Although I could not find a lot of information on Antigua and Barbuda, I still learned many interesting things this week (and had particular fun learning about Rodonda). 1. The National Fruit is the black pineapple, a small sweet pineapple that is grown on the main island. 2. The National Weed is the “widdy widdy.” The widdy widdy was eaten by slaves in a dish called Popololo. The high protein weed becomes slimy when cooked and is a known laxative. 3. Antigua was used for sugar cane cultivation, while soil impoverished Barbuda was used for cattle rearing. 4. The two main islands are a few hours apart by boat. 5. Theycall bananas… figs 6. Food related sayings from Antigua Museums: Back can wait, but not belly. Bellyful bruk pot. Bellyful man tell hungry man ‘Keep heart buddy’ Better man belly bus’ than good food waste. Buy you’ own n’yam (food), n’yam according to you’ pocket. Every day a fishing day,but no other day a catching day(Tings not always bright) Every good fungi no meet good pepperpot (Not every person meets a …
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Books and web sites agree, “Fungi(e) is a popular Caribbean dish.” Huh? What? How? Wait a minute! Was I looking at the wrong region? I swear I just read about this stiff cornmeal porridge last week when I was in Angola! Sources told me that Fungi(e) is served throughout many African countries with soups and stews. Yet, here I was reading how popular the porridge is in the Caribbean. Well, the sources are correct. Turns out Fungi(e) was brought to the caribbean by African slaves. Years later, the dish remains a popular meal foundation, similar to rice and pasta. Sometimes it is eaten in porridge form, however it is also rolled into balls. Even though I am doing picnic fare this week, I thought you would enjoy learning about Fungi(e). If you would like to try your hand at making fungi(e), check out this recipe.
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Since Oklahoma is experiencing spring (hurrah!), this week’s Global Table is Antiguan inspired picnic fare. Still stuck in winter? Lay out your blanket indoors and bask in sunny smiles! Sparkling Grapefruit Breeze [Recipe] Mixed drink made with Jamaican Ting soda, fresh grapefruit and pineapple juices. So good the rum is optional. Tropical Curried Chicken on Baguette [Recipe] Curry, mango chutney, pineapple, and raisins make this chicken sandwich a refreshing treat. Spicy Mango and Avocado Salad [Recipe] Mango and avocado bite back when tossed with thinly sliced red onion and jalapeno. Baked Brown Sugar Bananas with Vanilla Ice Cream [Recipe] Light these bananas on fire with coconut rum and your stomach will smile.
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Call me a sucker, but I like to root for the underdog. This week her name is Redonda. That’s right. The microstate “Antigua and Barbuda” is actually made up of three islands: Antigua, Barbuda, and Redonda. The combined population is nearly 86,000, with Redonda contributing zero. I guess this is why Redonda gets left out of the name. Since I feel bad for Redonda I spent an inordinate amount of time looking up information on her. First fact: Redonda is about 500 hundred acres large. That’s less than a square mile. Here’s a picture: As you can see, the island is totally uninhabitable. The steep cliffs and total lack of freshwater make that a done deal. But… can’t you just see the Little Prince vacationing here with his rose? What I find incredibly funny is that Redonda, population zero, is under dispute by at least four kings who claim the island as their own. The story is summarized in Wikipedia for anyone who is interested in the silly details. I guess I am not the only one who wished more for Redonda. With some regret, I will …
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This is meal #5 in my personal challenge to eat one meal from every country in the world. I am something of an “Eeyore.” I wear worry like it’s going out of style. These are just a few of the things I worry about when I put on a dinner party: – will the food taste good? – what if I burn the food? – what if the food is raw? – what if I don’t have time to finish the meal? – will my friends like the food? – will I like the food? So what about this weekend’s Global Table? I was unsure of three ingredients: the red palm oil, the habanero, and the prawns. All of these items were new to me and I had no way to predict how they would taste. Worse yet, I wasn’t even sure how to work with them. I overcame my Eeyore tendencies by telling myself that if an entire country eats these foods, they are probably pretty good! Turns out, I was right. For the fifth weekend in a row, things went great. …
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Serves 4 Muamba de Galinha gets its unique flavor from Red Palm Oil. This spicy stew tastes great with yuca, or serve over rice. Ingredients: 1 lemon, juiced 4 garlic cloves, crushed 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp chili powder 1 chicken cut into quarters 1/2 cup red palm oil 3 onions, diced 1 whole chili pepper 3 tomatoes, quartered 1 lb pumpkin cut into 1.5″ cubes 1 cup chicken broth 1/2 lb frozen okra Method: 1. Mix lemon juice, 2 garlic cloves, salt, and chili powder and rub on the chicken and marinate for one hour (or up to one night). 2. In a large pot heat oil. Brown chicken on all sides. Avoid crowding. Do this is in several batches if you have to. 3. Add onions, remaining garlic, chili pepper, and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cover. 5. Cook on low for about 1 hour, or until chicken is tender. 6. Add squash, chicken stock and okra. Cook for 15 minutes or until everything is tender. Serve hot. Angolan Chicken Stew | Muamba de Galinha Votes: 1 Rating: 4 You: …
