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| Miniature pinecones on a Hazel Alder |
As regards presents, this one was way up there.
I don’t exactly know what it is, except that it’s a bit of culinary
heaven in a jar!
My friend and colleague Marina usually supplies me with all kinds
of honey, mainly from her native Uzbekistan. But this time, she presented me
with a small jar that looked like berry conserve or jam.
Marina was in a hurry. She just told me a friend got her this from
Italy and she wanted me to taste it too. “Enjoy,” she said while running off to
get to work on time.
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| What's left of my pinecones in syrup |
When I got home that night and opened the lid, I discovered it was
not berries in the red thick syrup, but miniature pinecones!
I tentatively dug in with a spoon, not sure whether I was supposed
to eat them or not. But when I did, I was blown away.
I was actually eating miniature pinecones in syrup.
It was like taking a walk in the pine forests of Lebanon –
tasting, smelling and hearing the forest with every chew.
It is so delicious and special that I kept digging my spoon in for
another mouthful.
Luckily, I remembered to stop in time to have some left to take
these pictures.
I am more of a city person. Pine forests remind me of being sent to
Lebanon’s mountain resorts of Aley and Brummana when I was a child. I came to
hate them for being exiled for the hustle and bustle of Beirut.
Pine forests and the continuous chirp of crickets surrounded both
houses where I used to stay.
After the first taste of my delicacy, I asked one of my favorite
food bloggers, Sally Prosser of My
Custard Pie, if she knew anything about my little pinecones. She did not.
And for the first time, Google let me down too. There is a lot
about miniature pinecones, but for decoration.
So, I really don’t know what they are. Are they from a pine tree, a Hemlock tree or
a Hazel
Alder? I have no idea.
Do you?
Feasting on my precious gift reminds me of when I re-read for the
nth time Orhan Pamuk’s “My Name is Red.” I feel like I am reading, seeing and
hearing the words. With my pine conserve it is tasting, smelling and hearing…
