town’s colonial-era oaks and plein trees, and the

swept streets of Khayelitsha, the vast township on the

wealth of biodiverse plant life on Table Mountain.

city’s crime-ridden Cape Flats. She does it without fear.

With Rusch at the wheel, we drive into Khayelitsha’s

Fynbos, or ‘fine bush’, is the colorful plant life that

Section A, passing corrugated tin and wood shacks oc-

most equate with the Cape Floral Kingdom, one of

cupied by families, hair salons and butchers. We’re just

the richest regions in the world for flora, yet, the

a few minutes from the coastline, yet I’m struggling

Cape Flats, with its ecologically sensitive sand dunes

to marry her claim that “we live in a bloody gastro-

areas (and poverty), also belongs to this Kingdom.

nomic landscape” with the immediate surroundings.

Here in Khayelitsha, where most see only weeds and sandy, infertile soil, Rusch sees a budding local

Rusch is a landscape designer and gifted networker turned activist. Our destination:

Food Garden, her pilot project at community ur-

20

economy, on a landscape that was once well foraged.

The Cape Wild “The Cape Flats as terroir is both a new notion for us as

WHETS TO NE

foodies, as well as being as old as the hills”, Rusch says.

quiet on this cooperative farm, where a few farmers

“In modern terms we might well be stretching the con-

tend their plots and the calls of wild birds called dik-

ventional understanding of soil as terroir by suggest-

kop reverberate, as they protect their nearby eggs. Be-

ing the local sand as an example, but for foragers of old

hind neat rows of spinach, broad beans, lettuces and

they would have known precisely what juicy and fla-

other spring crops, is the Cape Wild Food Garden. In

vorful delicacies they would find there after the rains!”

contrast, its plants look much like weeds and shrubbery, but they are part of a controlled experiment to

We turn down Qandani Street, where homes are mod-

gauge the viability of cultivating indigenous plants.

est but permanent structures. A neighbor winks at us as we pull into Moya, next to Manyanani Peace

Rusch’s desire is to see wild foods brought into the

Park, Khayelitsha’s first community managed park.

Cape’s economy. She has a hand in wild food projects in vastly different landscapes of the Western

The sudden sight of emerald plots of vegetables spar-

Cape: from urban gardens to a coastal private na-

kling with irrigation droplets makes me blink twice. It’s

ture reserve to a project in the Cederberg moun-

21

WHETS TO NE tains, working jointly with conservationists and

lar to another garden crop, kinkelbossie. Veldkool is a

archaeologists. She believes “that if we eat our bio-

plant whose young buds make a substantial vegetable

diversity it will help to protect our biodiversity.”

that can be cooked in many ways. Decades ago, culinary scholar Louis Leipoldt wrote about its potential as a

Here at Moya, she’s growing “resilient crops that be-

commercial crop, which remains untapped. Like sand-

long to this place.” She had the opportunity to estab-

kool, it produces asparagus-like buds with an earthy

lish this garden in the nearby Winelands, but Moya —

flavor that marry well with wild sage or rosemary.

an established farm already supplying restaurants and hotels as well as the community, and a frequent stop

There is sout slaai, which Rusch says is great in a

for township visitors — “felt right.” She is the only non-

green gazpacho, salsa or tempura, and dune cel-

community member to be farming here. Funding from

ery, also known as sea parsley, with a bold fla-

the Sustainability Institute will carry her through this

vour that does well in soups, stews or pickles.

initial growing phase, but she will need more for nutritional testing of the plants, an expensive process. Eight

These plants and their tastes will need acceptance,

plants have been selected for the “terroir.” They also

but Rusch, who is closely involved with the Slow Food

have what Rusch considers the most accessible flavors.

Youth Movement in South Africa, is an ardent believer in young people and their ability to just “get up and do

There is demand for “foraged” foods in Cape

things, as well as try new things.” It’s clear that com-

Town’s flourishing foodie scene, with high profile

mercialization of these plants could contribute towards

chefs among the biggest potential buyers, but key

creating more sustainable South African communities.

to the garden’s success is creating both sustainable crops and what Rusch calls a circular economy,

“I really hope that ordinary people like you and me will

which also connects with community members.

one day be dropping a bunch of locally grown wild vegetables into our shopping bags to serve to our family at

But while these plants were once eaten by Western

dinner,” she says. “It really isn’t too farfetched an idea, I

Cape ancestors, today’s Khayelitsha residents, who

don’t think. The climate for this kind of shift in habits is

mostly have Eastern Cape roots, are unaware of

right.”

them as food sources. The project will need to incorporate talks and cooking demonstrations within the community. It will take work to create a taste for the largely sour and salty flavors of these plants in an area where meat, sugar and fried food are prized.

Ilana Sharlin Stone is an American freelance writer and former chef who has lived in Cape Town, South Africa since 1994. She writes about food and drink people, culture and origins for US

In the garden, rows of wild plants are subjected to variables: composted,

irrigated, and

unirrigated,

combinations

composted, thereof.

un-

Around

www.f indingumami.capetown. Follow Ilana on Facebook:

them is a U-shape planted with a few other plants

Finding Umami in Cape Town, and Instagram:

with potential like spekboom, (a succulent ever-

@f indingumami_capetown

green shrub with juicy, sour leaves) sour figs and num num, a tangy fruit whose flavor reminds me of cranberries. All will remain unharvested this year to track their growth and the spread of their seed.

Dune spinach is a favorite of Rusch’s, and one you see growing rampantly along the nearby coastline. Its leaves and soft stems can be used like spinach, in salads or stir-fried, or fermented and pickled, and is simi-

22

and South African publications and for her blog,

W HET STON E

23

WHETS TO NE

M A IZE M I G R AT I O N S CONTRIBUTOR

Stephen Satterf ield PHOTOGRAPHERS

Stephen Satterf ield & Stephen Smith

Stephen Satterf ield is an Oakland-based food writer, speaker and multimedia producer with an extensive hospitality background, including more than a decade as a sommelier. He is a former manager at San Francisco’s Nopa Restaurant, where he co-founded Nopalize, a multimedia chronicle of the Bay Area’s local food culture that was the predecessor to this publication. @isawstephen

M

24

y fascination with Mexican gastronomy can

of the two-thousands, with an ever-changing Caliter-

be attributed to Nopalito Restaurant. To be

ranean menu using very local and very seasonal ingre-

more precise, it can be attributed to Gonzalo Guz-

dients. It was also my place of employment from 2010-

man and Jose Ramos, the muses for the restaurant’s

2015. Just before I arrived, the two aforementioned

opening. For a publication dedicated to origin stories,

Mexican cooks, were preparing such extraordinary

Nopalito’s is worth sharing. It began at its sister res-

“family-meals” (restaurant speak for staff dinners),

taurant, Nopa, an exemplar San Francisco restaurant

that they’d sufficiently convinced the ownership that

WHETS TO NE

their skills warranted their own dedicated playground.

