7 Questions Susan Casey: A Culinary Travel Writer’s Real-World Insights on Global Food Culture

Why Susan Casey Is a Trusted Voice in Culinary Travel

Susan Casey has spent over 17 years documenting food systems across six continents — from the fermented fish sauce workshops of Phú Quốc, Vietnam, to the high-altitude quinoa fields of Bolivia’s Altiplano. As founder of the Taste & Terrain food tour collective, she’s led more than 240 small-group itineraries with strict adherence to ethical engagement standards: no staged performances, no pre-packaged ‘cultural experiences,’ and zero participation in exploitative labor practices. Her reporting appears in Saveur, Food & Wine, and the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Review. This interview distills field-tested insights drawn from 28 countries, 147 documented market visits (including Tokyo’s Tsukiji Outer Market, Mexico City’s Mercado de San Juan, and Istanbul’s Kadıköy Fish Market), and 312 verified interviews with cooks, farmers, and food historians. Unlike trend-driven food journalism, Casey’s work prioritizes verifiable practice over aesthetic appeal — measuring fermentation pH levels, recording exact wood species used in traditional ovens, and auditing supply chain transparency down to the village co-op level.

Question 1: What Does ‘Authenticity’ Actually Mean in Today’s Global Kitchens?

Casey rejects authenticity as a static ideal. ‘It’s not about preserving a frozen moment,’ she explains. ‘It’s about continuity of intention and adaptation within tradition.’ In Oaxaca, she observed how comal makers in San Martín Tilcajete now use reclaimed mesquite charcoal instead of native oak — not due to scarcity alone, but because the lower burn temperature (measured at 325°C vs. oak’s 410°C) yields more consistent tortilla puffing for daily family use. Similarly, in Kyoto, she documented how 12th-generation yudofu masters at Yudofu Sagano adjusted soy milk coagulation time from 18 to 22 minutes after installing humidity-controlled rooms — a change validated by sensory panels using ISO 8586:2014 descriptive analysis protocols.

The Data Behind Adaptation

A 2023 Taste & Terrain field survey across 43 traditional restaurants in Japan, Peru, and Senegal revealed that 79% had modified at least one core technique in the past five years — not for novelty, but for climate resilience or ingredient availability. For example, Lima’s Central restaurant substituted cochayuyo seaweed (harvested only during June–August windows) with sustainably farmed ulva lactuca during El Niño years, maintaining salinity and iodine profiles within ±2.3% of baseline measurements.

Question 2: How Do You Verify Ethical Sourcing On the Ground?

Casey employs a three-tier verification framework: documentation review, direct producer observation, and sensory triangulation. At Chocolat Madagascar’s Ambatolampy factory, she cross-checked Fair Trade certification records against actual farmer payout logs — revealing a 12.7% discrepancy in bonus distribution. She then tasted 17 batches of single-origin cacao beans from the same cooperative across three harvests, confirming flavor consistency (via GC-MS volatile compound profiling) matched contractual quality benchmarks. Her tours require written consent from all producers before photography, prohibit cash-for-interview transactions, and mandate minimum 30-minute unstructured conversation time per visit — ensuring participants speak freely without performance pressure.

Red Flags She Trains Guides to Spot

• Menus listing ‘farm-to-table’ with no named supplier or harvest date
• Chefs who cannot name the soil pH or elevation of their primary vegetable plot
• ‘Traditional’ dishes served with ingredients unavailable in the region historically (e.g., avocado in 19th-century Sicilian caponata)
• Markets where vendors refuse to disclose wholesale sources or reject requests to see traceability QR codes

Question 3: What Regional Techniques Are Most Misunderstood Abroad?

Casey identifies three globally misapplied techniques: Japanese shio-kōji, Mexican nixtamalization, and West African fermented locust bean paste (iru). In Tokyo, she found 68% of Western restaurants using shio-kōji applied it for under 12 hours — while traditional preparation requires 7–10 days at 28–32°C to fully develop proteolytic enzymes (confirmed via spectrophotometric assay of free amino nitrogen). In Los Angeles, her audit of 22 ‘authentic’ tortillerías showed only 3 used true nixtamalization: soaking dried maíz criollo in calcium hydroxide solution (0.75% w/v) for 12–16 hours at 85°C, followed by thorough rinsing to achieve pH 7.2–7.5. Without this step, nutritional bioavailability of niacin drops by 83%, per USDA Agricultural Research Service data.

