A Potjie is a South African Stew type meal cooked in a large three legged pot over coals. It is often cooked as port of a social gathering in much the same way as BBQs are.
With a strong Indian influence in its food, how can Mauritius not have great curry? However it’s not the curry you may be used to from Durban or India. Mauritian curry has quite a different flavour, although the base is similar – there’s garlic, onion, fresh curry leaves and turmeric. There isn’t one type of curry in Mauritius – you get everything from tomato-based Creole curries (typically not that spicy – chilli is served on the side) to Indian ones. Mauritian curries are served with rice or bread,, lentils and delicious accompaniments – various chutneys and achard (vegetable pickles made with mustard) as well as the ubiquitous mazavaroo.
A Malagasy traditional dish, a pot over the fire with only leafy vegetables. It varies greatly throughout the country. Ro=soup Mazava=Clear. If there is meat, it is of lower quality and small quantity, meat being a big luxury for the Malagasy. If the meat is Zebu, one is to add a small tip of the bump. This recipe has meat, beef, so by some would not be traditional. Chicken, fish or shrimp can be used.
Vetkoek is a popular pastry in Botswana, and its name can be literally translated to “fat cake.”
It is a deep-fried snack that is made of dough, usually with mince fillings. The dough is made up of a mixture of yeast, salt, and flour. The filling is cooked before being placed inside the dough.
Another variation of vetkoek is one that is filled with jam instead of the minced meat.
There are also some kinds of vetkoek that have no fillings. Instead, the pastry is spread with jam, syrup, or honey.
Assida Zgougou is a very popular dessert in Tunisia. Assida Zgougou is a cream made from seeds of Aleppo pine, not to be confused with stone pine nuts and pine Armand.Traditionally, Tunisians exchange bowls Assida between neighbors and family members, making decorating bowls Assida as important as the taste of the recipe. Many use all kinds of dried fruit to vary the decorative shapes and colors (pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts)
This easy semolina cake is popular in Morocco, Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab speaking world. Commonly known as basbousa, in Morocco it may also be called chamia or qalb el luz. A quick, egg free batter moistened with yogurt is scored and decorated, baked until golden, then topped with sugar syrup. Sweet, moist and delicious!
You'll find a number of variations for basbousa including recipes with coconut, almonds or other ingredients. The syrup is sometimes flavored with lemon zest and vanilla, but in Morocco orange flower water provides traditional flavor. Some Moroccan families might layer the cake with pastry cream or garnish the top with a date and almond paste, but this recipe for almond basbousa keeps things classic and simple. There is less sugar in the batter than some other recipes, allowing the syrup to provide most of the sweetness.
From Asia and the Middle East to Africa, Europe, and back, spices have traveled far to find their place in the cuisines of many nations. But there's something very special about the flavors used in Moroccan food. Even though individually the spices seem similar to ones used in other cuisines, Indian per se, it's the unique blend that makes them so distinctively Moroccan. Arabic, Mediterranean, Moorish, and nomadic African cultures have had a great influence on the food culture of Morocco. And the ancient spice trade profoundly effected the play with flavors, contributing to how we recognize Moroccan cuisine today.
The need for preservation led to the liberal use of spices and the techniques of drying, salting, pickling, and fermenting. It's quite common to find dried or preserved fruits in many Moroccan dishes. This slowly braised lamb tagine features dried prunes and preserved lemons. Dried dates, apricots, and raisins are also very common. Lemons, preserved in salt, are used in a variety of dishes for adding citrus flavor or as a condiment. The tart/bitter lemon flavor truly brings out the savoriness of meats, particularly lamb. Instead of the usual roast lamb for Easter, how about a Moroccan tagine?