the case at Nopalito too. But nothing could’ve prepared me for the heaping lumps of sweet West Coast

I don’t think I’ll ever quite get over the fact that I missed

crab that floated on a heady and transcendental to-

out on these formative staff meals, but I did my best

mato broth. It was one of the most impactful dishes

to amend things by eating at Nopalito as regularly as

I’d ever eaten. It still is. I had to know more. The dish,

possible. It remains one of my favorite places to dine

it turns out, was from Vera Cruz — just like Gonzalo.

in the Bay Area. I always enjoyed the food there, but one day, I distinctly recall having a dish unlike any

I felt foolish. I knew Mexican food could be profound.

other I’d had. It was the Arroz a la tumbada, a tomato-

I was hip to Diana Kennedy cookbooks and all, but

based seafood stew. It was crab season in San Fran-

I’d never actually tasted that profundity. From then

cisco, and restaurants everywhere effusively reflected

on, I started following Gonzalo and Ramos. I don’t

the bounty of the beloved Dungeness crab. That was

mean like on social media, either. I mean, I literally

25

WHETS TO NE started following them around the kitchen at No-

variety of questioning about the quality of the worms

palito, watching them turn chiles into salsas, maize

at the bottom of the bottle. Of course, mezcal is none

into masa and masa into the world’s best dumplings,

of that. What it is, is a perfect spirit: pure, complex

also known as, tamales. There was a particularly res-

and easily enjoyable on its own. You can read more

onant version with puréed sweet potatoes, and per-

about its origins in the final story of this publication.

haps some butternut squash, melding seamlessly into a thick masa dough. It was then wrapped in banana

I’m using that mezcal interlude for two reasons.

leaves and steamed. Like the Arroz a la tumbada,

The first is that my first career was as a sommelier,

these dishes helped me understand that Mexican cui-

a wine professional. But to say that I was a profes-

sine warranted my full attention. I happily obliged.

sional drinker would be equally accurate. So even in retirement, it’s a cause I’ve remained committed to.

In the fall of 2015, I made my exploratory visit to

The second reason is that, for sommeliers, the way we

the country. The week before Dia de los Muer-

are taught to think about wine is organized around

tos, I arrived in the state of Oaxaca, the culinary

principles of terroir, a French concept that contends

capital of Mexico. It was meant to be an observa-

that the character of an agricultural product is the

tional period, but also, to formalize the first edi-

sum of its (physical) place in the world. It considers

tion of this magazine. It wasn’t just the “cuisine”

climate, altitude, soil and just about every other en-

that I was there for. I’d also come to drink mezcal.

vironmental concern in the assessment. Notably, it’s not just a concept; it’s also done in the name of law.

A quick word on mezcal. If it’s not on the radar, I’ve no-

There is a government entity, that, at least in theory,

ticed that when someone hears — mezcal — the sub-

protects the value of the place, but not the proprietor.

sequent conversation deviates into commentary about

26

hallucinogens. Sometimes people understand that it

I am relating this because, as a beverage professional,

is in fact a distilled spirit. However, that still doesn’t

it was entirely predictable that deep encounters with

preclude the conversation from devolving into some

Mexican food history would also include a detour

W HET STON E

27

WHETS TO NE

down mezcal alley. So that’s what this first trip ended

was in Mexico, that really sunk in. Then I heard the

up being about. The thing is, once you get to Mexico,

even more universal saying, that drives home the point

it’s immediately clear that while it is possible to drink

even more emphatically, sin maíz no hay país. “With-

mezcal with each meal, eating corn for each meal is

out corn, there is no country.” It’s a powerful idea,

certain. It’s really that simple. From October 2015 until

and not least of all, because it’s entirely true. From

this moment, I’ve not stopped thinking about maize.

ornate cave hieroglyphics, to fanciful pottery, public art, and first-hand accounts of the priests and nobility

Evidence from the valleys of Oaxaca, and in particu-

accompanying Columbus on his colonizing voyages,

lar the Tlacolula, have led archeologists to conclude

the story of maize has been chronicled throughout.

that human settlement in Oaxaca dates back to 10,000

These stories capture the nuance and rapid evolution

BCE. In the cave, Guila Naquitz (the preferred shelter

of the foodways before and after the conquistadors.

of these early populations), walnuts, acorns, beans, prickly pear and avocado were all accounted for. So too

Maize (or corn by another name) is a cereal plant in

were the requisite carving tools to access the food. Also

the Gramineae family of grasses. Though it is one

found was the pollen from teosinte, a wild grass widely

of the most studied crops on earth, its origin is still

thought to be the ancestral genetic precursor to maize.

subject to debate. What is certain is that it was cultivated over many millennia, the result of both a

28

I recall Enrique Olvera, likely Mexico’s most famous

natural proclivity for thriving wild populations mixed

chef, once remarking, “Without a good tortilla, you

with the heavy-handed encounters

can’t have a good restaurant. It’s everything.” Once I

tivation. To what degree nature and humans played

of human cul-

WHETS TO NE

a role in this diffusion seems to be the point of

BCE. But again, whether it was the physical movement

greatest contention, but it is an inherently adaptive

of people or diffusion of seeds along trade networks

grain that was equally susceptible to manipulation.

is unclear. Temperate maize spread further north and east across North America, while tropical maize spread

Unlike other grains such as rice, buckwheat or mil-

south. The temperate-tropical division endures among

let, the genetic lineage of maize is unclear — there

races today. Those differences are mostly character-

are no definitive parents. In their place are compet-

ized by disease susceptibility and photosensitivity.

ing or adjoining stories about its origin. From the 10,000 year old corncobs in the caves of Oaxaca to

In the early phases of the 17th-century, maize had

the shift from hunter-gatherer populations to more

already made the rounds to Africa, China, India and

stable agrarian ones was a process many genera-

beyond. In Europe, its rapid development left many

tions in the making, Maize spread to Central America,

ambivalent about its value. Wheat was more common

along the eastern Andes, to South America and be-

and thought to be a healthier substitute. It became

yond. Movement among Guatemalans is attributed

the food of the peasants, and in Northern Italy in par-

as the source of this diffusion into Peru, where the

ticular, the corn porridge, polenta, would become one

earliest evidence of maize goes back 8,000 years.

of the dishes most closely associated with the region.

