The 15th edition of Worlds of Flavor opened today as East Coast gets back on its feet slowly.
From November 1 to November 3, 2012, the conference under the banner of Arc of Flavor set the ambitious goal of re-imagining culinary exchanges from the Mediterranean and Middle East to Asia.
Here's a snapshot of Arc of Flavor from its program notes:
"Imagine a great arc of flavors, a multi-hued rainbow of savory aromas and palate-teasing fragrances, of ingredients and techniques, peopled by chefs and merchants, by talented cooks and skilled farmers, with a myriad of bustling eating places, restaurants, lively markets, street stalls, home kitchens, bakeries and soup vendors, sidewalk cafes and tea shops—in an arc that extends from the Mediterranean, with its olive-oil and wheat-based cuisines, all the way to the great Asian subcontinent, where rice is king of the table and freshly fragrant spice blends are queen, then curves on into China and Southeast Asia, the latter with its culinary traditions of coconut and tamarind, aromatic herbs, and blistering chilies."
If you cannot attend, here's my short suggested reading list:
–Spices by Fabienne Gambelle (Flammarion)
–Consider the Fork, a history of how we cook and eat by Bee Wilson (Basic Books)
–Cooking without Borders by Anita Lo (Stewart, Tabori and Chang)
–Curried Cultures, Globalization, Food and South Asia edited by Krishnendu Ray and Tulasi Srinivas (UC Press)