The Science of Fermentation Timing

In Benin, Casey measured iru fermentation cycles across 19 households. Optimal umami intensity (quantified by glutamic acid concentration) peaked at 72 hours — but 82% of exported versions were harvested at 48 hours to meet shipping deadlines, sacrificing depth for shelf stability. She notes that brands like Gboko Foods (Lagos) and Maafe Collective (Dakar) now use refrigerated fermentation chambers to extend cycle time without spoilage risk.

Question 4: Which Food Tourism Models Actually Benefit Local Communities?

Casey endorses models with embedded economic redistribution: the Cooperative Tour Model (used by the Totonac Vanilla Growers’ Co-op in Papantla, Veracruz), the Rotating Host Kitchen System (practiced in Chefchaouen’s medina), and the Micro-Grant Itinerary (pioneered by Ghana’s Cocoa360). Under the Papantla model, tourists pay a flat fee covering transport, tasting, and workshop — 42% goes directly to the co-op’s education fund, verified monthly via public ledger. In Chefchaouen, eight families rotate hosting weekly cooking classes; each receives €185 per session (€140 base + €45 sustainability premium), tracked through blockchain receipts issued by local NGO Al-Hoceima Development Trust.

Tourism Revenue Distribution: Comparative Snapshot

Question 5: How Has Climate Change Altered Traditional Flavor Profiles?

Casey documents measurable shifts: in Burgundy, Pinot Noir grapes now ripen 18 days earlier on average (per INRAE 2022 phenology data), reducing malic acid by 1.8 g/L and increasing alcohol potential by 1.4%. In Kerala, monsoon delays have shortened the karimeen (pearl spot fish) spawning season by 22 days since 2010, forcing chefs at Fort Kochi’s Kashi Art Café to source from aquaculture farms — where controlled diet (using Spirulina platensis at 3.2% inclusion) maintains omega-3 levels within 5% of wild-caught benchmarks. In Morocco’s High Atlas, argan oil producers report 34% lower yield per tree since 2015, driving price increases from MAD 120/L to MAD 295/L — yet artisan cooperatives like Arganeraie Amizmiz maintain quality via cold-pressing at ≤45°C (validated by peroxide value tests averaging 0.8 meq O₂/kg).

Question 6: What Tools Do You Carry on Every Field Trip?

Casey’s standard kit includes calibrated instruments and low-tech essentials: a Hanna Instruments HI98107 pH meter (±0.1 accuracy), a digital refractometer (ATAGO PAL-1, 0–32% Brix), a stainless-steel molcajete (hand-carved in Guanajuato, weight 4.2 kg), and a titanium-coated suribachi (Kyoto-made, 18 cm diameter). She also carries food-grade silicone molds for rapid solidification of sauces during transport, a portable anemometer to measure wind speed during open-air drying (critical for Oaxacan chapulines), and a spectral colorimeter (Konica Minolta CM-2600d) to quantify hue shifts in fermented products. Her most-used non-technical tool is a bilingual notebook bound in recycled agave fiber — with one side for Spanish/English notes, the other for local language phonetic transcription (she’s fluent in Quechua, Wolof, and Yoruba).

1. Hanna HI98107 pH meter (calibrated daily with NIST-traceable buffers)
2. ATAGO PAL-1 refractometer (verified weekly against sucrose standard)
3. Konica Minolta CM-2600d colorimeter (stored in climate-controlled case at 22°C ±1)
4. Digital kitchen scale (Ohaus Adventurer AX224, readability 0.1 mg)
5. Portable anemometer (Kestrel 5500, range 0.1–60 m/s)

Question 7: What’s One Ingredient That Deserves More Global Attention — And Why?

Casey names oyster leaf (Mertensia maritima), a coastal perennial native to northern Europe and eastern North America. ‘It delivers genuine oceanic salinity without sodium chloride — just natural sodium nitrate and glycine betaine,’ she says. In Norway’s Lofoten Islands, she worked with the Sørvågen Seaweed Co-op to develop a low-impact harvesting protocol: cutting only outer leaves (allowing 87% regrowth in 14 days, per field trial data), air-drying at <25°C to preserve volatile compounds, and packaging in aluminum-laminated pouches with oxygen scavengers (O₂ absorption rate: 200 cc/24h). Chefs like Esben Holmboe Bang (Maaemo, Oslo) use it to replace sea salt in 73% of their seafood preparations — cutting sodium intake by 41% without sacrificing perceived salinity (confirmed by 120-person sensory panel using ASTM E1958-17 methodology). The plant’s carbon sequestration rate (1.2 kg CO₂/m²/yr) exceeds that of kelp forests by 19%, per 2023 NTNU marine botany study.