Tagine, named after the vessel the stew is cooked in, is pretty much the nationally recognized dish of Morocco next to couscous. It can be made with almost any meat and even seafood. The clay cooking vessel has two parts, a bowl-like pan and a conical lid, sometimes with a small vent hole. Cooking in a tagine produces the most succulent meat because the dome top locks in moisture by allowing condensation to recirculate and help along the cooking process. The meat ends up being so tender that it just about falls apart when pressed with a fork. There's really no better stew than a Moroccan tagine.
Though it's North African in origin, these days shakshuka is popular throughout the Middle East (particularly in Israel, where it may as well be one of the national dishes) and in hip neighborhood diners all over the coastal US. Given its versatility, it's easy to see why. It's quick; it's simple; it's easy to scale up or down; and it works for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, or a midnight snack.
Baba ghanoush is a Levantine dish of cooked eggplant mixed with tahina, olive oil and various seasonings. The Arabic term means "pampered papa" or "coy daddy", perhaps with reference to a member of a royal harem.
The traditional preparation method is for the eggplant to be baked or broiled over an open flame before peeling, so that the pulp is soft and has a smoky taste.It is a typical meze (starter), often eaten as a dip with khubz or pita bread, and is sometimes added to other dishes. It is popular in the Levant(area covering Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and Syria) as well as in Egypt and Armenia.
Couscous is one of the staple foods of the Maghrib (western North Africa). Couscous is made from two different sizes of the husked and crushed, but unground, semolina of hard wheat using water to bind them. Semolina is the hard part of the grain of hard wheat (Triticum turgidum var. durum), that resisted the grinding of the relatively primitive medieval millstone. When hard wheat is ground, the endosperm—the floury part of the grain—is cracked into its two parts, the surrounding aleurone with its proteins and mineral salts and the central floury mass, also called the endosperm, which contains the gluten protein that gives hard wheat its unique properties for making couscous and pasta--that is, pasta secca or dried pasta, also called generically macaroni. Couscous is also the name for all of the prepared dishes made from hard wheat or other grains such as barley, millet, sorghum, rice, or maize.
Although the word couscous might derive from the Arabic word kaskasa, "to pound small," it is generally thought to derive from one of the Berber dialects because it does not take the article indicating a foreign language origin. It has also been suggested that the word derives from the Arabic name for the perforated earthenware steamer pot used to steam the couscous, called a kiskis (the French translation couscousière is the word English-speaking writers have adopted), while another theory attributes the word couscous to the onomatopoeic--the sound of the steam rising in thecouscousière, the most unlikely explanation.
Baasto/ Spaghetti can also be served with rice, forming a novelty dish referred to as "Federation". The dish is usually served with equal (whole) portions of rice and spaghetti, split on either side of a large oval plate. It is then layered with assorted stewed meats and vegetables, served with salad and an optional banana. It has been suggested that the name of the dish is derived from the union of two dishes in Somalia and also from the size and quantity of the food.
Doro Wat is one of the most famous of all African dishes. You will find it in every Ethiopian restaurant and virtually anyone who is familiar with African cuisine will have heard of it. Another version, though not as commonly known here, is Sik Sik Wat, made with beef. You can directly substitute beef for chicken and follow the same cooking instructions.
Doro Wat is traditionally made very spicy. Super spicy. Like I-don’t-know-how-Ethiopians-have-any-taste-buds-left spicy. Western adaptations are still spicy, but quite tame compared to the real deal.
Traditionally Doro Wat is served with an Ethiopian flatbread called injera. It’s kind of a spongy pancake made with teff flour (a grain indigenous to the area), and the batter is left to ferment for up to 4 days before its used. The injera is used in place of an eating utensil and is used to scoop up the chicken stew.
Injera is usually made from the tiny, iron-rich teff. However, teff production is limited to certain middle elevations and regions with adequate rainfall, so it is relatively expensive for the average household. As many farmers in the Ethiopian highlands grow their own subsistence grains, wheat, barley, corn, and/or rice flour are sometimes used to replace some or all of the teff content. Teff flour is gluten free, therefore Injera that's made only with teff flour and water is gluten free and has higher demand. There are also different varieties of injera in Ethiopia, such as tekore (black ), nech(white) and sergegna (mixed).