In the U.S., it spread north and northeastward from

A flourishing global population of maize meant the

its native tropical lands. There are radiocarbon dates

same for humans. On a more coarse note, the ease

that establish maize in the southwest as early as 4,300

with which it was propagated enabled the proliferation

29

WHETS TO NE of slavery. Sub-Saharan Africans destined for Europe,

(As a side note, after the Nopalito tamal experience,

the Middle East and the Americas would not have been

I find the origins of this latter tradition easy to grasp.)

economically viable without maize. For the enslaved and animals alike, it was simply seen as the cheapest

The process for preparing the corn has also funda-

available feed to keep the living stock alive. From the

mentally remained the same. During nixtamaliza-

tiny steamed rice balls in the Ghanaian festival dish,

tion, fully mature kernels were boiled in an alkaline

Kpokpoi ( “shame on hunger”) to the cornbread of the

solution, usually from burned and ground limestone

United States South, the influence of maize on the

or ash. The metate, a flat grinding stone, was then

Motherland has been vital in the economic and cul-

used to grind the corn into what would eventually be-

tural development of the continent and its diaspora.

come the dough, or masa, that was flattened into a tortilla, then cooked on the comal, a ceramic griddle.

Three-hundred

years

before

Columbus,

maize

was growing in upstate New York and throughout

This process, nixtamalization (phonetically, nix-ta-ma-

New England. In the South, the Southern Dent vari-

lization), not only made corn easier to work with by

ety was also evolving. The arrival of the Spaniards

softening its kernels, but also bolstered the grain’s

meant new varieties. By the 1800’s, the crossing of

nutritional value. Commonly served with beans, the

the Northern Flint (variety) with the Southern Dent,

ubiquitous tortilla now constituted a staple meal

helped shape the indispensable food crop of today.

with a complete nutritional package. It is hard to imagine that the diets from so many thousands of

The diversity of indigenous varieties have led some sci-

years ago could so closely resemble that of today.

entists to theorize that multiple, independent origins

But that is precisely the case. The tortilla endures as

of maize may have been possible. In the fall of 2016,

a vessel for beans and salsa as it has for millennia.

I went to Texcoco, a town just north of Mexico City to learn about these races, their origins and their diffu-

Corn’s adaptability and vigor have made it the most

sion over time. I was fortunate enough to be shepherd-

important crop in the world. Today it’s grown for

ed by Martha Wilcox of The International Maize and

food, but, for the most part, that feed is grown

Wheat Improvement Center (or CIMMYT as it’s called,

for

sounding more like, “cement.”) At her core, Martha is a

ogy and corresponding industrial agriculture have

preservationist. She works directly with farmers, pro-

radically changed corn and our relationship to it.

livestock

and

not

human

beings.

Technol-

tecting and promoting indigenous varieties of maize.

The nutritional staple of the Americas has metamorShe kindly instructed me on the respective proper-

phosed into crop fuel and animal feed. These days, it

ties of a few dozen varieties. The most penetrating

seems beef and pork (livestock from post-Columbian

lesson of the day, and likely the trip, was that cent-

contact) are now the new staple crop. The same can

ers of origin are also the places that contain the

be said of the staggering omnipresence of corn syr-

greatest diversity among a given species. Whether

up. If your food has been unwrapped before it’s been

the Pacific coast highlands of the states of Micho-

eaten, that pretty much assures that you’re consum-

acán and Guerrero or the valleys below, their biodi-

ing hyper-processed corn. That also goes for baked

versity screams loudly, this is the home of maize!

goods (cornstarch), automotive fuels (ethanol) and even our beloved staple beverage of the American

As rice is to Asia and wheat is to Europe, maize is to

South, bourbon whiskey. There is also the somber

Mesoamerica. Remarkably, it’s been a staple crop

loss of culture, in which urbanization and processed

for 10,000 years. Its presence is felt in gastronomy,

foods from the U.S. have made it more likely that, on

but also, in religion and society, where, for instance,

a daily basis, many Mexicans are more likely to con-

at the birth of child, the umbilical cord was cut over

sume corn from a soft drink than a tamale. Native, lan-

a maize cob. On the other hand, a piece of maize

drace corn and its accompanying traditions are at risk.

dough is inserted into the mouth of the deceased.

30

WHETS TO NE

Genetically modified corn continues to erode the in-

ing to order them at their world-class restaurants.

tegrity of the crop and the soil. It’s hard to imagine just how much more humans can manipulate maize,

From impassioned restaurateurs, to the work of pres-

but after 10,000 years of meddling and mutation, con-

ervationists like Martha and like her colleague, Fla-

tinuance seems inevitable. What should not be taken

vio Aragon Cuevas, (milpa expert and prolific saver

as inevitable however, is the implicit role of corn in

of Oaxacan seeds), the potential for terroir-focused

the escalating crisis of global climate change. Methane

maize to upend corporatized corn is immense and ex-

emitted from livestock and, to a lesser degree, fuel-re-

citing. Even more compelling is the potential for chefs

liant distribution systems, are all complicit in this dra-

all over the world to incorporate the varieties of corn

matic shift. There is also the degradation of healthy

that have inevitably adapted to their region. There’s

soil from monocropping and chemical supplements.

the potential for an entirely new vocabulary of flavors.

Maize has been generous with us. It is responsive and

What

we

natives

communicative. We don’t have to listen hard to know

grains and grasses help promote healthy soil.

what it wants. Our stewardship of this ancient, mythical

Chefs

grain should be commensurate with all that it’s given

like

also the

know

is

that

aforementioned

restoring Enrique

Olvera

help sustain landrace corn by simply continu-

us.

31

WHETS TO NE

A shot with...

Monica Semergiu I

recently got a tattoo on my arm of the word “rewild-

The land of Oz has been worked communally since the

ing.� It has two meanings in the dictionary; one re-

back to the land movement of the 1970s. It has also

fers to reintroducing extinct species in a habitat (e.g.

been completely off the grid since then. In the early

wolves in Yellowstone). The other refers to humans

90s an organic apple orchard was planted, containing

living more connected to the natural world, and giv-

some rare varieties of apples that are not grown com-

ing up some of the comforts of modern life as a way

mercially. They now have 50 heirloom varieties pruned

to make life more sustainable. I got the tattoo as a

in french espalier style. Oz Farm apples can be pur-

reminder to myself of the latter meaning, how I want

chased at various small grocery stores, such as Bi-Rite.

it to shape my decisions in the type of life I lead, the type of consumer I am, and the type of work I do.

Today, Oz Farm focuses educating farmers, providing organic produce to the local community, and offering

In this spirit, one of my favorite projects to pho-

guests the opportunity to unplug in a completely off-

tograph last year was a sustainable farming work-

the-grid environment. Through their workshops, they

shop organized by Hipcamp (a company that helps

are trying to engage the public through immersive

people book campsites on private land) at Oz Farm

education in sustainable food systems and holistic life

on the Mendocino coast. It consisted of a work-

practices. They are the living embodiment of a counter

shop in beekeeping, another one on apple press-

culture solution to the Earth’s greatest obstacles with

ing and cider making, and a third one on soil

the intention of creating ripples of discord in the status

and proper digging techniques before planting.

quo.

