I love language. It fascinates me. From the very thought of “who invented that word”, to the idea that it is shared by thousands, millions, billions… and yet remains so personal. Language is what allows us to interact, to think, to structure our lives in whichever way we deem best. It can be beautiful, touching, thrilling, offering comfort and encouragement when needed. It can be awful, terrible, soul-destroying, leading people to the edge of reason. Yet again, it’s what we choose to do with it that sets us apart, that can bring out the best (or worst) in it.

These past few days one word rung out loud and clear to me – unctuous.

It’s such an odd word, and yet so beautiful at the same time. It’s nearly onomatopoeic, I feel I can hear the slurp it’s recreating, the lasciviousness it seeks to uncover, the velveteen sensation it evokes.

And so I set about searching out the unctuousness in things I would be creating, and I found it :)

I found it in a deceptively simple guacamole, my go-to healthy comfort food (bung together one avocado, a beefsteak tomato, mozzarella di bufala, drizzle with evoo, salt and pepper, voilà).

I found it in that oh-so-traditional Maltese dish of stuffed globe artichokes, pure decadence.

And for a trip across the world, here’s a recipe share for an incredibly straight-forward yet oh-so-delicious prawn and coconut curry.