Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

The National Dishes of the World: Complete with Recipes!
The National Dishes of the World: Complete with Recipes!
The National Dishes of the World: Complete with Recipes!
Ebook790 pages3 hours

The National Dishes of the World: Complete with Recipes!

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

()

Read preview

About this ebook

Cooking Recipes from Around the World! For the First Time Ever - Nation by Nation -

This Could be Your Own "International Cooking School" In One Ebook!

From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe

Every Nation is Covered...the National Dishes in One EBook!

All of The Great International Cuisines......but MORE! This Ebook Does not Offer Region by Region Recipes -

It Offers the National Dishes of Each Nation of the World!

A Comprehensive Guide to The National Dishes of the World!

Food lovers, cooking students, all of you who want to be the next Iron Chef! - This Ebook will definitely raise your cooking skills, knowledge and cooking repertoire to new heights!

What is your "food dilemma"?

* A constant search for what to have for dinner?
* The need to prepare a dinner that impresses a mother-in-law?
* Friends you want to make feel welcome who are from a distant land or ethnic background?
* An expansion of your repertoire in the kitchen - old dishes are getting boring?
* The joy of cooking has become a chore?
* Perhaps you are a culinary student who needs to understand the connection between history and food...
* Or your children have a report due on a culture foreign to your own?
* A restaurant owner who wants to experiment with unique dishes?

Each nation has a brief but comprehensive history of the development of its national dish, how cultures may have mingled or, depending on the culture itself, how the dish was born by an individual person and it became a national export. This is not boring history but a well written great read in itself! Perfect for "foodies" who enjoy the appreciation of food!

But of course you get the recipes too! Easy to follow, complete descriptions and pictures of the finished masterpieces, the recipes even describe complements to each dish!

The nutty spice of African Chicken with Thai Peanut Curry and Garlic from Macau? An elegant dish that fills the entire home with visions of exotic open air restaurants and the anticipation of tenderness with a twist - and that's just from the aroma. It's here!

Perhaps it will be the hearty comfort of Lagman, a home-made, easy to prepare noodle soup from Kyrgyzstan - great for the soul but also comfort for the stressful day - one of those dishes that kids will come to associate with childhood memories. Look inside!

The smells, the color, the presentation, the anticipation - coupled with the history contained in this ebook - will take you around the world in the comfort of your own kitchen!

Over 500 pages of recipes, history, culinary anticipation and smells...

Everything you need for expanding your kitchen repertoireand ending your "food dilemma"...

Satisfy the chef in you!

LanguageEnglish
Release dateNov 2, 2011
ISBN9781466051454
The National Dishes of the World: Complete with Recipes!
Author

Shahid Khan

Simply a food lover with a passion for writing! I have had many years of expertise with the food industry and food from around the world, writing is the way I express my love for it...

Related to The National Dishes of the World

Related ebooks

Regional & Ethnic Food For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for The National Dishes of the World

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings

0 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    The National Dishes of the World - Shahid Khan