Portrait by RS Whipple 32

W HET STON E

33

WHET S TONE

CONTRIBUTOR

Peggy Markel PHOTOGRAPHER

Stephen Smith

34

W HET STON E

Medinas, Markets and Marrakech For 25 years, Peggy Markel has been taking people on culinary adventures around the world to discover the soulful roots of food and culture mostly in Italy, Morocco, Spain and India. You can f ind her at peggymarkel.com

A

n old wooden cart being pulled by a donkey is filled with yellow melons. It dips through an arched gateway deep in the narrow streets of Marrakech. The old man in the wide-brimmed straw hat holds the ropes in his hands knowingly. He may know where he’s going, but I don’t.

My curiosity piqued. Maybe he’s headed to the market? I keep walking trying to make a note of where I am. Take a left at the olive market next to the mint stall. Remember the spice shop.

The one with the chameleons is your landmark!

Following a map in the medina is impossible. Besides,

who wants to look so conspicuous? Walking in the medina (old city) is mesmerizing. Once inside, life as it was 1,000 years ago unfolds before my eyes. I can hardly walk without dodging a food cart of some sort: there’s a pushcart of sesame nougat, a cart of brilliantly-colored green grapes, a traveling pot of salty lupini beans steeped in broth that you eat from a paper cone… Cart dodging, one soon learns, is an art. As I continue on, a man pops out of a dried fruit stall offering a taste of many varieties of dates.

35

WHETS TO NE

Conquered over the years by various dynasties, Mar-

charmers

and

monkeys

also

vie

for

attention.

rakech endures as a place of many influences — especially its food. After all these centuries, Marrakech

In the evening, smoke billows strong and high from

maintains flashes of exotica grounded in the indig-

the more than 60 stalls that serve everything from

enous Berber culture. Family, food and hospitality

cumin-dipped boiled eggs to goat head stew. A hand-

are intricately woven into everyday life and it shows.

ful of stalls are selling bowls of snails steeped in a broth of Ras el hanout (a North African spice mix).

36

Out on the big square, the Place Jemaa el-Fnaa,

Using a toothpick, I pick the snails out of their spiral

large-wheeled wagons piled high with oranges line

shells like I’m fishing for a compliment. In this case,

up next to each other. Passersbys are offered fresh-

the compliment goes to the master blender who found

ly squeezed orange juice, while colorfully adorned,

just the right spice mixture to compliment the earthy,

swinging acrobats, costumed water bearers, snake

delicate little land mollusks. It’s lively and cheap.

WHETS TO NE

At dusk, people gather, practically in the dark, to lis-

whole city is a bustling, living bazaar by day and night.

ten to storytellers tell their tales with only a flashlight to their faces. Some are locals, others have

The marketplace lifts our spirits and begs us to relate.

come from the mountains. The square draws from

It’s a visceral, not just intellectual, way to understand

all directions. They’ve all come to hear their fa-

a new place. Books help us navigate a new culture,

vorite old stories. The music escalates and eyes

but there is nothing more enlivening than first hand

widen. Undoubtedly this is why UNESCO ( United

sensory experience. I am reminded of the Rumi poem,

Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organi-

“there are a million ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”

zation) calls Place Jemaa el-Fnaa a masterpiece of

I love taking people from the markets to kitchens. I’ve

the “Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”.

been doing so for more than twenty-five years. I al-

Walking around that first day, I realize that there is

ways find that the best stories are ones told by the

not only one market, but there are many markets. The

hands. Today we’re watching Bahija fluff the couscous

37

WHET S TONE

38

W HET STON E

39

WHETS TO NE and Omar rub just-toasted saffron between his palms.

I’m drawn to experiences that take me elsewhere. I

It will later be sprinkled on a lamb tagine. When it’s

have fallen in love with someone I’ve never met be-

time to take our seats at the table, everyone is now

cause of what I’ve tasted on my plate. A terracotta tag-

more relaxed, having engaged with, or perhaps shared

ine, placed right in front of me, has its conical top lifted

in a laugh with, the cook. We enter the true taste

like a cloche. I close my eyes. The aromatic steam fills

of place. I am again reminded that food is the best

the air. With a pinch of bread, I soak up saffron gravy,

way to get to know a culture and relate to its people.

which melts in my mouth. Licking it from my fingers, I think, now I have a story to tell. It all started with fol-

I design hand-crafted journeys for my guests, drop-

lowing a donkey cart filled with yellow melons in the

ping them into one tantalizing experience after

medina...

another. From the places we stay, to the landscapes and people that we greet, my guests realize that the unfamiliar is not to be feared. I find that desire to scratch the would be itch of “otherness” is unmet. There is no “them.” The deeper we go into this world, the less frightening it becomes.

40

W HET STON E

41

WHET S TONE

42

WHETS TO NE

A shot with...

Molly DeCoudreaux Where was this photo taken?

Sakai, Japan. I was shooting for Bernal Cutlery — visiting many of the makers whose knives they carry at the shop.

Surely it takes you back. Can you give us a sense of what your sensory experience was at that time?

The forge area was dark, hot, and filled with tools for blacksmithing that I have come to be familiar with but at the time had never seen before. It was beautiful, sooty, and looked like very hard work.

What’s your philosophy when you’re shooting?

My philosophy when I am shooting is to respond to what’s happening as much as possible. I like to

Portrait by RS Whipple

watch someone’s work for a few minutes, track their motions and try to determine what is the most important and beautiful elements to feature when I’m shooting. I want to honor both the work and workers that I am photographing and learn as much as I can on the job. Nuance and gesture are what I live for photographically, and in general I guess; that and an old pair of hardworking hands. So, shooting with knife makers was pretty heavenly.

What’s your heaven on earth look like?

My toes in the sand for 3-5 days after a week’s shoot somewhere warm and interesting.

What surprised you in Japan?

Just how different Japan was from the culture of the US continually surprised me. Interpersonal communications, navigating social norms, and just generally fitting my (too long) legs under the table for dinner were all sites of embarrassment/confusion/mild humiliation/awe. I loved Japan and can’t wait to go back.

You’re buying a shot. What is it?

Like a shot to drink? A good blanco tequila like Fortaleza or a bourbon, depends on my mood and the weather.

What is the creative process?

Same as philosophy I think.

