Global Table Adventure

10 New Year’s Food Traditions from around the World

December 27, 2012 By Sasha Martin 17 Comments

Before the confetti and the fireworks of 2013 glitter through our skies, our global neighbors teach that we must first take a little time to dream. You see, if we imagine our futures as bright and as shiny and as real as the stars above us, we come that much closer to realizing our dreams. It's called positive thinking. And all around the world, people accomplish this through a brilliant collection of New Year's food traditions. These food traditions aren't just another nice meal with a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: International Recipes, New Year's, Sasha's Favorite Recipes

Merry Gingerbread Winners!

December 25, 2012 By Sasha Martin 2 Comments

Ho, ho, ho! The time has finally come! We're beyond excited to announce the winners of this year's Gingerbread for Peace Competition. Every year I love looking at your beautiful creations. You and your power over icing never cease to amaze me... which is why, if it were up to me, you'd all win. Truly, truly. And that, my friends, is why I enlist the help of an amazing panel of judges. With that said, I'd like to thank our sweet judges, who have the tough (impossible!) job of rating the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christmas, Giveaway

Monday Meal Review: São Tomé and Príncipe

December 24, 2012 By Sasha Martin 2 Comments

Our children grow up frittata fast. They start out little bitty eggs, get whipped up into a froth (by our mad parenting skills, no doubt), and then poured into a pan... ready for the oven (a.k.a. the world). We turn around for ten minutes, and when our gaze next falls upon them, they are a ... frittata... nothing like the little round egg we started out with. Our hearts break a little (partly because we're proud of how far they've come, and partly because we'll always miss the baby they once … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Monday Meal Review, São Tomé and Príncipe

Recipe: Weeknight Cod Fish Feijoada

December 23, 2012 By Sasha Martin 2 Comments

One of our readers, Annabelle, suggested we try today's Cod Fish Feijoada. This filling, yet healthy Portuguese stew made it's way to the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe during colonization. Things have evolved quite a bit since then. While most Feijoada's involve black beans (even as far away as the one we made for Brazil), the islanders favor this white bean version and make it with readily available fish (and sometimes pork). The entire principal is a slow-cooked, tender meal full of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, International Recipes, Potluck Friendly, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seafood, Vegetables/Pulses

Recipe: Easy Banana Mousse with Chocolate Curls

December 21, 2012 By Sasha Martin 13 Comments

When I first read that bananas are popular in West Africa's island country São Tomé and Príncipe, I envisioned them eaten raw on the surf-swept beaches... or perhaps sold battered and fried with a cloud of powdered sugar. While all this certainly does happen, I never imagined I'd see them folded inside of a fluffy mousse, decked out with indulgent curls of dark chocolate. But I'm sure glad I did. In my reading I learned that this mousse could be made any number of ways - with or … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Fruit, Fun Friday, International Recipes, Miss Ava's Favorite Recipes, São Tomé and Príncipe

Recipe: Sweet Potato Frittata

December 20, 2012 By Sasha Martin 17 Comments

Ava grabbed the small, purple step stool and placed it squarely in front of the kitchen counter. She's gone through a growth spurt lately and yet my little girl still stands on her tippy toes to see into the mixing bowl. On days like today, when I see her eyes peep over the top of the bowl and grow wide with delight, I hope she never grows up. With quick jabs of her whisk, she pops the yolks and helps stir together the frittata mixture. In the background we hear the delicous sizzle of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Breakfast, Gluten Free Adaptable, International Recipes, Miss Ava's Favorite Recipes, Mr. Picky's Favorite Recipes, Potatoes, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Technique Thursday, Vegetables/Pulses, Vegetarian

Menu: São Tomé and Príncipe (with Giveaway)

December 19, 2012 By Sasha Martin 11 Comments

Ava's never been a big fan of bananas, but when I told her we were eating mousse for dessert this week, she giggled. Loud. Like a startled bird. The holidays are in full swing; her three year-old brain clearly imagined something like this... Thankfully, moose is not an option in São Tomé and Príncipe, but mousse is. And so, without further ado, I'd like to share our menu. Each item has been selected with the holiday crazies in mind: they require few ingredients and come together in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Menu Wednesday, São Tomé and Príncipe

About the food of São Tomé and Príncipe

December 18, 2012 By Sasha Martin 3 Comments

Fishing boats in Sao Tome & Principe. Photo by Bdickerson.

Are you slightly offbeat? Do you prefer to stand out from the crowd, preferably while eating chocolate? São Tomé and Príncipe is just the place for you. These two tropical islands, just over 372 square miles combined, are home to an amazing amount of plants and animals that have developed into their own, exotic form. These spectacular critters are literally found nowhere else in the world. The cocoa covered islands have guaranteed that they evolve in isolation - think of it as a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, São Tomé and Príncipe, Travel Tuesday