There is a foodie truism (passed down to me by my mum) that when abroad you should eat where the locals eat. I am a very obedient son.
I have eaten ceviche in a truckers’ café in Lima, roughly chopped and astringent, and served alongside a soft, steaming, deep-orange nub of sweet potato. On my honeymoon, I dragged my new wife into a crumbling, strip-lit roadside café where we ate exquisite vegetable thalis off banana leaves served for under a dollar. I know how to treat a lady.
The rule only failed me once: when I ordered the duck’s-blood soup in a neighbourhood restaurant in Laos. It turns out this dish is popular with the locals for reasons of machismo rather than flavour. Despite looking beautiful and bright red with golden crispy shallots on top, it tasted of what it was: cold, coagulating blood. Little chewy clots had started to form in it. I choked it down to prove my manhood, but the memory still makes me wince.
The recipe for watermelon agua fresca (literally “fresh water”) has altogether happier memories. A leathery old man used to serve it from a trolley on a street corner near the school in Oaxaca (pronounced Wahaca) in Mexico, where I went to learn Spanish many years ago. It was cold, refreshing, a beautiful colour and very slightly sweet. (You can leave out the honey if you like).
Tip: When buying watermelon juice from a roadside vendor, be sure you can trust the source. Watermelon is one of the few fruits that doesn’t filter bacteria out of the water that it draws up from the ground.
WATERMELON AGUA FRESCA
Serves: 4-6
INGREDIENTS
1kg watermelon
1 tbs honey
Juice of 1 lime
A pinch of salt
250ml water
To serve
500ml soda water
Mint leaves
Toasted cumin seeds (optional)
Lime wedges
Blend the watermelon with the honey, lime, salt and water.
Strain through a coarse sieve, pushing the watermelon pulp through. A mouli-legumes or veg mill can be used to do this step. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
To serve, divide the mix between tall glasses filled with ice and top with soda water. The drinks can be garnished with sprigs of mint, lime wedges and a sprinkle of toasted cumin seeds.
Recipe by Jane Baxter and Henry Dimbleby, co-founder of the natural fast-food restaurant chain Leon
— Guardian News & Media Ltd
