Traditional Shangaan Dancing. Photo by JJ van Zyl.

I love a little eye candy in the morning. This week I searched Pinterest for Mozambique and found the most beautiful photos; sparkling clear waters, titanic mountain rainges, lovely ladies and adorable children. Page after page filled with the beautiful and the rugged, the charming and, yes, the unexpeted bits of the Southeast African country.

Welcome to my new favorite hobby – looking up countries I know next-to-nothing about on Pinterest. In fact, the less I know about a country, the more fun it is. Have you tried this?

The obsession means I now have pinboards for every continent, global themed parties, changing the world, and more.

Hello, fun!

A hut in Nivali, Nampula province, Mozambique, and one of the characteristic "inselbergs" spread around in the landscape. Photo by Stig Nygaard.

Once I settled into the photos of Mozambique, I realized that, while there is an over proportion of beautiful resort scenery, there are also plenty of photos of daily life. Women carrying water on their heads, children lounging in the hot, hot shade, food at the market.

And speaking of food… the food of Mozambique is as beautiful as her landscape. You might find anything from chicken [Recipe] in a coconut milk & piri piri sauce (a.k.a. hot pepper sauce [Recipe]) , to green bean soup made with a simple mash of potatoes, tomatoes, and onion.

In general many of today’s popular dishes reflect the Portuguese influence from old colonial times. Of course, location plays a big role in what’s for dinner as well; with a long meandering coastline, Mozambique happily serves up all manner of fried and boiled seafood (especially prawns). This might be served with millet porridge, bread, or rice. Corn also grows well and can make it’s way into porridge or simply enjoyed grilled.

For dessert, fresh fruit like papaya is very common, as are puddings and custards. Tea steeped with ginger and milk makes for a comforting sipper, as well  [Recipe].

By the end of the week we’ll be spreading our Global Table (and Pinterest) with a little food love from Mozambique.

Cheers!

P.S. I’m curious to know… how do you use Pinterest to satisfy your wanderlust?

Maps and flag of Mozambique courtesy of CIA World Factbook. Photo of Moputo by Andrew Moir.