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Serves 4 Prawns are a real treat, especially on the grill! For this Angolan appetizer we thawed frozen prawns in some of the marinade overnight (in the refrigerator). This simple step saved us time on meal day. I’m honored that this recipe was featured in Penzy’s Spices’ 2012 early summer catalog. Ingredients: 4-8 prawns 4 cloves garlic, crushed 4 green onions, chopped 1/8 tsp minced habanero 1 tsp cumin 1/8 tsp salt 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 1/4 cup water Method: 1. In a small food processor, combine all ingredients except prawns. Pulse until mixture forms a loose paste. NOTE: This step may be done the day before, just cover and refrigerate. The habanero will get stronger overnight as its hot oils mix more with the other ingredients. Depending on the habanero, this recipe is fairly mild. 2. Brush prawns with about 1/3 of the marinade, reserving the rest for dipping. If prawns are frozen, thaw completely. 3. Grill prawns about 3 minutes per side or until no longer translucent. Serve immediately with dipping sauce on the side. Grilled Prawns with Peppers | Camarao Grelhado Piri …
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Serves 4-5 Cocada Angolana is an intensely sweet dessert. Make sure to add plenty of cinnamon; the warm spice rounds out the flavor. Ingredients: 1 cup water 2 cups sugar 4 whole cloves 4 cups grated coconut 1 1/2 cups whole milk 1-2 Tbsp cinnamon Method: 1. In a large pot over medium heat, cook water sugar, and cloves. Stir until dissolved. Heat until mixture reaches soft-ball stage on a candy thermometer (about 240F). 2. Using a spoon carefully discard cloves. 3. Add coconut and milk. The mixture will clump. Continue to stir until smooth. Simmer for a few minutes. 4. Spoon into serving dishes and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. 5. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve chilled. Coconut Dessert | Cocada Angolana Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe Cocada Angolana is an intensely sweet dessert. Make sure to add plenty of cinnamon; the warm spice rounds out the flavor. CourseSweets Lifestyle5-ingredients or less, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian Servings Prep Time 4-5 People 5 minutes Cook Time Passive Time 10 minutes 30 minutes Servings Prep Time 4-5 People …
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Serves 8 What is a Bâton de Manioc? The pounded flesh of the yucca root, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed for several hours. These dense yuca sticks are great cut up and eaten with stew. They take on the flavor of the banana leaves (which taste like steamed artichoke). Note: Do NOT shred the tough fibers in the center of the cassava, as these are unfit to eat and may contain traces of cyanide (just like apple seeds). Ingredients: 2 lbs cassava tubers banana leaves or aluminum foil Method: 1. Peel tubers. 2. (This step is optional in the US) Soak the cassava tubers in a bucket of water for about 3 days. Rinse off. 3. Using a grater, shred the tubers into a large bowl. Again, be careful NOT to shred the tough fibers in the center, as these are unfit to eat. Then, using a pastry cutter (or potato masher), pound into a paste. NOTE: If you have a large enough mortar and pestle, you can use this as well. 4. Place about 1/4 cup of the paste …
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You may be aware that Angola was in civil war from 1975-2002 (after winning independence from Portugal). This war devastated Angola, but they are working hard to put the pieces back together. Here is a beautiful Angolan peace song (with English subtitles). Want to learn more about Angola? Read the story of 5 men who ride their motorcycles through Angola. Even if you aren’t interested in their story, I highly recommending looking through the photos. They really give you a sense of what the Angolan countryside is like. Here’s just one of a hundred photos (there are 50 pages of text and photos):
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One of the reasons I started this project was to help my husband overcome his “picky eater syndrome.” Well, I thought it was about time I did some bragging on my husband. I’m happy to report that in just 4 meals he’s already come a long way. The first change happened about two weeks into the adventure. He stopped grunting “good” when I asked him how the food was. In fact, I haven’t really had to ask. He’ll just let me know. As someone who doesn’t like to beg for opinions, I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. On a related note, there’s nothing I love more than to eat a big meal and discuss the experience with friends. At our dinner parties we hash out the good, the bad, and the ugly. My husband used to be really uncomfortable doing this (I suppose he was afraid of giving the “wrong answer”). Now that he realizes there’s no such thing as a wrong answer, he’s getting into the experience. Of course, I still have to remind him not to scrunch up his …
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I first heard about Red Palm Oil on Tuesday, when I was digging around for Angolan recipes. I am cooking with it this weekend so time to get educated! Turns out there’s been a lot of hype about Red Palm Oil in the natural foods/health food world. With good reason. Red Palm Oil … – is popular in parts of Asia, Africa, and Latin America – has been consumed for thousands of years – has a high smoke point (437F) – is red because its high in beta carotene and lycopene. – is a rich source of vitamin A (15 times more than carrots and 300 times more than tomatoes) – is an extremely high antioxidant – has been shown to help prevent cancer as well as slow tumor growth – great for lowering cholesterol and seems to reduce the formation of blood clots – is finding its way into many commercial foods as producers struggle to replace unwanted hydrogenated oils This last bullet point cracks me up. Leave it to modern man to dig himself into a hole by making unhealthy manufactured commercial products that slowly kill us, only …
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