Location: West Africa Population: 236.7 million Capital: Abuja Geography: Tropical rainforest and plateaus, cut through by the Niger River Language: English, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba Signature flavours: Chicken, beef, beans, rice, tomato, onion, thyme, plantain, hot peppers The Menu Nigeria’s culinary tradition is vast and diverse, a nod to the various peoples that live there. In…
Tag: cooking
Assignment 138: Bolivia
Location: Central South America Population: 11.3 million Capital: Sucre and La Paz Geography: A megadiverse country comprising rainforest, tropical savanna, desert, and the Andes. Language: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, Guarani Signature flavours: Corn, potato, beef, beans, quinoa, tomato, cinnamon The Menu Eric has visited South America often during our Wooden Spoon Wanderer wanderings — he took…
Assignment 137: Denmark
Location: Northern EuropePopulation: 6 millionCapital: CopenhagenGeography: A peninsula and archipelago of over 400 islands dividing the North Sea from the BalticLanguage: DanishSignature flavours: Pork, potato, apple, rye bread, dairy, cabbage The Menu We’ve never been to Denmark, but we’ve explored several countries nearby, and there were definitely some familiar elements in Danish cuisine that hearkened…
Assignment 136: Zambia
Location: South-Central Africa Population: 20.2 million Capital: Lusaka Geography: A landlocked, tropical nation consisting mainly of high plateaus Language: English Signature flavours: Groundnuts, maize, freshwater fish, leafy greens, pumpkin, root vegetables The Menu The weather in Ontario was as un-Zambian as it gets when Eric started planning his menu at the end of February. Two…
Assignment 135: Kazakhstan
Location: Central Asia with a small area in Eastern Europe Population: 20 million Capital: Astana Geography: Plateaus and plains cover this largest landlocked country Language: Kazakh, Russian Signature flavours: Horse, sheep, beef, tea, dairy (from horse, cow, camel, and goat), bread, onion The Menu I really like assignments that take me on a culinary journey…
Assignment 134: Türkiye
Location: West Asia with a small area in Southern Europe Population: 85.4 million Capital: Ankara Geography: A nation of plateaus bounded on three sides by seas Language: Turkish Signature flavours: Lamb, rice, seafood, yoghurt, nuts, sesame, sumac, saffron, clove, cinnamon, hot peppers, goat milk, tomato, sahlep The Menu From the moment his assignment landed in…
Assignment 133: Nicaragua
Location: Central America Population: 6.36 million Capital: Managua Geography: A nation of lowlands and mountainous areas, with coasts on both the Pacific and Atlantic Language: Spanish Signature flavours: Corn, rice, beans, chicken, pork, beef, banana and plantain, achiote, hot peppers, cocoa, tomato, onion, cheese The Menu For the first couple of weeks after receiving this…
Assignment 132: Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
Information below is ordered: Isle of Man / Channel Islands Location: Between Great Britain and Ireland / The English ChannelPopulation: 84,000 / 172,000Capital: Douglas / Saint Heller and Saint Peter PortGeography: Islands with rolling hills, lush farmland, and windswept rocky coastsLanguage: English, Manx / English, Jèrriais, FrenchSignature flavours: Seafood, dairy, pork, potato, apple, beans The…
Assignment 131: Philippines
Location: Southeast Asia Population: 114.2 million Capital: Manila Geography: An archipelago of well over 7000 islands Language: Filipino, English Signature flavours: Chicken, seafood, pork, coconut, egg, soy sauce, garlic, bitter melon, ube The Menu I have had Filipino food exactly once, at a little restaurant in Toronto. At a table covered with banana leaves, we…
Assignment 130: South Africa
Location: The southernmost end of the African continent Population: 62 million Capital: Pretoria, Cape Town, Bloemfontein Geography: Mostly plateau with some mountainous areas, desert, and coastal areas Language: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, South African Sign Language, Swazi, Tshivenda, Xhosa, Xitsonga, Zulu Signature flavours: Beef, pork, chicken, seafood, bush meat, dairy, corn, rooibos The…
Wooden Spoon Wanderer 