From October 27-28, the Texas Book Festival will take place at the State Capitol in Austin. A number of talented, award-winning culinary authors will be attending the literary gathering, including Naomi Duguid – contributing editor of Saveur magazine and author of the recently released “Burma: Rivers of Flavor.”

Duguid spent many years traveling to remote regions in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and China and has won the Cookbook of the Year Award twice for “Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia” and “Flatbreads and Flavors: A Baker’s Atlas” from the James Beard Foundation. ”Burma: Rivers of Flavor” focuses on stories, flavors, ingredients, and recipes from all throughout Burma – also known as Myanmar. Duguid spoke with TEXAS MONTHLY about her newest cookbook and the cultural and culinary dynamics of Burma.

Tell me about writing Burma: Rivers of Flavor. What are some of the requirements and difficulties of writing about a genre of cuisine that is so far away from where you live?

The most important thing is to understand how people in Burma view the food they make and eat. What do they love about it? What is essential? Then, I need to figure out how to make it in a North American kitchen and figure out what dishes are most likely to appeal to North Americans.

I know that this book chronicles many years of traveling to and from Burma. Tell me how you’ve seen Burma’s cuisine evolve through the years.

I always see myself as a beginner rather than an insider, so I can’t say much about how the cuisine has evolved. It’s true, however, that as the country develops there will be more prepared foods and fewer women cooking traditional big lunchtime meals for their families.

Every country and state and has a unique relationship with food. In Texas, I’d say foods like barbecue and Tex-Mex serve as a sense of pride. How does Burma’s food reflect or represent the culture and lives of the Burmese people?

People in Burma vary enormously, in their economic situation and also in their culinary culture. There are central Burmese, Shan, Kachin, and other peoples – all of whom have their own cuisine. For central Burmese, I’d say tea leaf salad, laphet thoke, and a wonderful everyday noodle dish called mohinga have a national status. But everyday Burmese who have the choice [usually] eat a main meal at lunch that is centered on rice and is full of diverse and wonderful dishes. For me, that should be the thing Burmese people take the most pride in.

Burma is ethnically diverse, so there is naturally going to be a lot of diversity in the food. What are some of the main culinary threads you see throughout Burma, however?

There is a huge emphasis on fresh vegetables, used as a condiment, relish, and also as a simple snack in the midst of the main noontime rice meal. There’s also a lovely flexibility and light-handed approach to salads.

I always like to ask authors about the stories behind writing a book. Would you tell me a story behind one of the recipes in the book?

I learned the magic rice balls from a friend of a friend in Rangoon. I spent a noontime meal at her house, and we cooked together and made a number of dishes. The magic rice balls, which are made of a rice dough wrapped around small chunks of palm sugar, were amazing. We also made a light bean soup with vegetable tendrils in it. She took me out into the garden and I picked off the growing tendrils of a number of vines and plants and added them to the soup. It made me realize that there is a lot more to the vegetable kingdom than we are aware of in the Western world.

I’m interested in any book or cookbook projects you have at the back of your mind. Is there a book you have yet to write that you plan on doing in the near future?

I am still so entangled with Burma and all that is going on there, so I have not yet imagined myself engaged elsewhere. Ill let you know when I have found my next project!

If you’re interested in taking a cooking class with Duguid, she will be hosting a “Seasonal Supper” cooking class at Central Market’s Houston Cooking School on October 25 and Central Market’s Austin Cooking School on October 28.

(Other culinary authors included in the Texas Book Festival lineup are Jane Morgan, Jesse Griffiths, Scott Roberts and Jessica Dupuy, Robb Walsh, Bill and Claire Wurtzel, Hugo Ortega, Bruce Aidells, and Liz Gutman and Jen King.)

Tagged: Bill Wurtzel, Bruce Aidells, Burma: Rivers of Flavor, Central Market, Central Market Cooking School, Claire Wurtzel, Hot Sour Salty Sweet and Flatbreads and Flavors: A Baker’s Atlas, Hugo Ortega, Jane Morgan, Jen King, Jesse Griffiths, Jessica Dupuy, Layne Lynch, Liz Gutman, Naomi Duguid, Robb Walsh, Scott Roberts, Texas Book Festival, The Salt Lick

Yesterday, I reached out to a few food vendors and restaurants to find out how they’ve been preparing for the Austin City Limits Music Festival, which attracts thousands of avid music fans from all over the world. To start things off, I spoke with David Bull of Second Bar + Kitchen who gave us his account of how his team chose to sell three different bánh mì sandwiches during the three-day festival. Today, Michael Rypka of Torchy’s Tacos and Jay Knepp of The Salt Lick tell us how their restaurants have been diligently preparing for the musical event.

Jay Knepp of The Salt Lick

What factors go into deciding what dishes you’ll serve at an event like this?

As far as the dishes we serve, we do staples that everyone knows and that The Salt Lick serves every day. We see it as an opportunity for people to visit The Salt Lick while attending one of the best music events around. We bring a pit out and smoke brisket, sausage, and ribs. We also serve some nachos with chopped beef, queso, and smoked peppers.

What sort of prep work and labor goes into an event like this?

The prep work starts about two months out, since we’re serving thousands of pounds of product.

Tagged: Austin City Limits, Layne Lynch, The Salt Lick, Torchy's Tacos

The Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) kicks off today, and it isn’t just the music scene that is attracting hoards of attendees to the festival grounds. The food lineup is just as alluring as the assortment of bands scheduled to play this year.

A myriad of Texas restaurants, including The Salt Lick, Second Bar + Kitchen, and Woodshed, will be just some of the many food vendors at the event. In years past, places like The Mighty Cone, Amy’s Ice Creams, and P. Terry’s Burger Stand have been the main culinary attractions of the festival, but this year there are some fresh talented faces in attendance, such as Pâté Letelier and Torchy’s Tacos.

To get an idea of what kind of preparation – not to mention anxiety – goes into an event like this, I reached out to a few of the vendors and asked them about the work that goes into the days leading up to ACL. You’ll see answers from them posted over the next three days of ACL. To start things off, David Bull of Second Bar + Kitchen explains how his restaurant is handling its first year as an ACL vendor.

What factors go into deciding what kind of dishes you’ll serve at an event like this?

We’re serving three different bánh mì sandwiches and our black truffle pomme frites. It was actually a long and grueling process to decide on the sandwiches. We surveyed our team on what they would want to eat, and we landed on something that was healthy-ish, hand-held, and had spice.

Avocado Bánh Mì

After a lot of brainstorming, we came up with the bánh mì sandwich, which is delicious, fresh, and hits all of the earlier points. Once we decided on the bánh mì sandwich, we then had to determine costs, yield percentage tests, and product availability, and most importantly, make sure it tasted great.

What sort of prep work and labor goes into an event like this? 

We’re preparing food for tens of thousands of people within three days; it’s crazy! By the time ACL hits, we’ll have been working for a week prior to make sure we’re prepped and ready. We’re bringing on extra hands from the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts to help us prepare and serve at the festival – which will be invaluable experience for the students.

Pork Belly Bánh Mì

Are you going to catch any shows during ACL? If so, which ones?

If I get a chance to see shows, I will be extremely lucky!

Tagged: ACL, Amy's Ice Creams, Austin City Limits, bánh mì, David Bull, Layne Lynch, P. Terry's, Pâté Letelier, Second Bar + Kitchen, The Salt Lick, Torchy's Tacos, Woodshed