Dessert; the best part of the day
Sitting by my PC with a tray of baklava looking for inspiration, this subject seemed too good to pass by. There is hardly a country I have visited (apart from airport stops, and even then only those where I haven’t been able to leave the aircraft) where I have not taken the chance to sample the local sweet produce. So what are the highlights? What stays in the memory and makes all that dental work worth the money and pain?
I may be biased, but Europe is the undoubted centre of the world’s sweet culinary talents. On a recent trip to Belgium I was amazed by the sheer volume of chocolatiers, and the variety of cakes and pastries on offer were astounding. Perhaps more surprising was the wonderful range of cafes in the Estonian capital, Tallinn. On almost every street there were several coffee houses offering a selection of homemade chocolates and a mouth-watering range of fresh cakes. Perfect on a rainy or cold winter day to while away an afternoon.
A Brugges chocolatier - one of many
What about the UK? On every high street we have the low-end bakeries, selling cakes that vary hugely in quality. The strongest quality of British cakes is without doubt fresh cream, which is light and instantly satisfying and found even in the cheapest places. Then there are posh chains of cake shops (or tea rooms as they choose to be known) such as Betty’s in the north of England, that will offer sinful desserts at prices to match. And of course, what can match the English cream tea, with scones, jam and clotted cream (only clotted will do!)
Cakes in the US are a hit-and-miss affair for me. On the one hand New York offers the best cheesecake in the world and some exquisite bakeries in Greenwich Village and Little Italy. On the other hand, getting hold of fresh cream was impossible and even a good fresh patiserrie outside of NY was always a challenge (unlike finding a Dunkin Donut). Even baking in the US proved difficult: I could never get used to the flour, and my cookies did not come out the same. I knew of Brit ex-pats who would have flour shipped out to them so that they could make cakes taste the way they wanted to taste.
Patagonia Dulce, Puerto Natales, Chile
Other worthy mentions? Argentina might be famous for steaks, but the lingering Italian influence has left its mark in the fabulous ice-creams and desserts on offer. The accolade to South America must however go to neighbouring Chile, and one cafe in particular that made our day. Patagonia Dulce in Puerto Natales kept us amused for hours, scoffing cakes, chocolates and fortifying ourselves with hot chocolate before heading out into the cold Patagonian wind.
Sweets on sale in Damascus
Syria has a wonderful range of sweet shops, typified by the sticky sickly sweet stuff that is sitting on my desk as I type. One of our highlights of staying in Damascus was staying out in the evenings after dinner in the many cafes, enjoying coffee, cake and icecream and watching the world go by.
As for the most surprising place to enjoy a sweet delight? That has to go to Son Kyul Lake in central Kyrgyzstan. Staying at a yurt camp by the lake shore, our hostess was a shepherd lady Norgul, who seemed to work more hours than the day possessed. On our first morning we came to the dining yurt and were stunned to be offered scones, delicious jam and clotted cream! She clearly knew the way to the hearts of a group of foreign tourists.
Feel free to share your thoughts on great places to find sweet treats. Apart from anything else it might just shape my travel plans.
going to the UK today going to eat some cake i as say smiling!!
Because I have a sweet tooth, I even made a Top 5 of Best Pastries/Desserts you should try
You can find it here: http://www.isabellestravelguide.com/pastries-and-desserts.html
So, I can totally relate to this post you wrote! I’m glad I’m not the only one who tries out desserts while traveling
One of my Middle Eastern favourites is baklava. But also crème brule in France and crepas con cajeta (caramel crepes) in Mexico! This is a never ending topic
Wow, thanks for the sweet-toothed comments! Thanks also for the further suggestions of things to try. The crepes sound delicious Paola. Isabelle, I wish I’d read your post before we went to Lille. Oh well, an excuse to go again. Rebecca, enjoy the UK and I look forward to reading about the places you’ll find to eat.
You are making me Extremely Hungry!!!
Try India if you can eat some of the most sweet desserts(mithais), as they call them. Some of them are rich in dry fruits and almost all are dairy products.
Mmmm… I do like Indian sweets, and we get them often here in England (usually as gifts). I have no doubt they taste even better in India.
It’s all your fault! I haven’t eaten yet today and now I have to go to the bakery….
Glad to hear it Barbara! Now you have to share with us what you buy
Gosh, you’ve made me sooo hungry now, haha! Definitely think Europe has the best, though I must say I’ve had some amazing cakes in NYC…
mine was a sweet roll cake in South Japan. and Im dying to eat sweet now!! i blame you Andy!!!
Sorry Andi and Juno, I hope I haven’t made you go out and buy a big delicious cake
Agree with you Andi that NYC had plenty of great cakes. I know which places I’d visit next time we’re back!
Oh boy – you’ve got me thinking about the astonishing restaurant I went to in Brazil, which had its own separate room where you to pick out pudding. Astonishing. You’ve got to admire a nation that starts the day with cake and then just plain carries on chomping down the sugar.
I’m off to Barcelona in a few weeks & will be blogging about food, bars etc – I’m especially looking forward to checking out Espai Sucre, a restaurant that’s dedicated to desert…
We need links and pictures Nikki – that places sounds worth the trip to Brazil alone!
Tres Leches in Peru! Moist and sugary and delightful… hmmm…. off to the pastry shop right now.
I really enjoy Indonesian Lapis Legit or ‘spekkoek’. A multilayered treat straight from the spice islands… Luckily for us dutchies you can buy them almost anywhere in the Netherlands (visit the Toko), because it’s a bit of work making them yourself http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Lapis_Legit
You should try the “queques” in Portugal! Ummm! Small pies filled with soft cream! Portuguese is one of the most varied patisseries in Southern Europe, with a large influence of colonies in Africa, in the use of cinnamon, por example. Very tasty !
Mmmmm.. keep the suggestions coming. I’m getting hungry just reading about them! Thank you to all for your delicious sounding descriptions