    The National Dishes of the World – Complete With Recipes

    By Shahid Khan

    Published by M&S Direct Publishing at Smashwords

    Copyright © 2011 Shahid Khan

    Smashwords Edition, License Notes

    this eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

    Contents

    Introduction

    Afghanistan to Azerbaijan

    Afghanistan

    Albania

    Algeria

    Andorra

    Angola

    Antigua and Barbuda

    Argentina

    Armenia

    Australia

    Austria

    Azerbaijan

    Bahamas to Burundi

    Bahamas

    Bahrain

    Bangladesh

    Barbados

    Belarus

    Belgium

    Belize

    Benin

    Bhutan

    Bolivia

    Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Botswana

    Brazil

    British Virgin Islands

    Brunei

    Bulgaria

    Burkina Faso

    Burundi

    Cambodia to Dominican Republic

    Cambodia

    Cameroon

    Canada

    Cape Verde

    Central African Republic

    Chad

    Chile

    China

    Colombia

    (Democratic Republic of) Congo

    Comoros

    Costa Rica

    Côte d’Ivoire

    Croatia

    Cuba

    Cyprus

    Czech Republic

    Denmark

    Djibouti

    Dominica

    Dominican Republic

    Ecuador to Guyana

    Ecuador

    Egypt

    El Salvador

    Equatorial Guinea

    Eritrea

    Estonia

    Ethiopia

    Fiji

    Finland

    France

    Gabon

    Gambia

    Georgia

    Germany

    Ghana

    Gibraltar

    Greece

    Grenada

    Guatemala

    Guinea

    Guinea Bissau

    Guyana

    Haiti to Jamaica

    Haiti

    Honduras

    Hungary

    Iceland

    India

    Indonesia

    Iran

    Iraq

    Ireland

    Israel

    Italy

    Jamaica

    Japan

    Jersey

    Jordan

    Kazakhstan to Luxembourg

    Kazakhstan

    Kenya

    Korea

    Kuwait

    Kyrgyzstan

    Laos

    Latvia

    Lebanon

    Lesotho

    Liberia

    Libya

    Lithuania

    Luxembourg

    Macau to Norway

    Macau

    Malawi

    Malaysia

    Maldives

    Mali

    Malta

    Marshall Islands

    Mauritania

    Mauritius

    Mexico

    Micronesia

    (Republic of) Moldova

    Monaco

    Mongolia

    Morocco

    Mozambique

    Myanmar

    Namibia

    Nauru

    Nepal

    Netherlands

    New Caledonia

    New Zealand

    Nicaragua

    Nigeria

    Norway

    Oman to Rwanda

    Oman

    Pakistan

    Palestine

    Panama

    Papua New Guinea

    Paraguay

    Peru

    Philippines

    Poland

    Portugal

    Puerto Rico

    Qatar

    Republic of Macedonia

    Republic of Moldavia

    Romania

    Russia

    Rwanda

    Saint Kitts and Nevis to Syria

    Saint Kitts and Nevis

    Saint Lucia

    Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

    Samoa

    San Marino

    Sao Tome and Principe

    Saudi Arabia

    Senegal

    Serbia

    Seychelles

    Sierra Leone

    Singapore

    Slovakia

    Slovenia

    Solomon Islands

    Somalia

    South Africa

    Spain

    Sri Lanka

    Sudan

    Suriname

    Swaziland

    Sweden

    Switzerland

    Syria

    Taiwan to Zimbabwe

    Taiwan

    Tajikistan

    Tanzania

    Thailand

    Togo

    Trinidad and Tobago

    Tunisia

    Turkey

    Turkmenistan

    Tuvalu

    Uganda

    Ukraine

    United Arab Emirates

    United Kingdom

    England

    Scotland

    Wales

    Northern Ireland

    USA

    Uruguay

    Uzbekistan

    Vanuatu

    Venezuela

    Vietnam

    Yemen

    Zambia

    Zimbabwe

    Conclusion

    Introduction

    What is a national dish? There is no defining reason why a particular country should choose a food to characterise its cultural identity. National dishes evolve for many reasons; they are created by geography, history, by culture, by colonisation, climate and by emigration and often by survival.

    They are often born of out of mans’ desire to form an identity or to stamp his own identity on another culture; hence we have the fish and chips on the Costa del Sol and German hamburgers in the US. What, other than a desire for historical authenticity would drive the individual states of the US to name their own state dishes, often born from the influence of immigrants to their shores?

    National dishes are created by proximity to neighbouring countries and by sharing a common heritage. Sometimes, as in the case of Chivitos invented by a Mr Cabrera in Uruguay, they are created by one person. More often, they evolve through mass movements in civilisation and cultures. Who can deny the vast influence of the Persians on the cuisines of countless countries throughout the East and their influence on the Moghuls whose biryanies developed into the Turkish Pilav, Greek Pilafi, Indian Pullao and Spanish Paella, or the nomadic Arabs who transported goods across deserts or the huge impact of the spice routes spanning the world from China to the Mediterranean.

    Sometimes, a national dish becomes so popular that it grows to be a global food, replicated in restaurants and homes everywhere. In other cases the meal has to be made on its own soil; even though pasta, the national dish of Italy is eaten all over the world, everyone connects pasta with Italy, a sunny climate and Mediterranean cuisine.

