Program 425a: Jamón; Scandinavian Cuisine; A Tavola in Italy; 'Life from Scratch'

Hear what makes Spain's jamon the best ham in the world, then learn about the traditional comfort foods of Scandinavia, and the after-dinner customs that keep Italians lingering at restaurant tables. And find out why a Tulsa mom embarked on a four-year project to prepare meals from every country in the world.

• Federico García Barroso, tour guide from Madrid, Spain
• Francisco Glaría, tour guide from Pamplona, Spain
• Pål Johansen, tour guide from Oslo, Norway     
• Åsa Danielsson, tour guide from Stockholm, Sweden  
• Jane Klausen, Danish-born tour guide to Scandinavia
• Stacy Gibboni, tour guide to Italy 
• Caterina Moore, Venice-based tour guide to Italy 
• Sasha Martin, Tulsa-based author of "Life From Scratch" (National Geographic)

• The Serious Eats website discusses the distinctives of jamón ibérico.
• Tour guide Federico García Barroso is based in Madrid, and tour guide Francisco Glaria specializes in the Navarra region of Spain from his home base in Pamplona.
• The Huffington Post took photos of the much-lauded locavore dishes offered at Noma in Copenhagen.
• The Stockholm Visitors Board offers an on-line guide to restaurants in Stockholm.
• Contact information for Asa Danielsson in Stockholm is on TourHQ.
• Stacy Gibboni's artwork in Venice is featured on the Insightful Travel and Tours website.
• Sasha Martin includes recipes she's served her family, and recommendations for cooking the flavors of the world in your own kitchen, at her Global Table Adventure website.
• Sasha Martin's book about her life and her stovetop travels is called "Life from Scratch."

In Gifford Pinchot
Rain. Listen, talk, laugh, love, read, sleep,
Rain. Go east, for sun.
— Stephanie Varnadore, Renton, Washington

Swish of bullet train
All aboard, Japan flies by
Calm modernity.
— Kim Daul, Chicago 

Took Mom to Norway
Best to travel while she can
Me, never wiser.
— Claudia Mulcahy, Carlsbad, California