Podvarak, or braised sauerkraut and seitan (Serbia)

Serbia is a landlocked country located in Central/Southeast Europe, formerly a part of the state of Yugoslavia. Over 30% of the country is covered by forest and it also has significant mountainous area. The river Danube also runs through Serbia. Spas, festivals, river cruises and mountain resorts are the main tourist attractions. The country has [...]

Bánh xèo, or mung bean crêpes stuffed with tofu, vegetables and herbs (Vietnam)

Vietnam is a quite long but mostly very narrow country located in the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. A former colony of France, the country suffered a a war from the 1950s/1960s until 1975, which killed millions of people, also many in the neighbouring countries. (For some reasons, many Americans think the U.S. “won” the [...]

Oi kimchi, or spicy pickled cucumber (Korea)

Korea is located in the Korean peninsula in East Asia, near Japan. The area has a rich culture and history dating back thousands of years. Traditionally Confucianism was the main religion and taekwondo the most popular sport. After the second world war the country was divided into two politically and socially very different states, South [...]

Ceebu jen, or spicy stuffed “fish”, vegetables and rice (Senegal)

Senegal is a country in the very west of Africa, which completely surrounds the tiny Gambia, save for its tiny coastline. Sometimes the countries are called “Senegambia”. Owing to its colonial past most of the people speak French (besides African languages), but almost all are Muslims. In the west Senegal is probably best known for [...]

Spaghetti silsie, or spicy fragrant tomato pasta sauce (Eritrea)

Eritrea is a small country in the Horn of Africa, a single-party republic (gulp). In 2010 it received the lowerst press freedom rating in the world. It has been in constant problems, including a 30-year war, with the neighbouring Ethiopia. Eritrea used to host a large population of elephants, but currently there are thought to [...]

Black-eyed bean soup (Trinidad)

Trinidad is the larger of the two main islands that form the Trinidad and Tobago, located just a few kilometers off the coast of Venezuela. The name, given by Columbus, means “trinity” in Spanish. It used to be a British colony until gaining independence in 1962. Only about 60,000 of its about one million inhabitants [...]

Sauce pois, or pureed spiced beans (Haiti)

Most people only know Haiti as the location of the tragic earthquake in early 2010, and that it is a very poor country, the poorest country in the Americas. It is located in the same island of Hispaniola as Dominican republic. It was the first independent country in Latin America and the first black-led republic [...]

Sauce légume, or greens in tomato sauce with tahini (Benin)

Benin is a fairly small country in West Africa, neighboured by Nigeria, Niger, Togo and Burkina Faso, with only little coastline. Owing to its colonial history it is mainly a French, Roman Catholic country, but significant language and religious minorities also exist, including Vodun. Considering how poor it is, Benin is in a fairly good [...]

“Beef” and mushroom tshoem (Bhutan)

Bhutan is a tiny landlocked country in Asia located between China and India. The population is less than one million and very few news from the country ever make it to the Western world. Bhutanese cuisine is largely based around red rice, buckwheat and maize, as well as various kinds of meats from yak to [...]