Cuisine of Christchurch for gourmets. Places for dinner - best restaurants

It won't be difficult to find a restaurant in neo-Gothic Christchurch today. There are many establishments here due to the popularity of the city among tourists. They match any budget and preferences. You should not expect big revelations from the local cuisine. Unfortunately, almost all Maori recipes are lost. Therefore, the vast majority of dishes on the menu of city restaurants are prepared according to recipes that the colonists brought to the city. There is nothing too exotic, extremely spicy, hot, or sour in local restaurants. So you don't have to worry about your stomach. Interestingly, the locals do not accept too complex recipes. It is not acceptable to spend in the kitchen for hours before an important celebration here.

Kūmara dishes are popular in the city. This is a local version of sweet potatoes. It has been grown on the island for several centuries. Most often, the tuber is baked or fried in oil. But sometimes mashed potatoes are made. Kūmara is often added to soups and pies. This tuber is also known by the European name batat. In general, English cuisine prevails in Christchurch. But a lot of restaurants with Chinese and Indian dishes have opened in the last two decades. They are gaining more and more popularity.

Some city restaurants are designed for residents. You can taste dishes made from an earthen oven there. They can also be ordered in places for well-off tourists. The use of this type of oven goes back to an incredibly ancient Maori tradition. The earthen oven is used in everyday life only in small villages today. This thing is simple. It has long been a decoration of the kitchens of restaurants and cafes. Meat, vegetables, and root vegetables are cooked in an earthen oven. The cooking process is quite simple. The ingredients are wrapped in leaves or foil. They are covered with earth and stones. The fire is built on top. The dish will be ready in three to four hours. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Meat dishes are more popular here than fish dishes, even though Christchurch is a seaside city. However, fish and seafood dishes take up a lot of space in any restaurant menu. Lamb, pork, and beef are most often cooked. It is a lamb that is the most popular. Interestingly, the baked meat with vegetables is the most popular and the simplest and most festive dish here. There are no difficulties in its preparation. But the result is just great. The dish comes out very tasty. Please note that it is customary to use sauces for meat, fish, and even vegetables in local cuisine.

No less prosaic steak is the second most popular dish. Not every meat is suitable for its cooking. An experienced chef can easily choose from two or three pieces the one that best suits. Also, steaks differ in the degree of roasting. Sometimes the line between delicious and burnt dishes is very thin. The traditional point is that only male chefs prepare steaks. Stuffed roast beef, stuffed shoulder of lamb, and meat rolls are also popular.

Fried potatoes are served as a side dish to many meat dishes. This can be either the most common potatoes or local sweet potatoes. Often baked vegetables are served with meat or fish. Vegetables are often also prepared as part of a salad along with herbs. Fish, like meat, is most often baked. Sometimes it is roasted on the grill. Stewed oysters and lobsters are delicious. Dishes made from crustaceans caught in local waters are very popular with locals and tourists. Fried potatoes are also served with fish traditionally. Naturally, British Fish and Chips are very popular.

Local cheeses are also very popular. They are made mainly on the French model. Brie, Camembert, Bleu de Bresse, and Montagne-Bleu are the best varieties. However, almost all local cheeses are delicious. Therefore, you can buy any cheese that you like in appearance or name. Chips and small meat pies are very popular as a snack. You can order a simple assortment of fruits or a masterpiece from local chefs like the Pavlova meringue cake with whipped cream and strawberries for dessert. The cake is named after the ballerina for whom the cake was prepared for the first time.

Ice cream with various additives and cream pies with fruit is also popular. Tea is loved by the residents. You can order any of the many jams or some kind of dry cookies to go with it. It was brought by English colonists to the city. In addition to tea, you can also order coffee or fresh juice. The beer is popular from alcohol. "Lion Red", "OB Natural", and "DB Draught" are the most famous brands. You can also buy beer that is produced at the pub. There are small breweries in many establishments. The local red wine is good. White and rose wines are also worth attention.