Location: South Asia Population: 459, 500 Capital: Bandar Seri Begawan Geography: Two disconnected pieces of land on the island of Borneo, mostly covered with tropical rainforest Language: Malay Signature flavours: Seafood, shrimp paste, chilli peppers, coconut, garlic, tamarind, ambulung, pandan The Menu Sayur Lodeh: A vegetable and shrimp curry with cabbage, carrot, and green beans,…
Assignment 83: Niger
Location: West Africa Population: 22.4 million Capital: Niamey Geography: A landlocked desert nation with a small area of savannah Language: French Signature flavours: Peanut, beef, mutton, tomato, corn, millet, leafy greens, baobab The Menu I had a little trouble finding recipes at first, in part because Nigerian cuisine is much better documented on the internet…
Assignment 82: Tanzania
Location: East Africa Population: 56.3 million Capital: Dodoma Geography: A mix of mountains, plains, and warm coastal regions, including several offshore islands Language: Swahili, English, Arabic Signature flavours: Beef, coconut, potato, seafood, cumin, cardamom, eggs, banana The Menu It was Eric’s first time undertaking an assignment since January. A combination of procrastination on my part…
Our Biggest Wander Yet
We’ve Wooden Spoon Wandered to Bhutan and Togo, Dominica and Norway, but now Eric and I are undertaking our biggest wander ever…we are leaving the big city behind for the green forests and cold lakes of rural Ontario. Tomorrow morning, we are loading up a van and setting out to a town of 600 people,…
Assignment 81: Canada
Location: North AmericaPopulation: 35 millionCapital: OttawaGeography: A wide array of landscapes, including forest, mountain, prairie, and northern tundraLanguage: English, FrenchSignature flavours: Seafood, beef, pork, maple, potato, eggs, dairy, orchard fruits, berries The Menu This is a special one. Not just because I was born a Canadian and Eric chose to become one, not just because…
Assignment 80: Greece
Location: Southern Europe Population: 10.8 million Capital: Athens Geography: The country comprises a largely mountainous peninsula projecting into the sea, and some thousands of islands Language: Greek Signature flavours: Seafood, lamb, garlic, dairy products, oregano, olives and olive oil, honey, nuts The Menu I grew up in Toronto’s Greek town, and Eric has been sharing in…
The Quarantine Bakery: A Step-by-Step Guide for Flour Hoarders
Someone’s grocery list consisted of a jumbo can of instant coffee, 72 rolls of double-ply toilet paper, 36 brown eggs, and four 10-kilogram bags of all purpose flour…or so I guessed, while staring into the yawning chasm of an empty flour shelf. While ramen and baked beans are go-to items in this time of isolation…
Almost Knead-less Bread (Recipe)
After deciding to stop buying bread earlier this year and start baking it instead, I’ve done a lot of experimenting with different recipes, flours, hydration percentages, proofing methods, and more. I’ve developed this recipe that suits my cool-ish Toronto kitchen and requires almost no kneading. A wrist injury in the summer left me unable to…
Assignment 79: Poland
Location: Eastern Europe Population: 38.4 million Capital: Warsaw Geography: A country of plains and mountains, with a coast on the Baltic Sea Language: Polish Signature flavours: Mushroom, potato, apple, beef, pork, chicken, fish, poppy seed, dill, dairy products The Menu Toronto is a great city to live in — it’s safe, contains a fair bit…
Assignment 78: Russia
Location: Northern Europe and Asia Population: 146.8 million Capital: Moscow Geography: Varied mountain, steppe, tundra, forest, and coastal ecosystems across the largest country in the world Language: Russian Signature flavours: Dairy, pork, dill, cucumber, beet, hazelnut, beef, fish, mushrooms The Menu Eric’s parents met and married while studying abroad at university in Moscow (in what…