    The French baguette is an equally defining part of the French identity but in comparison to pasta, it doesn’t travel well at all. Although we try to reproduce it in our bakers’ shops, it’s never going to rival the sensation of stepping out of the French boulangerie with that crisp, aromatic loaf tucked under your arm. In the US, many believe that the dough used to make the iconic New York-style pizza has to be made with the water of New York, resulting in its unique taste and crispiness. This has led other states throughout America to import New York water in vast amounts to recreate the Big Apple flavour in Tennessee or Pennsylvania.

    Religion plays a huge part in the creation of a cuisine; Muslim traditions of fasting have led to a wealth of vegetarian dishes in many countries and to the promotion of grains and fish to a place of prominence. Jewish kosher traditions have brought about the predominance certain foods like the Gefilte Fish, Falafel and Latkes.

    In Eastern European countries a hearty cuisine has evolved that concentrates on meats, breads and dumplings born out of a peasant tradition that needed to make meat dishes go further. In Arctic regions, traditions of salting, marinating and pickling as methods of preserving foods through the long winters were born. In Africa, for opposite reasons of high temperatures and lack of refrigeration, meat habits of curing with the aim of preservation became prevalent.

    Occasionally a national dish can come to symbolise a concept or represent a patriotic flourish. Venezuela’s Pabellón Crio stands for the country’s flag and celebrates the ethnicity of its culture. In England, roast beef used to be synonymous with the idea of a sturdy, well-fed John Bull sitting at his table of plenty.

    In the Netherlands, the national dish gained a new significance with the Nazi occupation during the Second World War, when the ingredients for Hutspot and Stamppot could be grown underneath the soil away from the eyes of the Germans and so the dish came to represent liberty and freedom from tyranny. In Iraq, the national dish of the mighty Masgouf fish took on sinister overtones in the contrast between what it used to represent and what it became associated with.

    When an attempt was made to revive the fish restaurants along the banks of the Tigris; a popular meeting place for families and friends before the war, it was found that years of darkness and conflict had taken their toll and people now associated the river and hence the Masgouf, with the number of dead bodies that had been thrown into its waters.

    In a lighter vein, a national dish can be used to stereotype a country or a nationality; the English rosbifs were so called because the French believed the chefs and housewives were incapable of producing a more complex meal. The English got their own back by labelling the French as froggies a reference to their supposed liking for frogs’ legs. Or a national dish may not even be a national dish; the story of the battered Mars Bar becoming a countrywide phenomenon in Scotland was largely an exaggeration by the English media.

    A national dish doesn’t have to be old – although the main dish in the UK is still the traditional Roast Beef and Yorkshire Puddings, many people believe this honour should go to Chicken Tikka Masala that was introduced by Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani restaurateurs over the last thirty years. The dish has reached such an unprecedented popularity that curry nights are now an established part of the British way of life.

    In some countries, the national dish is a meal that not many inhabitants have heard of, no-one ever cooks and, if they actually do get round to cooking it, nobody even likes. The Icelandic dish of Þorramatur has that dubious honour. Consisting of putrefied fish that smells like ammonia because of its high uric acid content it sounds like a dish best avoided.

    In other cases the national dish is made from an ingredient that is often unique to the country as in the laver bread, made from a type of seaweed in Wales or the Mountain Chickens (which are in fact frogs!) of Dominica.

    In Africa, the national dish means much more than this. In many countries across the continent it is life and has been accorded an almost religious status. The ugali, mealie-meal and fufu staples made from maize, the yam and cassava roots area means of survival and a way of preparing an energy rich source of food that is so accessible it can be eaten every day, even by the poorest inhabitants. In Zambia, Nshima stands for the basis of life and for many the name of the national dish itself is used to describe food.

    However complex and for whatever reason a dish has been accorded national status, compiling this guide has been an unforgettable, fascinating and often mouth-watering experience and a homage to the diverse culinary traditions that make up the cuisine of the world today.

    This comprehensive guide was commissioned by M&S Direct Publishing and is dedicated to those who love cooking and who have an interest in the culinary history of the countries of the world. Also this is in honour of foodies everywhere.

