DCL
Today, the average American meal contains ingredients from five different countries. While using exotic ingredients from other countries is important to keep your recipes exciting and interesting, incorporating local ingredients into your exotic fare is a great way to up the pleasure quotient of your favorite exotic recipes. Buying local ingredients supports the small farmers that produce the freshest and tastiest products available. Buying local is also easier on the planet because local foods don't waste the fossil fuels necessary to transport foods long distances. They are also more economical.
In the Exotic Edibles episode of Emeril Green, Emeril teaches food lovers Jenn and Aimee how to use the exotic and unusual ingredients that they found at an international market by combining them with a wide array of local. Jenn and Aimee picked out some interesting produce like fava beans, often used in Mediterranean cooking, and jicama, a tuberous root with a flavor similar to a mix between a pear and celery, for Emeril to integrate into his dishes. Another vegetable, yucca, which is common in Cuban and South American cuisine, can be prepared in similar ways to a potato. Lemongrass, a stalky vegetable, is great for infusing flavor into broths. Jenn and Aimee also chose a young Thai coconut and an Indian bitter melon, a fruit resembling a green gourd that also has a pungent and lemony flavor. Emeril pairs these unusual ingredients with local favorites like apples picked from a local farm.
Watch the Eat Local with an Exotic Flavor Video!
