The KaiKai Book

As the water flows through the villages, there are some uniquely Japanese ways of keeping the water pure. Giant Carp!

Guarded behind lock and key in the back of a small pastry factory in Belém, Portugal, sits a 180-year-old secret. Currently, only six people know the recipe for "Pastéis de Belém," among the oldest—and perhaps even the original—egg custard tarts. Your delicious mission (should you choose to accept it) is to meet the guardians behind this highly classified tart and someday taste one or two along the way.

Durian has been described as the most foul-smelling fruit in the world. Its aroma has been compared to raw sewage, rotting flesh and smelly gym socks. Durian’s smell is so pungent that the spiky-skinned, custard-like fruit is even banned from public places in Singapore and Malaysia. But for its fans, there is nothing better in this world.

In the early morning hours, on side streets and street corners, Hanoi's hard-working cooks begin setting up their pho stations. A soup, a meal, a national treasure—pho is a widespread addiction. Many Vietnamese start the day with a steaming bowl of this divine noodle soup. The essence of pho is a beefy consommé flavored with charred onions and ginger, rock sugar and star anise.