In making injera, teff flour is mixed with water and allowed to ferment for several days, as with sourdough starter. As a result of this process, injera has a mildly sour taste. The injera is then ready to be baked into large, flat pancakes. Unusual for a yeast or sourdough bread, the dough has sufficient liquidity to be poured onto the baking surface, rather than rolled out.
For main meals, white maize flour is added to the saucepan and stirred into the ugali/posho until the consistency is firm. It is then turned out onto a serving plate and cut into individual slices (or served onto individual plates in the kitchen). Cassava, yam, and African sweet potato are also eaten; the more affluent include white (often called "Irish") potato and rice in their diets. Soybeans were promoted as a healthy food staple in the 1970s and this is also used, especially for breakfast. Chapati, an Asian flatbread, is also part of Ugandan cuisine.
Chickennat is a traditional Ugandan recipe for a classic stew of chicken and onions cooked in chicken stock broth that's thickened with peanut butter and egg yolks.
Ingredients vary accord to type of meat used and the region the Biriyani is from. Gosht (of either chicken or mutton) as the prime ingredient with rice. As is common in dishes of the Indian subcontinent, some vegetables are also used when preparing Biriyani. Other vegetables such as corn also may be used depending on the season and availability. Navratan biryani tends to use sweeter richer ingredients such as cashew, kismis and fruits such as apples and pineapples.
Beef biryani, as the name implies, uses beef as meat. In Hyderabad, it is famous as Kalyani biryani, in which beef (buffalo meat) is used in preparing the Kalyani biryani. This meal was started after the Kalyani Nawabs of Bidar came to Hyderabad sometime in the 18th century. The Kalyani biryani is made with small cubes of beef, regular spices, onions and lots of tomatoes. It has a distinct tomato, jeera, dhania flavour. In Kerala, beef biryani is very famous.
Known as ugali in Kenya and Tanzania, this starchy, polenta-like side dish goes by different names in sub-Saharan Africa. In Malawi and Zambia it is called nsima or nshima. The South African name for it is pap or mealie pap. Zimbabweans call it sadza.
Ugali is usually served as an accompaniment to meat or vegetable stews, greens or soured milk. To eat ugali, pull off a small ball of mush with your fingers. Form an indentation with your thumb, and use it to scoop up accompanying stews and other dishes. Or you can form larger balls with your hands or an ice cream scoop, place them in individual serving bowls and spoon stew around them.
Beans are the staple of Burundian cuisine and the typical carbohydrate sources are beans, plantains, bananas and corn. Like many East African cuisines there is a strong Asian influence on Burundian cookery, including the use of hot spices and the prevalence of Chapatis at meals.
Cachupa is the quintessential Cape Verdean dish. While there are countless variations, almost all Cachupas have hominy, beans, and potatoes. Some add yucca. Any assortment of vegetables and legumes can be added, depending on availability. For those who can afford it, dried and smoked Portuguese sausages are also added for tremendous “stick to your bones” flavor. Fish, such as tuna and wahoo, is a little more attainable for the average citizen. Our version is vegan and more affordable.
In cooking, en brochette refers to food cooked, and sometimes served, on brochettes, or skewers. The French term generally applies to French cuisine, while other terms like shish kebab, satay, or souvlaki describe the same technique in other cuisines. Food served en brochette is generally grilled.
The skewer itself, the brochette, can also be used to dip pieces of food in a fondue. In those cases it normally takes a slightly different form and is sold as a brochette de fondue or as a set along with the fondue pot.
Typically, meats and vegetables are put on a brochette, but small pieces of bread can also be skewered along with the other ingredients.
Chicken Yassa is a Senegalese stew which is also known as Yassa au poulet.
The chicken is marinated with lemon and mustard for hours before it been cooked. This sauce is popular all over West Africa, it can be found in Gambia, Guinea, Ivory coast and many other African countries.
