Location: Southern Asia, in the Indian Ocean Population: 515,000 Capital: Malé Geography: A tropical archipelago made up of over 1100 coral islands Language: Dhivehi Signature flavours: Seafood (especially tuna), coconut, pandan, hot peppers, rice, root vegetables, tropical fruits The Menu Our family and friends all know about the Wooden Spoon Wanderer project, and by this…
Tag: cooking
Assignment 119: French Caribbean
Location: The Caribbean Population: 385,000 Capital: Various Geography: Islands comprising Guadeloupe, Martinique, north St Martin, and St Barthélemy Language: French Signature flavours: Seafood, chicken, pork, rice, root vegetables, tropical fruits, chili pepper, lime, coconut, rum The Menu I set off on my assignment by heading to our cookbook shelf. There, I was dismayed to find…
Assignment 118: Latvia
Location: Eastern Europe on the Baltic Sea Population: 1.8 million Capital: Riga Geography: A heavily forested nation interspersed with farmland and wetland Language: Latvian Signature flavours: Dairy, eggs, potato, mushrooms, pork, fish, pickles, rye bread, dill, berries The Menu Eric has done quite a few Eastern European assignments, but it had been a while. He…
Assignment 117: India
Location: South Asia Population: 1.38 billion Capital: New Delhi Geography: Immensely varied geography comprising desert, jungle, ocean coastline, and the Himalayan Mountains Language: Hindi, English, and many others Signature flavours: Spices (cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, fenugreek, ginger, cardamom, mustard seed, and more), rice, chili peppers, garlic, onion, dairy, chicken, seafood, potato, breads, pulses, nuts, tomato…
Assignment 116: Kuwait
Location: The Middle East Population: 4.5 million Capital: Kuwait City Geography: A tiny nation on the Persian Gulf Language: Arabic Signature flavours: Rice, fish, saffron, sesame, citrus, cardamom, lamb, chicken The Menu Sometimes it’s weeks or even months between assignments, as we juggle life and work, source hard-to-find ingredients, or just put the blog on…
Assignment 115: Benin
Location: West Africa Population: 13.8 million Capital: Porto-Novo Geography: A nation of savannah yielding to a southern coastal plain on the Atlantic Language: French, Fon Signature flavours: Cassava, yam, corn, rice, tomato, crab, beans, hot peppers The Menu At first, finding Beninese recipes was challenging, until I remembered to consult the wonderful Africa Cookbook, which…
Assignment 114: Australia
Location: Oceania, between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Population: 26 million Capital: Canberra Geography: Diverse ecosystems across the oldest, flattest, and least fertile continent on earth Language: English Signature flavours: Beef, seafood, dairy, bread, beetroot, apple, Vegemite The Menu Eric saw barramundi — an Australian white fleshed fish — for sale at a local…
Assignment 113: Burundi
Location: East Central Africa Population: 11.9 million Capital: Gitega Geography: A landlocked, flat nation on Lake Tanganyika Language: Kirundi, French Signature flavours: Beans, corn, banana and plantain, cabbage, beef, mutton The Menu It seems to have become a tradition of the Wooden Spoon Wanderer blog that every so often, I’m apologizing again for a long…
Assignment 112: Luxembourg
Location: Western Europe, between France and Germany Population: 634,000 Capital: Luxembourg City Geography: A hilly, forested nation and one of the smallest in Europe Language: Luxembourgish, French, German Signature flavours: Dairy, pork, beef, apple, potato, cabbage, Riesling, strawberry, stone fruit, savory The Menu On a warm June day (not so many days ago at the…
Assignment 111: Germany
Location: Western Europe Population: 83.2 million Capital: Berlin Geography: A forested, mountainous nation with sea borders in the north Language: German Signature flavours: Pork, dairy, egg, bread, potato, asparagus, dill The Menu In an unprecedented turn of events, Eric and I swapped assignments. I had drawn Luxembourg and he had gotten Germany, but he was…
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