Casey emphasizes that attention must go beyond novelty. She helped establish the Oyster Leaf Stewardship Council — a coalition of 17 harvesters, chefs, and scientists — which mandates third-party verification of regrowth rates, prohibits mechanical harvesting, and sets minimum 50-meter buffer zones from seabird nesting cliffs. Their certification seal appears on products from brands including Nordic Harvest (Copenhagen), Wild Coast Botanicals (Newfoundland), and Fjord Flavors (Bergen). In 2024, the council certified 89% of commercial harvests met all ecological benchmarks — up from 52% in 2021.

This rigorous approach defines Casey’s ethos: curiosity anchored in accountability. She doesn’t seek the ‘most exotic’ dish but the most honest one — where every technique serves a purpose, every ingredient tells a verifiable story, and every transaction leaves measurable benefit. Her tours sell out months in advance not because they promise spectacle, but because they deliver substance: a 2023 independent audit by the International Culinary Tourism Association found 94% of her guests reported increased confidence in identifying ethically sourced foods post-tour, and 81% altered purchasing habits within 30 days.

When asked about the future of culinary travel, Casey cites concrete metrics: ‘By 2027, we’re targeting 100% traceability for all Taste & Terrain itineraries — meaning every ingredient’s origin, harvest date, transport method, and carbon footprint will be accessible via QR code at the table.’ Her next project, launching in Q3 2024, is a collaborative cookbook with 37 producers across 12 countries — each recipe accompanied by soil test reports, fermentation logs, and fair-wage certifications. No glossy photos. Just data, taste, and truth.

She recalls a moment in a rice paddy near Luang Prabang, Laos, where a 78-year-old farmer named Seng showed her how to assess grain readiness by biting a kernel — not for crunch, but for the precise release of starch gel at 82°C. ‘That’s the real metric,’ Casey says. ‘Not what looks good on Instagram, but what your teeth and tongue confirm. That’s where authenticity lives — in the mouth, not the marketing.’

Her work dismantles romanticized notions of ‘untouched tradition’ while honoring the intelligence embedded in generations of practice. Whether measuring the lactic acid titration of Ethiopian injera batter (optimal pH: 4.2–4.5), verifying the ash content of French chèvre rinds (≤1.8% per AOP regulations), or timing the exact 4.3-second window for perfect okonomiyaki flip in Osaka’s Namba district, Casey treats food as a language — one spoken in chemistry, geography, and human intention.

This precision doesn’t diminish wonder; it deepens it. When she describes the caramelization point of Balinese bumbu paste — precisely 112°C, where Maillard reactions peak without burning the shallots — it’s not pedantry. It’s respect. Respect for the cook who stirs for 27 minutes daily, for the soil that grew the turmeric, and for the traveler who deserves more than a pretty plate.

Casey’s influence extends beyond tours. She consults for UNESCO’s Food Heritage Unit, helping draft safeguarding guidelines adopted by 23 nations. Her 2022 white paper on ‘Fermentation Equity’ prompted the EU to revise its Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (TSG) framework to include microbial diversity metrics. She’s currently advising the FAO on integrating smallholder fermentation standards into its Global Soil Partnership — recognizing that healthy soil microbiomes directly impact kimchi, idli, and ogbono soup alike.

For travelers seeking connection over consumption, Casey offers something rare: rigor without rigidity, expertise without elitism, and joy rooted in evidence. Her answer to ‘What makes a meal meaningful?’ isn’t philosophical — it’s empirical. ‘It’s when the pH matches the history. When the texture reflects the terrain. When the price reflects the person.’

That’s not just food writing. It’s food justice — measured, documented, and served warm.

Her upcoming itinerary, ‘The Ferment Trail: From Kyoto to Kumasi,’ launches October 2024. It includes lab access at Kyoto University’s Institute for Fermentation Studies, hands-on shōyu brewing with the 13th-generation Marushin family (founded 1688), and a soil health workshop with Ghana’s Cocoa Research Institute — where participants test cacao pod pH, analyze microbial load, and taste chocolate made from beans grown on plots with verified mycorrhizal density >1,200 CFU/g. Spots are limited to 12 per departure. No reservations accepted without signed ethics pledge.

This isn’t culinary tourism as leisure. It’s culinary tourism as literacy — and Susan Casey is teaching the alphabet, one verified bite at a time.