In New Zealand, we always cooked our meals. One of the things to think of everyday was what to cook for the dinner. Every alternate day, we went to the supermarkets and buy our grocery, most of them were food. There are certain food in New Zealand that you must try, which you could hardly find in Malaysia.
Spinach
It has a high nutritional value and is extremely rich in antioxidants, especially when fresh, steamed or quickly boiled. People always love to make salad of it. It tastes quite similar like the chinese spinach (苑菜), but its texture is smoother, which is more like 菠菜. When there is price reduction, it costs about NZD2.
The Raddish and Yams
The raddishes are rich in ascorbic acid, folic acid and potassium. They are good source of vitamin B6, riboflavin, magnesium, copper and calcium. One cup of sliced red radish bulbs provides approximately 20 calories, largely from carbohydrates. The bulb of the raddish is usually eaten raw. The flesh has a crisp texture and peppery flavor. They may be used in salads.
The Yam
Technically they are not a true yam as they belong to the Oxalis family but in New Zealand, it is called yams. They are quite small, often about the size of your thumb, are pink-orange in color and have a slightly shiny and ribbed surface. People often roast or fry them. Otherwise, they are also nice grated raw into salads.
The Silverbeet
It is related to spinach and has a slightly bitter, salty flavor. It has big leaves and stalks. It has high levels of magnesium calcium, vitamin K, iron, pottassium, and vitamin A which may reduce the chances of developing lung inflammations (good for smokers). I hate to consume this vegetable because of its strange smell.
Button Mushroom
Mushrooms taste good when you fry them with onions, meats, or vegetables. They are very expensive in Malaysia. So I ate them quite often in New Zealand.
The Smoked Salmon
You can easily find smoked food here, such as smoked salmon, smoked mussels, smoked chicken and etc. I always love smoked food.
Chips and Dips
Some people love to pick the savory and flavored chips. This is why there are so many different flavors of chips in the supermarket. But the western eating culture is to eat the chips with cold dips/humus such as sour cream, basil and feta, pumpkin and capsicum. The hummus are seasoned with spices. And hence, it is good enough to eat with original or salted chips.
Fantastic instant noodles
It is one of the cheapest instant noodles in New Zealand. Among all it flavors, I only fancy the chicken flavor, which tastes like the chinese herbal chicken. I even brought a few pack of its seasoning powder back to Malaysia.
Tip Top Cookies and Cream
Tip Top is a popular brand for its ice cream in New Zealand. Try its cookies and cream. It is fantastic.
Basil Pesto
Basil is one of the commonly used herbs among the Westerns. There are pesto made of basil in the supermarkets. They can be used for pizza, bread, or pasta.
Lemon Paeroa
It is also known as L&P, is a sweet soft drink manufactured in New Zealand. Traditionally made by combining lemon juice with carbonated mineral water from the town of Paeroa, it is now manufactured by multi-national Coca-Cola.
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