Traveler's Viaticum: Bread, Cheese and Apples
A very simple travel snack: good bread, a piece of cheese, apples and nuts, to share on the go between two stops. Nothing cooked, all memory and path.
A very simple travel snack: good bread, a piece of cheese, apples and nuts, to share on the go between two stops. Nothing cooked, all memory and path.
I have always loved to leave, and the traveler needs very little: a crust of bread, a bit of cheese, two apples and a handful of nuts are enough for one who knows how to look at the landscape. This is the meal of ancient roads, that of pilgrims and walkers. One eats it sitting on a milestone or by a bridge, and sets off again light-hearted. Frugality, believe me, is another form of freedom.
- •Country bread — a crust (nourishing base)
- •Hard cheese — a piece (protein and flavor)
- •Apples — two or three (sweet-sour freshness)
- •Walnuts — a handful (energy)
Traveler's Viaticum: Bread, Cheese and Apples
A very simple travel snack: good bread, a piece of cheese, apples and nuts, to share on the go between two stops. Nothing cooked, all memory and path.
Why this dish? A great traveler, Yourcenar crisscrossed Italy, Greece and crossed the Atlantic. This frugal, nomadic meal — bread, cheese, fruit and nuts — is one you take along without fuss, faithful to her sobriety and her love of walking and moving.
I have always loved to leave, and the traveler needs very little: a crust of bread, a bit of cheese, two apples and a handful of nuts are enough for one who knows how to look at the landscape. This is the meal of ancient roads, that of pilgrims and walkers. One eats it sitting on a milestone or by a bridge, and sets off again light-hearted. Frugality, believe me, is another form of freedom.
Ingredients (period version)
- Country bread — a crust (nourishing base)
- Hard cheese — a piece (protein and flavor)
- Apples — two or three (sweet-sour freshness)
- Walnuts — a handful (energy)
Ingredients
- Sourdough country bread — 4 thick slices (base)
- Hard cheese (Comté, Cantal or Tomme) — 150 g (flavor and body)
- Apples — 3 (freshness)
- Walnut halves — 60 g (energy)
- Olive oil and salt (optional) — a drizzle (bread seasoning)
Method
- Cut the bread into thick slices and the cheese into easy-to-hold pieces.
- Wash the apples and leave them whole or cut into quarters.
- Arrange everything, with the nuts, in a cloth or a takeaway box.
- If desired, drizzle the bread with olive oil and a pinch of salt.
- Share simply, without utensils, during a stop.
How it was made : The trio of bread, cheese and fruit has for centuries been the cold meal of travelers and walkers in Europe: no cooking, no dishes, just foods that keep and transport. It suits the itinerant and frugal lifestyle that was Yourcenar's.
The contemporary twist : Present it as a 'traveler's board' on a linen cloth, apples cut in a fan and nuts in a pile — a writer's picnic ready for the road.
Marguerite Yourcenar · Charactorium
