Traveling Spoon is a women-owned sustainable travel company focused on hyper-local culinary experiences. Having realized they had a shared craving for authentic food experience co-founders Aashi Vel and Stephanie Lawrence came up with the concept that addressed both sides of the market: offering unique experiences to travellers and opportunities for locals to earn new income and share their skills with the world. Today Traveling Spoon operates in 233 cities across 70 countries from Brazil to Ethiopia. Naturally, all hosts are vetted to ensure the safety of both parties. 

Our mission is to find you the most meaningful and memorable cultural experiences

~ Steph & Aashi

This article might contain affiliate links. Read the disclaimer about affiliate links & PR gifting here. 
This experience was hosted by Traveling Spoon who did not review or approve this story. 

“I was thinking we could eat outside” Defne pointed to the enclosed outdoor garden. It was a particularly sunny day and the idea of having lunch on a sunny terrace gave me a fresh surge of energy after an overnight flight. Your local experience (group or private) can involve a meal, a cooking lesson or a market tour. I opted for a Traditional Portuguese Cooking Class with a Local. 

My host, Defne, is a skilled home cook from Turkey who made Portugal her home a few years back. Both cultures are very food oriented with quite a few similarities in ingredients and cooking techniques. The meal we are having today is Caldeirada de Peixe (a Portuguese fisherman’s stew) paired with Salada de Grão-de-Bico (Turkish chickpea salad) accompanied with cheese, olives, bread, and a bottle of Vinho Verde (Portuguese wine). When curating this menu Defne experimented quite a bit looking for authentic dishes that represent both of her identities while ensuring that the recipes are simple and easy to replicate at home. “I’ll email you the full recipe after,” she commented while layering potatoes at the bottom of the pot.

As Defne works her way through the preparation sharing instructions and techniques (“… salt the fish 3 hours ahead of time”) we talk about food culture and the way it brings people together. Cuisine influences, be it through flavour or cooking techniques, are a constant thread of inspiration for people around the world “and so here in Portuguese dishes, I see influences and similarities with Turkey,” Defne motions with a spoon. I briefly flashed to learning about Parisian favourites and where they came from before becoming French staples on a food tour of Montmartre. 

Defne always had a special relationship with food and enjoys hosting dining experiences. Upon arrival, she briefly attempted hosting her own experiences but Traveling Spoon proved to be a great partner. To her, food is the glue that binds us and having shared a meal with more than one stranger over the years I tend to agree with that sentiment deeply. 

Having left the stew behind to continue building flavour in the pot we descended into the garden exchanging travel anecdotes and banter about all things food over salad and appetizers. Defne’s apartment is located in a very multicultural part of Lisbon, something she found particularly endearing about this location. I asked questions about the city welcoming the fish stew to the table. She talked about her favourite restaurants and art galleries before introducing me to Ginjinha (sour cherry liquor) and dessert (Arroz de Doce – rice pudding). I left full and inspired to continue visiting strangers in other countries. 

* * *

A few weeks later over cocktails food and travel naturally came up. “I just want to learn how to cook good pasta from an Italian nonna,” a friend of a friend (new friend ✓) chuckled. “Let me tell you about Traveling Spoon,” I leaned in as a volunteer ambassador. 

The post Traveling Spoon invites you to eat like a local with a local in Lisbon and beyond appeared first on Paths to Travel.

Split Old Town is a culinary hotspot. In season, even early in the week, without reservations finding dinner can be difficult and PiNKU is in the heart of it all on Obrov ul. (ul is short for ulica, street). There are just a few tables inside with most people wanting to sit out on the terrace which faces multiple streets making it ideal for people watching.

Vedran and Frane have been friends since elementary school. The two of them came up working in bars in clubs in Hvar. Vedran paid his dues working service, rising to the role of a sous-chef and soon enough found his footing and unique style as a chef. Having secured the 300-year-old butchershop space the duo demolished it to nuts and bolts. “See the bathroom,” he points his tweezers in the direction of the WC door, “it used to be a walk-in fridge,” we both chuckle.

In the image above are Chef Vedran Gotovac and teammate Mia Tarbušković.

The kitchen is petite, to say the least, equipped quite minimally with torches, a sous vide machine, and other high-grade chef appliances. Nearby, they have access to an equally small prep room, “32 steps away,” Vedran says, “we prepare ingredients for the day there and finish everything here, fresh to order”.  

Chef Vedran focuses on local ingredients and head-to-tail cooking, determined to elevate the simplest of ingredients to the global stage. Each dish is unique and impeccable, carefully crafted directly in front of the guest. The fish comes from a 120-year-old fish market across the street. “If we can’t find something at the Split Fish Market, Frane gets on his bike and pedals around the city looking for what’s missing,” Vedran told me with a mischievous smile of a sibling who managed to pass on his chores to a brother. Today one of the core members is also Mia Tarbušković who operates front of house with Frane. 

On tonight’s 7-course tasting menu (90€)* is an exquisite lineup of flavours of the sea. To start, gurnard carpaccio with broad bean ice cream (kokot), followed by poached and smoked squid in garlic cream (lignja), Vedran’s favourite dish due to its sheer simplicity (3 ingredients only). The fruits of the sea feast continues with a tuna tartare served with dehydrated egg yolk shavings, cured bonito (palamida), poached hake fish with cuttlefish noodles in rich fish broth (mol), and burned Adriatic shark file (morski pas). To top it all off Frane brings us homemade chocolate as a sweet finisher.

As the night goes on, the energy at the restaurant grows more and more vibrant. Regulars come exchanging laughs and pleasantries with the team before settling at their table. The PiNKU team seems to be in the know and this place is about more than food, it’s a curated experience. To no surprise, this year, once again, the Michelin Guide inspectors included  PiNKU fish & wine in their Croatia-recommended selection of restaurants. 

* The above menu is a sample and subject to seasonal changes. A la carte menu is available. Price is subject to change.

PiNKY fish & wine
Obrov ul. 4, 21000, Split, Croatia

pinku-fish-wine.eatbu.com
reservations@pinkusplit.com
Instagram @pinku_fish_and_wine

The post Big concept dishes from a petit kitchen at PiNKU fish & wine, Split appeared first on Paths to Travel.