On a warm June day (not so many days ago at the time of writing this), Eric and I ducked our heads as we entered an ancient limestone sea cave. A painted sign on the rock proclaimed it to be called Hohllay. We were in Berdorf, a region…
Tag: food
Assignment 111: Germany
In an unprecedented turn of events, Eric and I swapped assignments. I had drawn Luxembourg and he had gotten Germany, but he was insistent that I would make better pretzels than he would (I’ve made them a couple of times before and since we ate about ten…
Assignment 110: Cyprus
Eric’s foray into Cypriot cuisine was exhaustive. The more he learned about it, the more his menu grew. He relied heavily on the excellent Cyprus Cuisine by Christina Loucas, which he was happy and surprised to find at the Tara (population: 1037) Public Library. Another win for…
Assignment 109: Iraq
This fall, Eric and I moved into a new home. The kitchen was one of our favourite features when we first saw the house — with lots of natural light, a large oven, and plenty of counter space, we could both envisage the dinners that would be made there.
Assignment 108: Libya
Compared with its North African neighbours Tunisia, Egypt, and nearby Morocco, Libyan cuisine was more of a mystery for Eric when he headed into this assignment. One of the first things he learned was the prevalence of mutton in the region. He was thrilled, since…
Assignment 107: Comoros
If you have ever experienced seafood-induced anxiety, then you will know how I felt as I compiled my Comorian menu. Comoros, sandwiched between the east coast of Africa and western side of Madagascar, is a country with a lot of seafood on the menu. Eric and I live…
Assignment 106: Wales
Eric’s Wales assignment marked our first foray into British cuisine. He went in having heard only of Welsh rarebit — cheese on toast — which he learned was a put-down suggesting that to Welsh people, cheese was as fancy as rabbit. “We will not be having Welsh rarebit,” he…
Assignment 104: Cuba
Eric’s father was Cuban, and Eric lived in Havana until he was eight years old, so he is familiar with traditional Cuban fare, like ropa vieja (shredded beef), bistec de palomilla (a thin grilled steak), and masas fritas (deep fried pork chunks). Unlike many of their…
Assignment 29: Egypt
Location: North Africa Population: 96.8 million Capital: Cairo Geography: Sandy desert except around the Nile Valley and Delta areas Language: Arabic Signature flavours: Pita bread, legumes, garlic, parsley, lemon, cheese The Menu I picked up a fantastic cookbook at a used bookstore a few weeks ago that I finally got to crack open for this…
Assignment 28: Sri Lanka
Location: South Asia, off the southern coast of India Population: 21.4 million Capital: Colombo Geography: A tropical island nation, mostly of plains, with a small mountainous area Language: Sinhala, Tamil Signature flavours: Rice, ginger, chilli pepper, curry leaves, fennel, roti, treacle The Menu Eric and I have been eating Sri Lankan food for years at…
Wooden Spoon Wanderer 