    TOP

    Afghanistan

    Qabili Palau (Traditional Rice Dish)

    History

    It’s a well known saying in Afghanistan that rice dishes are the king of all foods and the Tajik rice dish, Qabili Palau, provides a royal example.

    Famous also in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Iran, Qabili Palau is made by cooking basmati in a broth, with lamb, chicken or beef and baked in the oven, topped with fried carrots, raisins and pistachios.

    The first historical mention of Palau or plov was made by Alexander the Great, in describing the hospitality of his Bactrian hosts when visiting the province - the birthplace of his wife Roxana, now part of modern Afghanistan. The dish was also served to Alexander after the battle to capture Marakanda (Samarkand) and was so enjoyed by the whole army that it was brought back to Macedonia and introduced to Eastern Europe.

    Its qualities were also well documented in Tajikistan by Abu Ali Ibn Sina, a scholar of the tenth century who described its extensive preparation in his books on Medical Sciences.

    The cookbooks from the kitchens of the Afghan royal family offer further proof of the value that was placed on palau with a vast array of rice dish recipes requiring a colossal amount of time to create and prepare.

    Over the years, palau became more standard fare in Afghanistan. Nowadays, more affluent families will eat one rice dish per day which they consider to be the best part of the meal. At weddings and family gatherings much prestige is gained from high quality rice preparations and the more palau dishes there are at the banquet the better.

    Because Afghanistan has a wide and varied terrain, its cuisine is based upon the nation’s chief crops of wheat, maize, barley and rice. The nation is justly famed for its high quality fruits, apricots, grapes and nuts and seeds such as almonds and pistachio which have traditionally been their major exports and the national dish reflects the pre-eminence and quality of ingredients.

    Recipe for Qabili Palau

    You will need...

    4 skinless chicken breasts cut in half

    1 medium onion

    3 cups basmati rice

    ½ cup vegetable oil

    2 tbsp tomato paste

    2 tsp freshly ground cinnamon

    1 tsp freshly ground cumin, cloves and cardamom

    3-4 pints water

    2 tsp salt

    2 julienne carrots

    ½ cup raisins

    1 tbsp pistachios

    Method

    Wash rice until water runs clear and soak in water. Add 2 tbsp salt. Mix spices in a bowl. Slice onion thinly and caramelize in bottom of pan. Mash onions in pot until they are pulpy. Add oil to pan with tomato paste and water.

    Wash and trim chicken breasts and sprinkle over 1 tbsp of the spice mixture and ¼ tsp salt. Make sure chicken is covered and cook for fifteen minutes. Remove chicken and set aside. Drain the pan and reserve liquid.

    Wash raisins. In a small pan add some oil and fry carrots till they are slightly soft. Remove and set aside. In a new boil the water. Drain the rice and add to pan. Cook until al dente. Drain and return rice to pan, add the onion liquid and stir. Sprinkle over the remaining spice mixture. Adjust seasoning. Add chicken to the centre of the rice and pile some over the top forming a mould. Toss the carrots and raisins on top of the mound, then cover the pan’s lid with a towel and add lid. Cook on a medium heat for 30 minutes. When ready scoop the rice out on to a large serving platter, place chicken in centre and add rice on top again. Scoop the carrots and raisins out and scatter around the platter with pistachios and serve with nan bread.

    National dessert: Samanak – made of wheat and sugar.

    National beverage: Iced Tea

    TOP

    Albania

    Tavë Kosi (Baked Lamb and Yoghurt)

    Byrek Shqipëtar me Perime (Vegetable Pies)

    History

    Over the years, Albania has been ruled by the Greeks, the Romans and the Turks, all of whom have exercised powerful influences over its cuisine. The cultures of Albania and Greece, in particular, have been intermingled for millenniums, leading to some dispute as to the origins of certain signature dishes, with meals like rotisserie lamb often being attributed to the cuisine of Greece – a misconception fiercely contested by Albanians everywhere.

    Despite the influence of neighbouring countries however, Albania has developed its own unique cuisine by making use of the plentiful supply of local ingredients. In doing so, it has achieved a culinary excellence that fuses concepts from Balkan and Mediterranean traditions.

