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© 2007 Dan Perlman
Casa SaltShaker
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Chef: Dan Perlman
Host: Henry Tapia
March 23-24, 2007
One of the fun things about exploring cuisines that I’m not overly familiar with is the opportunity to learn a bit more about a place, a people, and their culture. For instance, I had no idea that “Pakistan” was an anagram for the original territories it encompassed - Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir, Sindh, and Tan/Stan (Balochistan/Tokharistan). Or, that the day we were celebrating here at Casa SaltShaker, Republic Day, is a mere sixty years old - i.e.,, that the country of Pakistan as a single entity has only existed that long. I did know that there were differences in comparison to Indian cuisine, though, of course, there’s no single cuisine of India, but just the simple difference between a Hindu and a Muslim country changes some of the ingredients used. For me, it was a great chance to try out some things - some more successful than others.
Comment from some of our guests:
"I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I thought the food was excellent - loved the postre - and the choice of wines was perfect. I hope to be back in BA in July/August. Expect to see me again. Many Thanks." - A.H.
"Thank you so much for having us. The experience was wonderful and so was the food. I am used to eating all types of food and certainly partial to spicy. Some of the other guests (natives) could not tolerate it. I loved it.
I have plans to return to Buenos Aires for business within the next forty five days or so and will let you know as soon as my dates are planned so I can join you again.
Once again, thanks for the wonderful experience." - A.F."Many many thanks to both of you for a wonderful evening and the delicious supper. I am still dreaming of the chicken and am looking forward to seeing the recipe online! We also really enjoyed the wine pairing as it is a nice way to get to know some new Argentine wines and to move outside of the 7 or 8 vineyards that we know too well. Food and drink aside thank you so much for your wonderful hospitality and for taking the time to share your trip to Peru with us and to Henry for the book suggestions. It was a big treat for us to learn a bit about Peru through someone who obviously loves the country very much and we are planning a trip to one of the restaurants that Henry recommended for later in the week." - B.D.
"Thanks so much for a wonderful evening and the advice on the restaurants. Unfortunately we can't be of much help since the evening was enjoyable for both of us and we wouldn't change a thing about it." - M.G.
"Thanks again for a very original & delicious Pakistani meal, with equally fine choices in wine." - M.V.
"J... and I would like to thank you for the very entertaining and lively evening at Casa SaltShaker on March 24. We gained a knowledge of what it was like to live in Argentina, including some costs. The food and wine courses were put together well, which added to the enjoyment. We think that your pricing is fair and your choice of Pakatani cusine was imaginative. If we ever return to Bs. As., we will look you up. Cheers!" - D.A.
