Location: Eastern Europe Population: 42.4 million Capital: Kiev Geography: Fertile plains Language: Ukrainian Signature flavours: Potato, beets, cabbage, mushrooms, pork, dairy products, fish, vinegar, berries, dill The Menu My research on Ukrainian food started and finished with The New Ukrainian Cookbook by Annette Ogrodnik Corona. I was inspired early on by her descriptions of the…
Assignment 64: Afghanistan
Location: Central Asia Population: 31.6 million Capital: Kabul Geography: A landlocked, mountainous country Language: Pashto Signature flavours: Rice, lamb, rosewater, cumin, dried fruits, nuts, yoghurt The Menu Eric went straight to the Toronto Public Library for cookbooks when he was assigned Afghanistan. A newly-released and well-reviewed Afghan cookbook was on order for the library and…
Assignment 63: Paraguay
Location: South America Population: 7.2 million Capital: Asunción Geography: Tropical, with a landscape of plains and some low hills Language: Guarani, Spanish Signature flavours: Corn, cheese, onion, chicken, beef, anise, yerba mate The Menu As inadequate as my Spanish is, I did my research in Spanish for this assignment. We are quickly learning that when…
Assignment 62: El Salvador
Location: Central America Population: 6.3 million Capital: San Salvador Geography: A tropical, mountainous nation with significant geothermal activity Language: Spanish Signature flavours: Corn, cheese, tomato, chicken, beans, chilli peppers, red onion, pumpkin The Menu Eric had eaten Salvadorian food once before, when he lived in Texas, where there is a large Salvadorian population. Flavours familiar…
Assignment 61: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Location: Central Africa Population: 78.7 million Capital: Kinshasa Geography: An equatorial country covered in jungle and savannah Language: French Signature flavours: Beans, roots vegetables, leafy greens, peanuts The Menu This was the first assignment after a holiday hiatus that gave Eric and I some much-needed rest. I have to say that I enjoyed taking a…
Assignment 60: Italy
Location: Southern Europe Population: 60.5 million Capital: Rome Geography: A largely mountainous country extending into the Mediterranean Sea Language: Italian Signature flavours: Bread and pasta, tomato, garlic, dairy products, coffee, basil, oregano, beef, olives and olive oil The Menu At the outset of the Wooden Spoon Wanderer project, Eric and I agreed that we should…
Assignment 59: St Vincent and the Grenadines
Location: The Caribbean Population: 109,600 Capital: Kingstown Geography: A collection of 32 islands, the largest of which is St Vincent Language: English Signature flavours: Breadfruit, coconut, seafood, root vegetables The Menu St Vincent cuisine was not easy to research, and there was a definite dearth of resources. I didn’t get anywhere in my quest for…
Assignment 58: Kenya
Location: East Africa Population: 49.1 million Capital: Nairobi Geography: A mix of savannah, desert, and fertile highland Language: Swahili, English Signature flavours: Corn, ginger, leafy greens, beans, chicken, potato The Menu When Eric got his Kenya assignment, he wondered how similar he would find it to Zimbabwe, another East African country from which he cooked…
Assignment 57: Cabo Verde
Location: Off the coast of West Africa Population: 539,600 Capital: Praia Geography: An volcanic archipelago of ten islands and eight islets. Language: Portuguese Signature flavours: Corn, pork, seafood, beans, sweet potato, tropical fruits The Menu Eric and I had just gotten back from a trip to Portugal and the Portuguese islands of the Azores when…
Assignment 56: Guyana
Location: South America Population: 773,000 Capital: Georgetown Geography: A densely forested country with areas of savannah, mountains, and coastal plain Language: English Signature flavours: Cassava, garlic, wiri wiri pepper, curry, vanilla, cinnamon, demerara sugar, beef The Menu Eric’s main resource was a blog called Alica’s Pepperpot. He built his menu around her recipes as well…