    Historically, Albania is a very hospitable country with traditions of courtesy closely related to those expressed in the works of Homer and from The Kanun, or The Code, written in the 15th century by the Dukagjin clan, powerful in medieval times. Thus, a guest will always be offered the head seat at the table where they often receive the dubious honour of being served with a baked sheep’s head.

    Formerly, the nation was home to a wide variety of cooking styles but the rule of communism resulted in a more uniform cuisine across the nation. Religious, food and cultural festivals are very important, with music and film festivals taking place each year.

    Much of Albania’s cuisine consists of meat and seafood with lunch being the main meal of the day. Traditionally lamb is cooked over a fire, sautéed with onions, garlic, sauce and spices which gradually tenderize the meat. Most often dishes including rice, risottos, fritters, casseroles and pies are baked in earthenware, stuffed or sautéed as stews, stuffed vegetables or meatballs. Garlic and spices enhance food and flavours but in Albanian spices are rarely mixed with chefs usually only using the one that complements the meal’s natural aroma.

    Milk is consumed daily by many Albanians and yoghurt forms the basis for many sauces and recipes. Cheese is made from sheep’s milk and is mild in flavour with a variety of creams, baklava and sweet or savoury dough balls forming dessert.

    The land is particularly productive for livestock but the mild climate is also conducive to growing, a wide variety of fruit and vegetables including peppers, eggplants, tomatoes and cucumbers which form the basis of many Albanian meals that include lamb, turkey, yoghurt, oranges, figs and lemons. Most of these attributes are exemplified in Tavë Kosi which is why it has become the national dish.

    Recipe for Tavë Kosi (Serves 4)

    You will need...

    1-1 ½ lbs lamb

    4 tbsp butter

    2 tbsp rice

    Salt and pepper

    For Yoghurt Sauce

    1tbsp flour

    4tbsp butter

    2lbs yoghurt

    5 eggs

    Salt and pepper

    Method

    Cut meat in to four. Sprinkle each piece with salt and pepper and bake in a moderately heated oven with half the butter. Sprinkle the meat with its juices now and then. When meat is half baked, add rice. Remove the baking pan from the oven and leave to one side.

    Prepare the yoghurt sauce: sauté flour in butter until mixed thoroughly. Mix yoghurt with salt, pepper and eggs until a uniform mixture is obtained and finally stir in the flour. Put the sauce mixture in the baking pan; sauté the meat pieces and bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes.

    Serve hot.

    National dessert: Oshaf – a fig and sheep’s milk pudding.

    National beverage: Brandy

    TOP

    Algeria

    Couscous (Semolina Wheat)

    History

    Traditional couscous is a Berber North West African dish consisting of spherical granules of moistened semolina wheat which are coated with finely ground wheat flour. There are a number of possible derivations of the name; one school of thought is that it derives from the Arabic word kaskasa which means to pound small, while others believe it stems from the Berber dialect or comes from the Arabic name for the perforated earthen pot used to steam the couscous called a kiskis.

    Couscous has a long and distinguished history in Algeria, going back as far as the arrival of the Berber tribesmen in 30,000 BC, who introduced wheat cultivation and helped to create Algeria’s national dish. Semolina wheat was introduced by the Carthaginians who occupied most of northern Africa. When Muslim Arabs invaded Algeria in 600, they brought exotic spices from Indonesia like saffron, ginger and cinnamon which were used in the cuisine. They also introduced the Islamic religion which greatly influenced the diet of many Algerians.

    Couscous is popular in Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and West Africa where it is part of the staple diet and is also known as an occasional dish in Egypt and the Middle East. There are early references to the grain in a Hispano-Muslim cookery book from the 13th century in which a recipe for couscous states that the dish is known all over the world. There is also evidence that the Nasrid sultans in Granada were fans of the versatile grain. The popularity of couscous spread from Tripolitania to the west. Nowadays it’s part of the French national cuisine having been adopted by the colonial power when they withdrew from Algeria and there’s also a growing demand for the product in the UK and USA.