43

WHETS TO NE

An Award-Winning, Morning Cup of Obsession and Capitalism CONTRIBUTOR

B

ack in 2015, on what would

men, that was reason enough for

have been a bitterly cold, mid-

an invite to the farm in Colombia.

February afternoon in NYC, I found myself standing atop a mountain

Regarding its “rediscovery,” the

on a balmy 75 degree day in west-

story goes that the Gesha plant

ern Colombia. I made it to Cerro

was first found in Gesha, Ethiopia

Azul, a plot of land owned by Café

in 1931. From there, it was tak-

Granja la Esperanza, an award-win-

en to a research center in Costa

ning Colombian coffee farm and

Rica. In 1965, Francisco Serreancín

mountain, named for the patch

brought seeds to his hometown in

of bright blue sky that graces its

Panama and distributed them. The

top. I was visiting with the farm’s

variety (technically a “mutation”),

pastry chef at Kimball House in Decatur,

president, Rigoberto, and their di-

was ignored in favor of more pro-

GA.

rector of sales, Felipe, talking and

ductive Panamanian seeds, and

tasting Gesha, the highly-prized,

nearly forgotten until 2002, when

and trending, coffee varietal grow-

a (different) farm called, La Esmer-

ing densely among the 16 hec-

alda tasted an impressive cup of

tares that stretched out before us.

coffee that they’d grown on their

Alexandra Lampert PHOTOGRAPHER

Alexandra Lampert Alexandra Lampert is a cook, writer, and cookbook editor with an MA in Food Studies from NYU. She currently serves as the

plantation, but was distinct from Gesha has been gaining popular-

their repertoire. They identified

ity since its recent “rediscovery”

the cup’s origin on their grounds,

in 2002, with momentum perhaps

and found the Gesha plant. This

only fettered by its cost. It ain’t

farm happened to be adjacent

cheap, but it is undeniably delicious

to a plot that Rigoberto was leas-

and, as far as complexity in a cup

ing. After tasting the Gesha from

of coffee, it’s unparalleled in this

La Esmeralda, he knew he had to

writer’s experience. Which, is how

try his own hand at growing it.

I came to be the lucky one stand-

44

ing there and not in the desolate

For their endeavor with the crop,

tundra that my beloved city had

Granja la Esperanza made out with

become. I met Felipe a few months

an award for “Best of Panama” in

earlier, when he came up for a pro-

2008 from the Specialty Coffee As-

motional event at Blue Bottle —

sociation of Panama. But, this was

whose pastry kitchen I was manag-

towards the end of their lease on

ing at the time. I was heading south

the Panama plot, and the own-

for a few weeks over the winter,

ers chose not to renew. Granja la

and, for these hospitable gentle-

Esperanza, however, had already

W HET STON E

45

WHETS TO NE

identified a plot of land in Colombia — this one — that

bia to “taking a caveman from its cave and putting

mimicked the environmental conditions in Panama.

it in the city.” The plant has a tall habitat, with widespread, shallow roots; read: not ideal for growing on

A hot breeze regularly travels up the flank of Cer-

a windy mountainside. And as a stranger in a strange

ro Azul from the town of Trujillo in the valley be-

land, this crop is incredibly demanding, requiring

low. It meets the cold winds from the Pacific on

heavy fertilization and intensive research. Even its ge-

top, creating a cloud cover that quickly crosses the

netics are unstable. Any given Gesha seed can yield

horizon. While this may have been the best pos-

5 different results. Much time is spent determin-

sible locale for growing the crop in Colombia,

ing the ideal yields for flavor profile and working to

their efforts have not been met without difficulty.

clone those plants in a research laboratory. Thus, we can begin to see how the cost of a bag of the stuff

Felipe likens the adaptation from Panama to Colom-

46

outprices the average consumer. So much work goes

WHETS TO NE

into this pursuit of flavor that the result is only ac-

mountainsides. As we walked, we picked the ripe, red

cessible for coffee-industry nerds or the wealthy. The

fruit to chew on. I took one and pinched it enough to

product is elusive and exclusive; think of it like you

break the skin and smell the interior. There it was, a

would other high-end ingredients like, black truffles.

stunning sweetness that smelled of honey and tropical fruit. We know this aroma through the mangos and

From where I stood, though, I wasn’t able to see all of

papayas and passion fruit we’ve tried. But, it’s much

the challenges they faced. Before me were rolling hills

more prevalent in the local fruits I tried in Colombia: in

of vibrantly green plants, whose fruits grew in thick,

the sweetness after the puckering acidity of lulo, or in a

clustered masses along the plants’ branches, stud-

spoonful of crunchy granadilla seeds (a cousin of pas-

ded with gem-like greens and reds. Thickets of tall

sion fruit), covered in their slippery, translucent flesh.

eucalyptus trees gracefully bent as they blocked the wind that flocked through the ample valleys along the

Fresh off the stem, those beans taste quite different

47

WHETS TO NE than the beverage they produce. Before the bean

While it’s easy to see why these passionate pro-

is picked, processed, dried, roasted, and ultimately

ducers would want to create the highest quality

brewed, it grows within a small fruit, sometimes re-

product, it would be naive to assume that buying a

ferred to as a cherry. There’s a thin layer of what’s called

pound of perfectly roasted Gesha for $100 is some-

mucilage between the leathery skin of the cherry and

how directly responsible for saving any person,

the bean itself. In this layer, I could taste white peach

place, or thing. Direct trade can mean a better qual-

and green pepper. The tannins from the skin lingered,

ity of life for laborers of a company working with

tingling on the tip of my tongue. In the cherries of the

pricey premiums. Felipe and Rigoberto assured me

next plant, I tasted what they call a limoncello tree here:

that their workers were compensated better than

a citrus variety whose lumpy, round, yellow fruits are

many other farms. Relative terms aside, a worth-

mostly skin and pith that have no bitterness, but rath-

while Gesha harvest requires educated pickers, and

er a sweet, boozy, lemony taste just like the liqueur.

skill suggests competitive pay and upward mobility.

The flavor profile on these coffees is truly unique.

However, conscious consumerism is not activism; it’s

The Gesha from Cerro Azul is bright, indeed, but bal-

capitalism. We buy products according to our income

anced. It’s a far cry from the familiar nutty and cocoa-

and preferences, choosing which companies earn rev-

driven profile that often introduces people to coffee,

enue from our purchases. If you prefer to spend your

or the more esoteric and prized red fruit and winey

money on coffee that comes directly from a farm with

characteristics that come from natural-processed

quality assurance instead of a company that owns

coffees in this region in Colombia. The fruity sugars

massive warehouses full of old beans of anonymous

and acids of Gesha don’t knock you out, but rather,

origin, that’s your prerogative as a consumer. If you

serve as an amiable precursor, a gateway into the

want to buy one of the most delicious cups of coffee

delicately floral and sweetly herbal notes that are

out there today, then treat yourself to some excep-

what sets this apart from the other coffees you’ve

tional, high-brow Gesha. By all means, drink accord-

tried. Here, too, I find that tropical sweetness that

ing to your principles and wildest desires. But if you

grows throughout this terroir and the myriad citrus.

want to change the world, drink whatever it takes to

I can taste where the obsession for this crop derives.

get you going in the morning and start participating in activism.

