What is a Delicacy?

I had a painkiller (cocktail, not pills) for the first time on the Caribbean island of Anguilla. Made with dark rum, coconut cream, a lot of pineapple juice, a bit of orange juice, piles of crushed ice, and a dusting of nutmeg on top—the tipple is true to its name: it takes the pain away. It’s dewey air, lilting reggae, and lapping waves in a glass. When I got home to New York, I craved it bad—that rich, tropical, juicy sunburst. It’s a hard drink to find in the city. Nicher than, say, an old fashioned. Less cosmopolitan than, say, a cosmopolitan. Its obscurity only stoked my thirst. 

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I ultimately found my painkiller, one Sunday evening, in a semi-subterranean bar on the Lower East Side called Lullaby. Sugar Town by Nancy Sinatra thrummed through the low-ceilinged space, all candles and creamy white walls, lustrous as an eggshell. Painkillers weren’t on the menu, but the bartender told me he’d see what he could do, visualizing the ingredients high up in the air and silently mouthing through each one. 

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The bartender had an inky, ornate tattoo of laurels, like that which crowned Caesar, across his neck. Nestled under his jaw, it licked up to his ears. Or was it on the back of his neck, beneath that dark hairline? His image is at once crystal clear and completely fuzzy, like an aura photograph: dim, vague features yet blotched in vibrant color. He was, in short, beautiful. Exceedingly elegant in his movements, with the face of young Javier Bardem, though finer, a bit less bullish. He embodied the bar itself: narcotic, smooth, beguiling—like a lullaby. 

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My boyfriend and I, dually dopamine low and a touch tender after a long weekend, watched him float between bottles—completely aligned on his agreeable countenance, his soothing, ungendered energy: feminine and masculine in equal parts. “I don’t think he’s American,” my British boyfriend murmured to me upon hearing the bartender’s untraceable accent, expat clocking expat. An oversized white tee hung from his lithe frame like the billowing sails of a ship. As for his painkiller? It’s the best I’ve had in the city. Silken, tart, sublimely frosted. I guzzled mine then ordered a second. 

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Contemplating the notion of a delicacy, I couldn’t help but return to this memory. Is my greatest pleasure… a tiki drink? No. But something about that evening resonated, in the larger quest to understand this elusive word. The pent-up hankering, the ethereal showmanship, the undeserved occasion; Sundays are for admin and penance—not cocktails. But much like lore, or longing, I think a delicacy is something that takes on a life of its own. I think, right now, a delicacy for me is something shrouded in fantasy. Here’s what 15 others had to say on the matter.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten

“To me, education and exploration is the pinnacle of delicacy. Having the ability to travel the world, uncover new foods, connect with new people and create lasting memories is a treat every time. Whether I’m trying a skewer made of a chicken’s kneecap, sampling a new type of lettuce from our friends at Halal Pastures Farm, tasting a new spice for the first time, it can come in so many different forms. But the act of exploration and education is, to me, the most exhilarating.”

Mickalene Thomas

“The concept of delicacy transcends the realm of taste, encompassing all senses—from the gentle touch to the feast for the eyes. Delicacy is about honoring the essence of shared experiences, where we connect with others while nourishing our bodies and spirits in the warm company of loved ones. It's about finding beauty in the way we come together, savoring every moment and every sensation.”

Norma Kamali

“My delicacy is very simple. Soak raw, unsalted almonds in water overnight. Drain in the AM and then put ice on the almonds and put in the fridge. Serve with crushed ice on top! Delicious.”

José Andrés

“On the rocky coast of northern Spain, you will find the world's greatest delicacy. Fishermen brave the crashing tides along jagged cliffs just to reach them, the jewel of the Asturian coast: percebes. These gooseneck barnacles may look very strange but just one bite fills your mouth with the flavor of eating the ocean.”

Yola Jimenez

“Limón (lime) is my delicacy. Mexican limes taste different from limes elsewhere; they are small and potent, the perfect combination of sweet and sour, and with only a couple of drops you can enhance every flavor. We use it on everything, from fruits and vegetables to tacos and every possible liquid. A beer in Mexico is not complete without its lime and what a perfect marriage it is. My favorite is just to put a pinch of salt on half a lime and squeeze it all in my mouth.”

Aditi Dugar

“A true delicacy for me is the arrival of the Alphonso mango season. These first fragrant mangoes are cause for celebration in our household, transforming every meal into a mango-fuelled daze! We savor the fruit in all its forms: as aamras (a luscious mango puree), simply as sliced fruit, or even integrated into curries. Raw mangoes make for the most delicious drink, aam panna. Mum ensures huge pickling jars are filled with various spices and oils to preserve this mango goodness through the year. Our terrace is dotted with steel plates as she diligently prepares aam papad (“fruit leather”), preserving the essence to relish year-round. Remarkably, even the skin finds its place in a Marwari savory dish—chilke ka saag. This annual ritual, rich in flavors and memories, defines a delicacy for me.”

Brendon Babenzien

"To me, a delicacy is ice tea with sparkling water. It reminds me of summer. It means I am in an environment that is fresh, leaning into my favorite time of year. It is less about the thing, more about what it represents."

Dominique Crenn

“The forest is a delicacy waiting to be explored. Its beauty lies not only in its sprawling expanse but in the myriad of sights, smells, flavors, and textures that embrace you with every step. Every organism, from the towering trees to the tiniest insects, contributes to its enchanting allure—a feast for the senses, with sweet berries, rich mushrooms, and even the delicate sweetness of fog on the trees. It is a sanctuary for me, where life thrives abundantly. The forest is a delicacy for the soul.”

Martina Mondadori

"It has an allure that somehow is much more than just its constituent parts. It could be something as simple as pasta al pesto with a scattering of olives and toasted almonds—the freshest and finest ingredients, but then what elevates it all is, in my mind, the occasion itself, multiple generations of the family getting together, reminiscing over past dishes and fond memories."

Dustin Yellin

“Delicacy is the surface of desert earth where it has not rained for 500 years, patterns of wind accumulating over centuries. Delicacy is moss after a thundering rain where greens go alarmist in their chlorophylled dreams. Delicacy is a ceramic urn sitting beneath the dirt during The Crusades and The Renaissance, undisturbed by civilizations chaotically stirring above. Delicacy is electricity still pulsing through our brains seven minutes after we die.”

Estelle Bailey-Babenzien

"A delicacy is something that makes the taste buds dance and the heart beat faster. "

Enrique Olvera

“A delicacy is a representation of nature’s interconnectedness. Cooking with ingredients that share context—and therefore flavor profile. For example, we normally cook ant eggs, escamoles, with vegetables that also grow underground. These ingredients like leeks and parsnips are natural compliments. This understanding of flavor harmony is knowledge accumulated over generations, passed down through stories and practice, perfected through observation of what the earth offers.”

Suzie de Rohan Willner

“A delicacy to me is simple, high-quality produce all set on an outdoor summer’s table under the shady branches of a big tree, surrounded by friends. With the sorts of things I buy at my local market in France. Locally made cheeses and bread, hams and cold cuts of meat, fresh sardines, tomatoes, peppery and sweet. To some, these would just be ingredients, but enjoy them off antique wooden boards and from crafted ceramics—it beats any fine dining experience.”

Chakaia Booker

“When I think of a delicacy, rarity comes to mind first. And what I find so rare is that work of art that completely changes your preconceived notions of what art is—or can be. It is an experience that won’t leave you. A delicacy marks you.”

Philippe Perd

“Refinement and sensitivity—something that is so beautifully done, it whispers at you. It does not shout at you.”

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