    In Algeria, couscous is generally served with vegetables cooked in a spicy or mild broth or stew and some meat – generally chicken, lamb or mutton - or topped with fish in a sweet sauce with raisins and caramelized onions. It’s also served sometimes at the end of a meal or as a delicacy called seffa when it is sprinkled with almonds, cinnamon and sugar. Traditionally it is served with milk perfumed with orange blossom water or can be handed out plain with buttermilk in a bowl as a light supper dish.

    Recipe for Algerian Couscous

    You will need...

    One can chickpeas, drained

    ¾ to 1lb pkt couscous

    2 large chopped onions

    1 carrot sliced

    1 green pepper, sliced

    1 aubergine, sliced

    1lb lamb cut into 2 inch cubes

    1 chicken cut into 8 pieces

    3 tbsp oil

    1 pimento

    4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

    2 tsp paprika

    Salt

    7 oz string beans or peas

    9 oz can artichoke hearts

    Cayenne Pepper

    4 oz butter

    Method

    Place couscous in a shallow pan with 4 cups water. Swirl and sieve immediately. Rub couscous between hands and drop back into pan, making sure couscous is lump free. Allow to dry. Fry onions, garlic, pepper, carrot and eggplant with chicken and lamb in oil. Add chickpeas and enough water to cover. Add pimento and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil and steam couscous above pan for 45 minutes, then replace in pan to dry. Add tomatoes, beans or peas and cook for ½ hour. Steam the couscous for another 15 minutes. Add artichoke, canned chickpeas. Cook for a few minutes. Add some butter to the couscous and place on serving platter surrounded by meat and vegetables.

    National dessert: Chlada Fakya – Fruit Salad.

    National beverage: Herb Tea, Tisanes

    TOP

    Andorra

    Escudella (Country Stew)

    History

    Located in the eastern Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain, the tiny co-principality of Andorra is one of the oldest independent nations in the world and was a buffer state created by the Emperor Charlemagne 1,200 years ago to keep the invading Moors at bay. Since 1607, its heads of state have been jointly the king or president of France and the Bishop of Ungell in Spain.

    The cuisine must have something to do with the fact that the Andorrans have the highest life expectancy in the world.

    Influenced by French and Italian flavours, the food is typically Catalan with meat forming an important part of the local diet usually served with pastas, sauces and vegetables. The inhospitable landscape provides excellent skiing for the tourist but is problematic for growing crops. With no airport, port or harbour, it’s not surprising that the pork and lamb are very popular with sheep being the most common animal in the country. Andorran smoked hams are renowned for their delicious flavour and an annual gift of two hams, 20 loaves and several bottles of wine is given to the French president every year.

    In the north French and Italian cuisine prevails with pasta, cheese, bread and fish are the main ingredients whereas in the south, Catalan dishes including trinxat made of bacon and cabbage and potatoes and rabbit provide popular local fare.

    Escudella is also a Spanish dish served as a full feast for Christmas dinner. In Andorra, families also serve it as a hearty and warming meal on national holidays and festivals of which there are many.

    Recipe for Escudella

    You will need...

    2 1/2 quart water

    4 Veal bones

    1 Ham bone

    Salt

    Pinch of saffron threads

    4 tbsp Olive oil

    4 Salt pork

    4 oz peeled, chopped onions

    ½ lb chopped chicken pieces

    ½ lb veal

    ½ lb potatoes

    1 medium leek

    5 oz carrots

    4 ozs green cabbage

    4 ozs cooked rice

    3 ozs pasta

    Method

    Make a broth with the water, veal and ham bones. Add salt to taste and saffron. Blanch the pork salt, then dice. Heat oil in large skillet, add diced salt port and chopped onions. When onions begin to brown add pieces of chicken and veal and allow to cook slowly. Add peeled potatoes, leek and carrots and chop finely, then add to skillet with chicken and veal. Chop cabbage finely and add to skillet. Stir. Remove bones and discard. Empty contents of skillet into broth, then add the beans, rice and pasta. Cook for 10-15 minutes until done and serve piping hot.

    National dessert: Flam flan – custard with caramel.

    National beverage: Wine

    TOP

    Angola

    Muamba de Galinha

    History

    Moambe is a traditional African stew from the Congo river area made from a red palm oil sauce called muamba de dendem, with a palm soup base with tomatoes and hot chillies. It can be prepared with a mixture of palm oil and bacon fat or palm oil and olive oil.

