Location: South Asia, bordering the Middle East Population: 193.2 million Capital: Islamabad Geography: A mix of desert, plains, plateaus, and towering mountains Language: Urdu, English Signature flavours: Lamb, goat, rice, cumin, coriander, mint, dairy, pulses, hot peppers, cardamom The Menu Eric tried Pakistani food for the first time at a restaurant called Khan’s when he…
Assignment 97: Tonga
Location: Oceania Population: 100,600 Capital: Nuku’alofa Geography: A tropical rainforest-rich archipelago consisting of 169 islands Language: Tongan, English Signature flavours: Coconut, seafood, tropical fruit, root vegetables The Menu So Tonga likes the coconut milk. Not a surprise, given our past forays into Oceania’s culinary cultures, but still — Tonga likes that coconut. It was featured…
Assignment 96: Bahamas
Location: The CaribbeanPopulation: 386,000Capital: NassauGeography: A tropical archipelago of over 700 islands with coastal areas, forest, and mangrovesLanguage: EnglishSignature flavours: Seafood, corn, nutmeg, ginger, coconut, tropical fruits, rice The Menu Incredibly, on the underused shelves of our local rural library, Eric discovered a Bahamian cookbook. He used it exclusively to create his menu, although it…
Assignment 95: Taiwan
Location: East Asia Population: 23.5 million Capital: Taipei Geography: A small island nation with a mix of mountain, forest, and urbanized areas Language: Mandarin Chinese Signature flavours: Beef, pork, rice, scallion, soy, pickled vegetables, bamboo, pineapple The Menu I was really excited for this assignment, not only because I love Asian food, but I felt…
Assignment 94: Hong Kong
Location: East Asia Population: 7.5 million Capital: Hong Kong Geography: A highly urbanized area on the South China Sea Language: Chinese (mainly Cantonese), English Signature flavours: Pork, rice, seafood, garlic, shaoxing wine, soy, sesame, greens, egg, beans The Menu Hong Kong boasts a diverse culinary history, with influences ranging from China (their big neighbour to…
Assignment 93: Bermuda
Location: North AtlanticPopulation: 71,000Capital: HamiltonGeography: An isolated island at the same latitude as the CarolinasLanguage: EnglishSignature flavours: Seafood, root vegetables, beans, rice, banana, rum The Menu I was thrilled to draw Bermuda as my next assignment, knowing from experience that my menu would include a few choice seafood-laden dishes, and most importantly, a rum cake….
Assignment 92: Sweden
Location: Northern Europe Population: 10.3 million Capital: Stockholm Geography: A forested country with mountainous subarctic regions in the north Language: Swedish Signature flavours: Beef, fish, dill, potato, beet, ginger, rye, dairy, berries The Menu Oh, that Wooden Spoon Wanderer insecurity…that feeling in the middle of an assignment when a little thing goes wrong and derails…
Assignment 91: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Location: Southern Europe Population: 3.3 million Capital: Sarajevo Geography: Mostly mountainous with a very small Adriatic coastline in the south Language: Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian Signature flavours: Beef, pork, dairy, potato, onion, apple, fermented foods The Menu This assignment followed Eric’s culinary journey to Moldova, and my expectations were confirmed when I saw that there was…
Assignment 90: Moldova
Location: Eastern Europe Population: 2.6 million Capital: Chisinau Geography: A landlocked country of plains bordered by two rivers Language: Romanian Signature flavours: Beef, pork, dairy, eggs, bell peppers, dill, potato The Menu Eric has made several forays into Eastern Europe for this blog, but it had been a while since his last adventure into the…
Assignment 89: Cameroon
Location: Central Africa Population: 26.5 million Capital: Yaoundé Geography: A varied landscape of coastal regions, mountains, savannah, desert, and rainforest Language: English, French Signature flavours: Seafood, chicken, legumes, root vegetables, plantain, corn The Menu I would be lying if I said the prep for this assignment was anything other than chaos. Despite careful planning (I…
Wooden Spoon Wanderer 