Sushisamba chef Claudio Cardoso: Favourite global culinary supplies
Sushisamba's executive chef Claudio Cardoso highlights the favourite culinary supplies he's picked up on his travels
Sushisamba's executive chef Claudio Cardoso highlights the favourite culinary supplies he's picked up on his travels
1 Cookbooks from Auckland
If I'm visiting a new country I haven't been to before, I'll try to learn more about its history and food culture. Right now I'm reading
Origin
, by New Zealand chef Ben Shewry. It's all about how he's drawn inspiration for his dishes from his surroundings and life experiences. It's very good.
2 Ceramic placeware from Johannesburg
When I travel, I always look for placeware — not the white, common ones. I look for new types of ceramics and try to use them in the restaurant. Recently, I met this Dutch lady in South Africa who makes free-spirit plates. None of them have the same shape or glazing. They're all very different but beautifully personalised.
3 Spices from Budapest
I try to get artisanal, local ingredients made the traditional way. I'll always pick up different kinds of soy and rice from Japan and paprika from Hungary — they're easy to travel with.
4 Farinheira sausage from Lisbon
It's a very aromatic, fresh sausage that's made mainly from wheat flour, pork fat and seasonings like white wine and paprika. I love it cooked with scrambled eggs for breakfast.
5 Volcanic river rocks from Cape Town
I love getting hold of river or shore rocks to use in the kitchen. I really appreciate rough materials from nature and we use the small, slab-shaped ones as mini platters to serve small dishes. Just remember to boil them first, to sterilise them.
6 Chef's knives from Tokyo
A chef's knife has a lot of miles and history behind it. When I travel to Japan, I always go to the Tsukiji Market, one of the world's largest fish markets, to buy sashimi knives. I've got a beautiful Masamoto one, and one made of blue steel, tailored to the length of my arm. You can pick the type of horn or bone for the handle. I have two or three that I worship. I always travel with mine — safely stowed in the hold, of course.
7 Golden bream from Nazaré
In Portugal, I fell in love with surfing. When home [South Africa], I drive north up the coast trying to score the best waves. I'll camp, buy fresh fish from local markets and make a bonfire on the beach. You find a lot of seaweed to cook with. The Portuguese sea bass or golden bream are really good. Because the sea is deep and water cold, the fish build more fat and muscle so they're more meaty and moist.
8 Fudge from London
Before I visit my mum in Cape Town I always go to Borough Market to buy her traditional fudge. I can't go home empty-handed — she's super addicted to it. But the best thing about London is that we take influences with us on a daily basis. We take experiences. We take the fact it's a multicultural city. We mingle with a lot of foreign people and learn every day. That's what we take.
Images:
Borough Market, Flickr, Paul Hudson
Spices, Flickr, Gavin Bell
Tsukiji-Market-knives, Flickr, Charlton Clemens