    The sauce is derived from the fruit and kernels of the African oil palm which owes its red colour to the high amount of beta-carotene contained in it. The dish can be made with beef, chicken, fish, mutton or any wild game meat such as crocodile or venison and is usually served with a starchy, porridge like staple made by boiling and stirring corn or cassava meal.

    Angola is located on the west coast of sub-Saharan Africa between the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer with the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Zambia to the east and Namibia to the south. Its name derived from the kingdom of Ndongo which was ruled by chiefs known as ungola.

    There are traditionally four ethnic groups in Angola and each has its own cuisine which is tasty and varied with local dishes based on fish, cassava products and spicy stews. The Ovimbundu who come from the central highlands and south east are traditionally farmers and ingredients like maize and cassava are integral to the cuisine. The cuisine of the Bakongo in the northwest and the Lunda and Chokwe in the northeast is more oriented to substantial stews like Moambe and Nitter Kibe, a buttery sauce.

    Angola was a Portuguese colony from the 16th century, gaining its independence in 1975, after which it suffered severe instability and unrest. The cuisine has been influenced greatly by the Portuguese conquerors, especially for the Kimbundu around Luanda who were exposed to Portuguese rule for a long time. The Portuguese introduced olive trees to the country and brought spices and techniques of roasting and marinating to traditional Angolan foods. At the same time, Angolan food developed its own identity. As a large country with many regional variations and eighteen provinces, the one thing that all the country has in common is a love of spicy food.

    Recipe for Muamba de Galinha

    You will need...

    One chicken cut into serving sized pieces

    Juice of one lemon

    One cup red palm oil (or mixture of palm oil and olive oil)

    Two or three chopped onions

    Two cloves garlic, minced

    One hot chilli pepper, chopped

    Three tomatoes, peeled and cut into quarters

    One squash, seeded, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

    One cup canned palm soup base, also called sauce graine or noix de palme

    One or two dozen okra, washed, ends removed

    Salt

    Method

    Squeeze lemon juice over chicken. Rub chicken with mixture of chopped garlic, chopped chilli pepper and salt. Let it marinate for fifteen minutes to an hour.

    Bring oil to cooking temperature in a deep skillet. Add the chicken and cook on all sides until slightly browned. Add onion, garlic, chilli pepper and tomato. Stir occasionally. Cook over a medium heat for half an hour until chicken is nearly done.

    Add squash and cook for another ten to fifteen minutes. Then stir in the canned palm soup base and add the okra. Gently simmer for a few minutes until the okra is tender.

    Add salt and serve with rice.

    National dessert: Cocada amarela – sugar, water, cloves and coconut.

    National beverage: Beer made from palm nuts.

    TOP

    Antigua and Barbuda

    Fungee and Pepperpot (Stew with Salt Meat and Vegetables)

    History

    The pepperpot, as it is known locally, is a combination of salt meat and vegetables including spinach, eggplant, okra, onions and spices and seasonings. Fungee is thick paste-like ball made from cornmeal with okra. Together they form a national dish full of exciting flavours and nutritional goodness.

    The dish is well known throughout the Caribbean islands. It is a Native American dish created by the Arawaks, the first natives encountered by Christopher Columbus when he landed in the Americas. The group became the first Antiguans when they paddled by canoe to the northernmost Caribbean island from Venezuela, after being expelled by their rivals, the Caribs.

    The term Arawak comes from the Lokono word for cassava flour - a fitting name for the people whose staple food was made from cornflour.

    The Arawaks were farmers who cultivated crops including corn, sweet potatoes, chillis and guava as well as growing the Antiguan Black pineapple which is one of the sweetest pineapples in the world and is the national fruit.

    Many of the vegetables introduced by the Arawaks are a predominant feature of the Antiguan cuisine today. Fungee, remains one of the staple foods of the island, whose other delicacies include Dukuna, a sweet, steamed dumpling made from grated sweet potatoes, flour and spices. Fungee and Pepperpot can be differentiated from the Native American variety by its use of spinach which gives it its green colour and can

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1