48

W HET STON E

49

WHET S TONE

Portrait by RS Whipple 50

WHETS TO NE

A shot with...

Rachael Gorjestani

W

e’ve been here before. It was our first meal off

er’s dream. Light and crunchy with a satisfying slurp.

the plane, but three weeks later we are less ap-

prehensive at the door with a better sense of local eti-

We pay the vending machine, hand the printed ticket

quette. Upon entering, there’s a vending machine with

to a cook, and take a seat. The bowls are assembled

an overwhelming number of buttons, all in Japanese,

and delivered. Five cooks in the kitchen, each man-

some with English subtitles. We were told to go vegan

ning their own station, working together to make

and are coming back for seconds. Farm fresh vegeta-

one bowl of ramen. A line forms at the vending ma-

bles, delivered daily from a town an hour south, in a rich

chine, people trickle in, take a seat, slurp down their

vegetable broth filled with lotus root noodles. There’s

ramen, and leave. There’s something about the way

a sign posted on the wall which describes the dish in

the Japanese inhale ramen, cheeks bulging with noo-

English and I wonder if it’s poking fun at the vegetari-

dles, that seems counter to the culture. I can’t help but

an tourists. If it is, you can’t taste it. It’s a vegetable lov-

smile.

51

WHETS TO NE

A Ghost Ingredient Recrafted Ilana Sharlin Stone is an American freelance writer and former chef who has lived in Cape

CONTRIBUTOR

Town, South Africa since 1994. She writes about food and drink people, culture and origins

Ilana Stone

for US and South African publications and for her blog, www.f indingumami.capetown.

PHOTOGRAPHER

Follow Ilana on Facebook: Finding Umami in Cape Town, and Instagram:

Ilana Stone

@f indingumami_capetown

T

he

treat-

had discovered that Caperitif was a vermouth made in

ment for an Indie movie. South African win-

South Africa by Castle Wine & Brandy Company from

emaker and Danish mixologist team up to revive

1906 until the company disappeared (along with the

a

Prohibition-era

recipe) in the ‘40s or ‘50s, but then he hit a wall. Re-

cocktail recipes. Hilarity and near death ensue.

tha did some local research and approached Adi with

ghost

story

of

Caperitif

ingredient

reads

featured

in

like

a

the idea of working with Lars on an unusual collaboraBut this is not a Hollywood story: it’s a globe-trot-

tion: reviving Caperitif at AA Badenhorst Family Wines.

ting tale of modern-day drink concocting, anchored in South Africa’s Swartland appellation. The con-

At first, Adi thought vermouth was “what old people

coction, Caperitif (Cape Aperitif), is a heady bo-

drink and what chefs put into food, once in awhile.”

tanical-infused, Chenin-based vermouth, born of

He soon discovered there was more to it, and ex-

history,

cited about the prospect of pulling from his region’s

imagination

and

wild

experimentation.

botanical landscape — the Cape Floral Kingdom The two men behind Caperitif are Adi Badenhorst, the

is the smallest and richest of the world’s six floral

ballsy maverick winemaker of AA Badenhorst Fam-

kingdoms — he signed on. While he saw it as a fun

ily Wines and pioneering force behind the Swartland

challenge and sideline, it was as much about creat-

Independent Producers group, and Lars Lyndgaard-

ing a craft vermouth reflective of its place of origin,

Schmidt, a mixologist who honed his craft at Sasha

which is central to his philosophy of winemaking.

Petraske’s iconic New York cocktail bar, Milk & Honey.

One of South Africa’s driest appellations, the SwartTheir love child, Caperitif, is a distinctive prod-

land is a place of gnarly bush vines, gutsy win-

uct of origin. “In a world of generic brands cre-

emakers and diverse indigenous plant life. In fact,

ated in boardrooms, Caperitif has gravitas,” says

there are over 1,100 species of wild plants that

Adi. “It captures the essence of this landscape.”

grow

on

the

mountain

behind

Kalmoesfontein,

Adi’s farm in the region’s Paardeberg section. For It all started three years ago at a wedding in South Af-

centuries, locals relied on much of this fynbos (lo-

rica, where Retha Erichson, a friend of Adi’s wife, met

cal

indigenous

shrubbery)

for

their

medicine.

Lars. He’d been researching something called Caperi-

52

tif, a ghost ingredient featured in some 70 recipes in

Lars visited Kalmoesfontein in 2014 and, after his first

early 20th century cocktail books, including the bar-

forage for ingredients in the veldt (fields), was Man

tender’s go-to reference: The Savoy Cocktail Book. Lars

Down for four days: he’d somehow managed to select a

W HET STON E

53

WHET S TONE particularly toxic plant to nibble on. But, this didn’t de-

all, but some ingredients are wild herbs (wild rosemary

ter him and, after recovering, he and Adi began mixing

and thyme amongst others), fruit (tangerines, known

and experimenting, chopping up wild herbs and other

locally as naartjies, grapefruit, oranges, kei apples

botanicals, and adding them to demijohns of a forti-

and sour figs), bitters (quinchona bark, gentian root),

fied base of Chenin Blanc with Muscat de Frontignan.

spices (cinnamon and nutmeg) and dried flowers.

The end-product is infused with 47 botanicals, includ-

“I decided to make Caperitif for these reasons… for

ing local fynbos, citrus and bitters, making it virtually

fun, a tip of the hat to South African history and to

impossible to duplicate elsewhere; that is, if you can

make a bit of cash,” said Adi, which is not easy in the

really call Caperitif an “end product.” At a tasting of

wine business, even for someone of his stature. “You

five batches of Caperitif, made over the past several

gotta lose money in a few places,” he says. Adi may

years, I could taste distinct differences between batch-

be charming, funny and foul-mouthed, but as a win-

es: some were spicier, some more bitter, and some

emaker, he’s spoken about with reverence. His flag-

more balanced. Since, unlike wine, Caperitif can be

ship wines are AA Badenhorst White Blend (Chenin

made any time of year, there will likely be subtle dif-

Blanc, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Gris, Verde-

ferences from batch to batch due to the seasonality of

hlo, Colombar, Viognier, Chardonnay, Semillon and

botanicals, which gives the drink an extra dose of au-

others) and Red Blend (Shiraz, Mourvedre, Grenache

thenticity. As winemakers like to “put a vintage on it,”

and Cinsault). His second-tier line is Secateurs.

the nostalgic label on all bottles carries a lot number.

