World on a plate

Photo: Jennifer Soo Blame the burek for what follows. The finely layered, stretchypastry pie filled with cheese and spinach is a favourite snack andTasic Hot Burek at Fairfield is a fine exponent of this Balkandelicacy. So one Saturday, we drove out to breakfast on burek andbuttermilk. We feasted and then, literally following our noses,spent the day discovering the culinary delights of downtownFairfield. Cabramatta is predominantly Vietnamese, Eastwood is stronglyKorean and Chinese but this suburb is a fusion recipe. Advertisement: Story continues below In just a few blocks of Fairfield town centre, you can eat yourway around the world. A Latino band plays to a happy audience ofSouth Americans lunching on asado or grilled meat at Martinez BrosDeli Cafe. Iraqis sip and snack at Sunshine Coffee and Sweets. The blokes at the Afghan Arab Bakery flatten bread withtheir knuckles and a warm, yeasty aroma wafts out of the ovens. AtBM Express, stock up on flour stick and coconut vinegar for yourFilipino dishes. Food is an essential part of migrant culture, a way ofestablishing an identity in a new country. For a migrant, the connection with the national cuisine iscrucial to feeling at home in your adopted land so opening a placewhere you can buy the ingredients is an obvious step. Not only does Fairfield boast the third highest number ofresidents born overseas in Australia, the community can traceorigins to 130 nationalities speaking 70 languages. In fact, thearea has the highest number and proportion of people (66 per cent)who speak a language other than English. The state Labor MP for Smithfield, Ninos Khoshaba, is the son ofAssyrian migrants and his father was a three-time mayor ofFairfield. "Being Assyrian is a nationality and our background isfrom an ancient community," he says. "This year we Rosetta Stone German celebrated theyear 6757." Fairfield is an Assyrian stronghold - churches, sporting clubs,cultural associations and health groups congregate here - but it'salso a beacon for other ethnic communities, from Afghanistan toUruguay. Start your self-guided food tour at Carramar on theHorsley Drive before heading into central Fairfield. You can beginat The Crescent near the railway station and work towards NelsonStreet or do your tour the other way around. Afghan Arab Bakery213 Nelson Street, 9728 Who knew you could do so much with flour, water and salt? HabibBayani, a fourth-generation baker from Kabul, makes Persian,Afghan, Turkish and Iraqi flatbreads in his specially built clayoven, all with a different taste and texture. Ambassador Coffee21 Ware Street, 9726 8101 Every day Greg Potter fires up his 15kg roaster and weeklyroasts about 300kg of different types of green beans fromEthiopian Harar to Minas Santos, the favourite among his largeclientele from the former Yugoslavia. You can also pick upbiscuits, nuts, prunes, sweets, dry beans, pudding mixes andseasonings with your espresso. Al Jamil Market25 The Crescent, 9755 9980 Jamil and Nasrin Ayoub are Christian Assyrians from Iraq. Theirloyal customers come for yoghurt in 2kg tubs, fresh Bam dates,homemade jajeek (dried cheese with garlic and dill), and themust-have turshi or mixed pickled vegetables. The Art of Gelato Michelangelo7 Alan Street, 9755 7899 Martino Piccolo is descended from a Calabrian gelato maker andhas won awards, including the champion gelato at the RoyalAgricultural Society's Dairy Produce Awards for his yoghurt gelatowith forest berry. Check his other winners: tiramisu, biscottinoand vanilla bean. BM Express45 The Crescent, 9726 1885 This little outpost of the Philippines is owned by the the Taglefamily. It is a haven for those homesick for the taste of porkbarbecue, tortong talong (eggplant dipped in egg and fried),milkfish, menudo (pork stew with potato and carrots) and youngjackfruit with coconut cream. You can eat in or buy everything youneed to cook a Filipino meal.

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