The Enogastronomist — Learning begets hunger

This is a blog written by a hands-on, self-proclaimed gastronome to promote home cooking and to actively discover the world of eno-gastronomic delights. I often try new recipes and whilst doing so I can develop my food preparing skills and gain more knowledge of different food cultures.

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A Thai-inspired Friday dinner with friends

Posted by Helena Saxberg on August 22, 2026

Thai

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Culinary Diplomacy — Food as a Bridge Between Cultures and Nations

Posted by Helena Saxberg on April 18, 2025

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Nikki’s som tam recipe. It’s yummy!

Posted by Helena Saxberg on February 19, 2022

Fish Thai Vegetables Vegetarian

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Culinary Diplomacy — Food as a Bridge Between Cultures and Nations

In recent decades, the world has witnessed an extraordinary shift in how food is used; not just as nourishment but as a diplomatic tool. Culinary diplomacy, also referred to as "gastrodiplomacy," harnesses the universal power of food to build cultural understanding, resolve conflicts, and enhance international cooperation and trade. What is Culinary Diplomacy? Culinary diplomacy is defined as the use of food and cuisine as instruments to foster cross-cultural understanding and to strengthen diplomatic relationships between states and peoples (Muhammad & Adilbekova 2023). Chapple-Sokol (2013) termed this cultural strategy "commensality," from the Latin roots com (with) and mensa (table), implying the bond that is formed through shared meals. As food transcends linguistic and cultural barriers, it creates a shared experience where trust and familiarity can flourish. Nations have begun to institutionalise this form of soft power into their foreign policy strategies...

La Crema di Caffé

Due to a sudden writer's block, I am having a short break from writing a case study for Aalto University CEMS Multinational Management studies, and posting how to prepare a decent cup of espresso at home. I am also sharing a secret on how to prepare la crema di caffé . Use the best Neapolitan coffee — S. Passalacqua — that you can buy from my favourite cook shop , and a Bialetti Venus espresso pot , size 6. For la crema del caffé you will need 3 teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of dark muscovado sugar, a milk whipper and a vessel for whipping the cream. As soon as the first coffee drops start to appear, you need to pour approximately 2 tablespoons of that coffee into the whipping vessel. Apparently, the first drops contain a lot of vegetable oils that create the lovely coffee cream with some sugar. With milk whipper create the crema del caffé . Put 3 teaspoons of crema del caffe into an espresso cup and pour over some fresh espresso coffee. Drink immediate...

Jiaozi – Chinese Dumplings and Crudités

This weekend I took part in The Guardian Chinese Challenge by mem erise. The idea of the challenge was to memorise a typical Chinese menu, its structure and related words and terms in few hours . As I hadn't been making Chinese food for a long time, I decided that it was about time to prepare my all time favourite Chinese street food: Jiaozi Dumplings. This dish was taught to me by my Chinese friend Luo Jun. Back in time, we used prepare Jiaozis with a group of friends and literally inhaled those whilst playing Mahjong. Good times! Anyway, here's how to prepare Jiaozis (饺子 / 餃子 ). Dough (for wrapping the meat in) also known as water based pasta dough: Approx. 6 dl (3 cups) durum wheat flour (or all-purpose flour) Pinch of salt Approx. 2 dl (1 cup) cold water 1 tl of sunflower oil Mix all the ingredients together as if you were making pasta. Knead well for 10 minutes. Add more flour in case dough is too soft and more water if too hard. Wrap in cling film and set a...

How to harvest, peel and eat prickly pears

Yesterday I bought two boxes of Sicilian cactus (Opuntia) fruit (4€/1 kg) at the local supermarket. In Sicily I learned how to pick, soak (remove the spines), peel and eat prickly pears. Picking Indian figs (as they are called in many places; in fact it is in their scientific name, Opuntia ficus-indica ), is a demanding and even dangerous job, as their thin spines (glochids) fly everywhere and far, even when the fruit is removed from the cactus with a long picking tool. This means you have to protect your body, eyes and lungs from these nasty spines. The cactus fruit is placed one by one in a bucket filled with water and allowed to soak until the thin spines on the fruit are removed, and then rinsed once again before peeling. Fortunately, grocery stores only sell spineless cactus fruit and there are many videos on YouTube showing how to peel and eat them. In Sicily, I learned that you first bite off a piece of fruit pulp, then gently press it with your tongue against yo...

My Greek Meatballs — Human Impact on Forest Fires

The Mediterranean region has been facing the devastating impact of frequent forest fires, and Greece is no exception. These fires pose significant threats to both the environment and human communities. During my expatriate period in Rome, I learned from a Finnish man — who was a forest fire specialist in the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations — that a staggering 90% of forest fires are caused by humans. This statistic highlights the crucial role that human behaviour plays in the occurrence and severity of these devastating fires. As I had lamb meat and leftover rice in the fridge, I decided to make Greek Meatballs with Tomato Sauce for dinner. Ingredients for the meatballs: Minced lamb meat, 300g Leftover rice, 1.5 dl Medium egg, 1 pc Black pepper, 1 tsp Dried oregano, 1 tsp Salt Instructions: Mix all the ingredients together. Form meatballs with a diameter of 3-4 cm. Cover the balls with breadcrumbs and gently pat until fully coated. Lightly flatten the...

Summer holiday food: Salade niçoise

Salade niçoise or insalata nizzarda is the queen of salads and the best summer holiday food. This salad is more than a side dish, it is an appetising main course! The basic ingredients include green beans, waxy potatoes, canned anchovies, ripe cherry tomatoes, niçoise olives, capers, chicken or quail eggs and a vinaigrette flavoured with Dijon mustard. I enriched the salad with cucumber, romaine lettuce, red onion, and homemade Italian style artichokes. I only make the nicoise salad in the summer, as the vegetables need to be newly harvested. I wish everyone happy summer holidays and bon appétit with what ever you happen to cook. Ingredients for the Italian style artichokes are 4 small artichokes (trimmed & quartered), 1 garlic glove, 1 shallot, 4 mint leaves, 1 organic lemon, 1/2 cup of white wine, 1/2 water, 2 tbsp of virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper.

Helena Saxberg

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