It’s easy to see why Kalmoesfontein is Ground Zero for

54

What goes into this drink, which can be poured over ice

innovation in the Swartland. It’s a magical old place with

or mixed in a cocktail? Its producers will never reveal

sweeping views of mountains, vineyards and wheat

WHETS TO NE fields, free-range chickens, a bucolic vegetable garden

It’s unlikely that the original Caperitif had anywhere

and an old farmhouse and cellar that Adi says “looked

near the number of ingredients that are in the new

like a Taliban bomb shelter” when he and his cousin Hein

version. Lars happened to find three bottles of the

bought the farm back in 2008. Above all, it’s suffused

original on auction in London and bought them

with the creative energy of Adi and his wife, Cornelia.

for £36. He presented one to London’s Savoy Bar; the other two came back to South Africa. Whether

Just six months after Caperitif’s launch, Adi cre-

they will ever be opened is another story. Adi feels

ated his own tonic water, called Swaan Cape Tonic.

it’s almost disrespectful to drink other producers’

“We got tired of searching for an affordable, qual-

wines when they’re no longer around to share in

ity craft tonic water, so we made one ourselves,” he

it. This ghost ingredient may simply remain in the

said. Made with fresh local limes, cardamom and

bottle.

mint, Swann is ideal for gin and tonics, and Caperitif.

55

WHETS TO NE

A shot with...

Kerttu Kruusla G

arlic is an irreplaceable, powerful plant. It gives

the same without garlic. It’s almost sacred, I’d say. It is

health. It helps with back problems. I use garlic

central to all the cooking and seasoning, and it always

almost every day, in various forms. When I’ve caught

has been. There is a whole microcosm of older people

a cold, or feel that a disease is taking over, I make my-

sharing online their ways to use garlic that I sometimes

self an especially strong, especially garlicky sandwich

stumble upon. In the summertime, Estonians hold a big

— and feel much better afterwards. There are not

garlic festival — you can taste many of its varieties, dif-

many spices that play so crucial a role in my kitchen,

ferent marinated options, and in all forms of garlic you

and the same applies to most of the people I know.

can potentially think about. All from this one, simple plant.

The culture of Estonia, where I am from, wouldn’t be

56

W HET STON E

Portrait by RS Whipple 57

WHETS TO NE

D E S T I N AT IO N M E Z CA L

O

ne must not work hard to conjure associa-

cans did drink, but getting drunk was a rarity. Con-

tions between Mexico and adult libations. After

sequences for drinking — particularly among the

all, many holiday revelers know very little about the

religious order — were, to say the least, inflexible. Al-

country (or its libations) beyond “all-inclusive” as a

cohol was seen as a catalyst to the destruction of a

prerequisite for lodging. Somehow, even for the non-

civilization, and in some cases, punishable by death.

native speakers, Margarita… cerveza… tequila… just seems to roll off the tongue (and down the throat).

Fifteen hundred years before the introduction of distil-

But drinking culture in Mexico was not always so hos-

lation, Pulque (puhl-kay) was the beverage most deeply

pitable. It has, however, been essential to its history.

embedded in the customs and rituals of Mexico’s indigenous people. Like mezcal and tequila, it is a derivative

58

Tequila is reflexively considered the national bev-

of the maguey plant, a succulent native to Mexico and

erage of Mexico. But it wasn’t until Spaniards colo-

the southwestern U.S., with thick, water-filled leaves.

nized Mexico that distilling spirits, a process learned

The blue agave, from which tequila derives, is also a type

from the Arabs of North Africa, ensued. Mesoameri-

of maguey, but a very specific one called, blue agave.

WHETS TO NE

CONTRIBUTOR

Stephen Satterf ield PHOTOGRAPHER

Stephen Smith

All of these beverages are produced by extract-

vital economic asset.

ing the sugar from the core (piña) of the maguey

tion and barley fields for beer were granted with

plant. The leaves of the plant — prickly and impos-

royal permission and for royal profits. Alcohol

ing — are hacked with a machete until only the mas-

production boomed. In some cases, slaves were

sive, bulbous center remains. The piña is minced and

brought in from Africa to fortify requisite labor.

Vineyards for wine produc-

thrashed, dispensing a sugary liquid that once vatted, naturally encounters ambient wild yeast, begin-

In the eighteenth century, in an effort to promote

ning the fermentation process. The pulque — which,

Spanish products, King Carlos III, outlawed the produc-

again, is not distilled — goes on to drink like a sort

tion of alcohol in Mexico. It was later decided (remem-

of agave beer, but less punchy than one with hops.

bered?) that controlling the production and sale of alcohol was simply too lucrative to concede, effectively

As early as 1524, just five years after the Spanish

bringing to an end the prohibition. The families who

conquest of the Aztecs, Philip II of Spain prohib-

benefited most significantly included names like “Cu-

ited the sale of liquor to natives. Over the centu-

ervo,” and received land grants from King Ferdinand VI

ries of ensuing colonial rule, alcohol, as it has been

of Spain in a town called, Tequila (in the state of Jalisco).

throughout the world’s history, was used to control the labor force and marketplace. Indians were given

Five years from now, tequila is projected to be a $9-bil-

alcohol to stave off fatigue and as a general diver-

lion global industry. This has, as one would imagine, put

sion for otherwise exploitative working conditions.

constraints on the state, and also, made some people very wealthy. Mezcaleros, mezcal distillers, readily dis-

Meanwhile, alcohol production was realized as a

cuss how little in common they have with their industri-

59

WHETS TO NE

al and soulless counterparts. Whereas tequila is about

basis, but to produce mezcal, you may be harvesting

volume, mezcal is small-batch. Blue agave piñas for

a 30-year-old chunk of terroir, and for that, there is

tequila are not roasted underground and stoked with

no next vintage. These high stakes, and precious raw

fires tended by human hands. They are instead, cooked

material, are part of what makes mezcal so special.

uniformly in a factory oven. On the other hand, mez-

Like the pulque was for their ancestors, mezcal has

cal’s growing popularity is increasingly problematic.

become the drink of the village, of ceremonies and commemorative events. It’s hard to articulate the im-

It’s not unusual to hear the continuously expanding

portance of mezcal in the culture of Mexican people.

cadre of mezcal entrepreneurs discuss its distinctive

And this, no doubt, exacerbates the fear that what is

terroir or aromatic complexity, in the way one would

in jeopardy of being lost is more critical than sales.