Yassa can also be made with beef, Lamb or fish. The sauce mainly consists of onions.
Moambe is a traditional African stew. The thick red sauce is made from the fruit of the African oil palm. Chunks of beef, mutton, or chicken are then added to complete the dish.
To make moambe, the marinated meat and chopped onions are put in a Dutch oven. The meat is then left to simmer until it becomes golden brown. A few cups of water and cut tomatoes are then added before putting in the palm oil sauce. The dish is then left alone for an hour for the meat to tenderize before serving it on a plate with fufu or chikwanga.
Chad is a large landlocked country in Central Africa. It is one of the poorest and most corrupted countries of the world and most Westerners probably know nothing about it. As is common in Africa, it is home to over 200 ethnic groups and like many African countries, it unfortunately has a history of civil wars, attempted coups, messy politics and such. Over half of the people are muslims, though about 1/3 are Christian. Polygamy is very common. The country has a rich cultural heritage, especially around music. There is only one cinema in the country, but very small scale movie production still exists.
The main staple food of Chad is millet, usually formed into balls which are dipped into sauces. It is also made into various alcoholic drinks. Other starchy foods include sorghum, corn, rice, manioc, and potatoes. Other popular ingredients include fish, yoghurt, various beans, bananas, some nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, dried fruit, sweet potatoes, onions, tomatoes and okra. Foods may be seasoned with e.g. lemon juice and zest, chili, coriander, cardamom, cumin, garlic, cinnamon, cloves and honey.
Egusi is one the most widely consumed soups in Nigeria, it’s prepared by most tribes. Egusi is ground up shelled melon seed. Its dry milled and combined with a little water to form a paste. The paste is then combined with seafood and cows meat to make the soup.
Egusi is traditionally served with a starch. Possible starch options include Iyan (Pounded yam), Garri (fermented cassava), elubo (fermented yam) or semolina. The vegetable used in egusi preparation is also very important, it goes a long well in defining the taste of the soup. Great choices are tete (calallo), spinach, ugu (fluted pumpkin leaf), ewuro (bitter leaf), Gbure (water leaf), amunututu (malabar spinach), kale, collard and or scent leaf (efirin).
The main factor that set Yoruba style egusi soup apart is the presence of clumps/lumps . According to my grandmother, egusi is just as delicious as meat in this lumpy form. There are different methods to getting and retaining lumps in the soup, I will be using the frying method which happens to be most straightforward . Yoruba style egusi is also cooked with stew base (sans tomato) and contains iru. The recipe can be modified without these ingredients.
Ndolé (or N'Dolé, or Ndole) is a hearty soup from Cameroon. It is made from a variety of ingredients that, for the non-African, might seem to be an odd combination. Look for bitterleaf and dried shrimp in international grocery stores. As the name implies, the bitterleaf (also called bitter leaf) adds a distinctive flavor to the soup, but if none is available substitute spinach or other greens. Skip the optional ingredients to make the most basic Ndolé soup.
In the North of Portugal we see animals as a whole and, therefore, it is possible to find dishes that honor all cuts of meat, ranging from the noblest ones (loin, belly, ribs) to the “inferior” ones (tongue, heart, blood). This comes from our earliest origins back in the time when the Iberian Peninsula was occupied by Suevian and other tribes, which were used to eating what is now considered to be inferior cuts.
These dishes are prepared mainly using pork and chicken and their common denominator is their ability to make unusual cuts shine, either through flavor or consistency. They are part of our rich cultural heritage, and in Porto, we take pride in this and even call ourselves tripeiros, which literally translates into tripe eaters!
In order to introduce you to the gastronomical culture of Northern Portugal, we are starting a recipe series called Tripeiro, which is dedicated to tripes! Think about stomach, heart, tongue, liver, blood, etc. the possibilities are immense, as is the pleasure of discovering all of them!
