Until then the diet of the wealthy was rich in spices and sugar and involved mixing fruit, both fresh and dried, with meat - a tradition which still lingers in such things as Christmas mincemeat.

Despite my complete sobriety at this point, it took another few minutes of mixing fruit, ice, and booze for it to occur to me that they probably recognized me from TV.

F Map Grab a comfortable cushion, adjust your eyes to the candlelight and try the excellent canelazo de frutas, the house specialty that mixes juice, fruit and aguardiente (Colombia's most popular spirit).

They are constantly mixing and measuring butter, eggs, sugar, flour, nuts, chocolate, fruit and spices that ultimately become delicious cake, cookies, pies and pastries.

Perhaps inspired by Moroccan cooking, which frequently blends savory and sweet, they lose few opportunities to mix fruit or sweetness into sauces, not always successfully.

"And when I do eat bread I eat seven-grain bread and I pace my meals three hours apart so they digest, and I don't mix fruit with anything."

And they all stock marrons glacés, which mix fruit and candy in one dusky bite.

In summer outdoor tables are set beneath the huge fig tree, where you dine on innovative dishes mixing cured meats and fruit, delicately cooked fish with seasonal vegetables and herbs, and some excellent grilled and roasted meats.

Some cocas can be both sweet and savoury (typically mixing meat and fruit).