describe a wine. But mezcal is nothing like wine. A

60

winegrower may have a poor vintage and decide to

The swift onset of this global thirst can be attributed

leave that fruit unharvested. Or, that winegrower may

to Ron Cooper — an acclaimed American artist and im-

also be the multigenerational beneficiary of some ex-

porter of mezcal under the pioneering label, Del Mag-

traordinary fruit, and decide that, instead of letting

uey. Cooper, who first encountered mezcal on a camp-

that fruit do the talking, that they’d like to talk over

ing trip to Oaxaca in the 60’s, continues to be the most

it, with brand-new, heavily-toasted American oak.

important name in the industry, two-decades after he

These variables can be excruciating on a year-to-year

helped create it. His are the slender green bottles with

WHETS TO NE

pastel-colored illustrations depicting Mexican land-

Susan Coss, a friend and founder of the mezcal

scapes. Those bottles are what brought him to mezcal.

trade group, Mezcalistas. At her recommendation, I was convinced that some of the very best stories in

With sculptures showing in the Whitney and the

Oaxaca’s mezcal scene (there are 19 other states

Guggenheim, and coast-to-coast connections in the

where it’s grown) involved the (few) women who

high-end art scene, Ron Cooper was in the rare po-

were working in it. That’s how I met Reyna Sanchez

sition of an artist with time and money on-hand. He

and Graciela Ángeles Carreño, a fourth-generation

decided to embark on an art project in Oaxaca mak-

distiller behind the (very delicious, very success-

ing hand-blown glass bottles — a project culminating

ful) brand, Real Minero in the village of Santa Cata-

with filling those bottles with mezcal from the indig-

rina Minas, about an hour south of Oaxaca City.

enous Zapotec producers known as “palenqueros.”

Today, if you’re going to order mezcal at any bar

Her father, Lorenzo Angeles Mendoza, is a former

in the country, they’ll probably have Del Maguey’s

politician and local legend. Even more enthralling

Vida. It’s just as likely that, if there’s just one op-

Graciela’s stories of her great-grandmother ped-

tion, that’ll be the one. And while Del Maguey re-

dling bootleg mezcal on the backs of a donkeys.

mains the undisputed pioneer, he is no longer alone.

Since men were presumed to be the sellers of mezcal, women like Graciela’s great-grandmother were

One of the people creating demand for mezcal is

impeccable foils. She poignantly notes, “A Mexican

61

WHETS TO NE

woman can be a feminist without even knowing it.”

ble village, Reyna Sanchez, a vigorous fiftysomething, lives along with her mother in the mountainous high-

In what is far too unpretentious to be called a “dis-

lands of Miahuatlán. When we arrived, she’s nowhere

tillery”, mezcal is produced in what are known as

to be found. Instead, we are greeted by her mother.

palenques. It is the same name given to the underground pits lined with stones and bricks that

Reyna’s mother is a gem. I never inquired of her age,

give the mezcal its characteristic smokiness. Af-

but she’s probably approaching 80 years old. She has

ter the roasted piñas are removed from the earthly

mostly black pigtails with occasional silver streaks. She

oven, they’re crushed using a stone grinding wheel,

walks with a cane and flat footed shuffle that favors

mechanized or horse-powered (the latter being

her left leg. Like her daughter, her heavily weathered

way more charming and common than you’d think).

brown skin is a beautiful contrast to her brightly colored muumuus. While she doesn’t move quickly, she gets

The mash is sent to open vats where the sug-

a lot done. When we first met, she was toiling over a

ary

pot of black beans cooked over open flames in a rust-

pulp

mentation then

is

mixed

ensues.

distilled

to

with

water

Afterwards, (ideally)

at

and the

least

wild-ferwash

45%

is

ed barrel with metal grates. She was constantly shoo-

ABV.

ing the turkeys, which were being raised in advance of a holiday celebration that was still months away.

Further south, in an even more rural and far more hum-

62

WHETS TO NE

Reyna drinks a lot. One morning, she’s risen earlier

earned, and it’s all hers. There are very few women in

than she has, and instinctively, offers me a taste of

the mezcal industry who can say that, and after meet-

her famous tepeztate, a coveted variety that can

ing Reyna Sanchez, it’s unsurprising that she’s one who

take up to three decades to mature. I move beyond

can.

my innate concern for drinking at this hour, and instead, am left paralyzed with delight. I’ve just had one of the most profound things I’ve ever tasted. We left

Stephen Satterf ield is an Oakland-based food writer, speaker

with a dented, two gallon water bottle filled with mez-

and multimedia producer with an extensive hospitality back-

cal — a customary way to transport it in these parts.

ground, including more than a decade as a sommelier. He is a

On the way home, I think of Reyna (whose name aptly

former manager at San Francisco’s Nopa Restaurant, where he

translates to Queen). Her modest, one-bedroom living

co-founded Nopalize, a multimedia chronicle of the Bay Area’s

quarters, that I don’t recall featuring a door, but it did

local food culture that was the predecessor to this publication.

have those giant plastic drums of mezcal. She has to concern herself with drunks coming in from the night

@isawstephen

to try and steal it from her. Reyna sleeps with protection in ways that supercede our parlance. She has very little, but what she does have, has all been hard-

63

THANK YOU Samantha Crocker. Franklin James Clary, Whetstone

about maize. John T. and Southern Foodways Alliance

Co-Founder, my partner and muse forever. I promise

for letting me share my research. David Alexander,

to make you proud. Allyson, Jeff and Laurence, for the

Tim and Amy for your help with the video. Kate Croft,

many opportunities, and for helping me do the things

Alexandra Brown, Ryen Motzek and Tyler Dorman for

I wanted to do (like start a magazine). To the entire

your formative partnership on the brand and mes-

Nopa family and community, especially the countless

sage. Jarrod Bryan for the logo. Bernal Cutlery for

farmers who gave me so much time and knowledge.

working with us for the very special featured photog-

I am forever indebted. Gonzalo for your time and

raphy. Thank you to each of the contributors for your

patience as I harassed you about videos and recipes.

belief in the project and making it real, especially

Braxton for housing me while on the road. John Wur-

Heleene and Rob. Thanks to the artists Dan Bransfield

deman, the most amazing host ever. Oaxaca peeps:

and RS Whipple. Special thank you to Rebecca Plofker,

Ana, Jorge, Kythzia and Diego and especially Marie

Kim Chou and Amanda Dell for your early advocacy in

and Jess. Susan Coss, Reyna Sanchez, Graciela Ange-

the project. Thanks to all of our Kickstarter support-

les. Kate Barney for so many things. Martha Wilcox,

ers who waited a year for this magazine. Thanks for

Flavio Aragรณn and Ron Parra for teaching me so much

your patience and support. See you this summer.