Feijoas, a friand and a pizza feast

There are foods in every countries that locals like and that foreigners look on at in wonder.  For example Marmite (either NZ or UK), Kalles Kaviar (a wonderful fish paste from Sweden), herring in curry sauce (you just have to try it once if in Denmark) and so on.  The feijoa is a fruit that people here go mad about, and we are now in feijoa season.  Last year I tried them for the first time and was really not convinced.  They have a strange, almost flowery taste and yet also an underlying sharpness.  I do, however, really like feijoa ice-cream, and last year I made a really good apple and feijoa chutney, that I might try and get around to making again this year.  I tried a plain, raw feijoa a couple of days ago and found it much nicer than I remember and I am definitely going to put some in a crumble with apples.

Inside a feijoa

Amongst foods I like that many people don’t, is sauerkraut…

This one caught my eye for the additional ingredients of spinach and blueberry. Well, the added ingredients did not make any difference to the taste, but it was a very good, crunchy sauerkraut that goes really well with sausages.

Marmite, as I mentioned is something you love or hate.  I love it (both UK and NZ), I grew up with it: my mother had it every day on toast for breakfast.  However I am not sure of this idea…

…despite my love of Marmite and cheese.  A much better pizza can be had at Heaven, where on Tuesday, we ate some excellent woodfire cooked pizza.  I opted yet again for the aubergine one, with aubergine, sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella and olives.  The pizzas are just the right size too, and full of fresh flavours.

In complete contrast to feijoas and Marmite is the friand, a small cake made with ground almonds and egg whites, that those of you who follow this blog may remember I made several months ago.  Unless you don’t eat cake, there is nothing really to dislike about them at all. Yesterday I indulged in a plum friand, which was extremely light and so full of fresh plum it was almost healthy!

Plum friand