Côte d’Ivoire is a country in West Africa, also known as Ivory Coast. As the name suggests it is a former colony of France and French remains the official language. Religion-wise it is quite heterogenous, with large populations practicing Christianity, Islam and their mixtures with local religions. In the past 15 years it has experienced [...]

Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa, unfortunately mostly known for negative things like the past dictator Idi Amin, recent not-so-fair elections, and the current ban on homosexuality, with even plans to introduce death penalty for it. Even now gays are shunned in the media and often killed. Despite these atrocities, Uganda has been [...]

Oh boy. Life has been busy. Interesting but busy. My first novel will be out soon, so a lot of work with proofs, promotion, etc. And I signed a contract for a food-related book (partially also a vegan cookbook!) which will be out next year. Quite excited about both! Unfortunately for most of you, they [...]

Angola is a large country on the south-central coast of Africa. Until 1975 it was a territory of Portugal and as a result the population is largely Portuguese-speaking and Catholic country, although Bantu languages and indigenous religions also form large minorities. After Angola gained independence there was a civil war lasting until 2002 and killing [...]

Located in the South of South America, Chile is the most elongated country in the world, being 4,300 kilometers long but on average just 175 km wide. It houses a variety of different climates from rainy temperate areas to glaciers and the driest desert in the world, Atacama. It is one of the most developed [...]

Armenia is a small landlocked country located in the Caucasus that used to be a part of the Soviet Union. It is usually considered to be a part of Asia, but sometimes counted in Europe as well (e.g. Wikipedia lists it as a “bicontinental country” and it is also a member of the Council of [...]

Lesotho is a small landlocked country which is also an enclave – meaning it is located inside the borders of another country, in this case South Africa. It is hard to find information about its cuisine, but Wikia Recipes Wiki says this: “Lesotho cuisine resulted from a blend of many cultures such as European, Asian [...]

Belgian cuisine is not particularly famous save for its chocolates, but one thing you can buy everywhere in Belgium (and the Netherlands) is French fries. Besides ketchup they are eaten with mayo, various mayo-based sauces and a psychedelic variety of other sauces people in most other countries would never think of eating with fries. There [...]

Ecuador is a small country in the North-Eastern part of South America. As you can guess, the name comes from the Equator, which is why I always try to write it with a q Ecuador is probably best known for the Galápagos islands, the home to giant tortoises and other memorable animals. Last year I [...]

Philippine cuisine mostly consists of meaty and fishy dishes, with some Spanish influences. Americans are probably most familiar with adobo, a garlicky sauce which is used in canned chipotles (smoked chili) and by the way isn’t available here in Finland, often causing me grief with some recipes. Another famous dish is sinigang, a sour soup [...]