Introducing – Scotland!

Last weekend I started the first in a series of kitchen sessions devoted to the UK.

I started with Scotland, home of (some of) my ancestors (and some second cousins).

My pop was Scottish, but as he didn’t cook I was never really exposed to the food, just the accent. And the tartan. And the occasional bagpipe occurrence, although this wasn’t his fault – he lived up the road from the bagpipe school.

I’ve been to Scotland with Mr., but as self-catering vegans, we didn’t really experience a lot of Scottish food per se. I wrote about what we did experience back then, and you can read it here.

Anyway, before we move on to the food, lets start with some facts and figures.

Scotland – Where is it?
Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, which also includes England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

It is the northern-most part of the island of Great Britain, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Irish Sea, the North Channel and the North Sea.

People and economy
Population: approx. 5.3 million people
Life expectancy: Men 76, Women 81
Ethnic groups: 88.09% Scottish (white), 7.37% Other British (white), 2.49% Other white, 2.01% others
Languages: Scottish English, Scottish Gaelic, Scots.
GDP per capita: US$43 492

Statistics from Wikipedia and Soctland.gov.uk

Did you know…?
Scotland is made up of 709 Islands.
Scottish English is an official language, different than just plain old English.
This week, 3-10th April, is Scotland week in the US and Canada.
28% of the Scottish population report having no religion.
The Scottish flag is the oldest national flag still in use.

The Menu

• Oat Porridge and sweet tea
• Oatcakes and Scotch Broth
• White pudding, with Neeps and Tatties (or Clapshot, which is the same but mashed together with chives)
• Rumbledethumps (because check out that name!)
• If I find any leeks, I will also make Cock-a-leekie soup
• Shortbread and Caramel Shortbread

Just a warning – I’m not making Haggis. This is because I ate the real thing once when I was little, and a veggie version in Scotland in 2011, and it was nice, but I wasn’t particularly moved either time. But you should check out Johanna’s recipe on Green Gourmet Giraffe if you’re keen.

Introducing….Iran!

I had plans for other countries this week, but I found a beautiful ook on Persian cooking at the Coburg library and changed my mind.

It all looks so good, I can’t wait to start.

About – where is it?
Iran is in the middle east,between the Gulf of Oman, the Persoan Gulf an the Caspian Sea. It has borders with Afganistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan.

The capital is Tehran.
About  – people and economy

• Population: 78,868,711
• Median age: 27.4 years
• Life expectancy at birth: 70.35 years
• Birth rate: 1.87 children are born per woman
• Ethnic groups: Persian 61%, Azeri 16%, Kurd 10%, Lur 6%, Baloch 2%, Arab 2%, Turkmen and Turkic tribes 2%, other 1%
• Religions: Muslim 98% (Shia 89%, Sunni 9%), other (inc Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha’i) 2%
• Languages: Farsi (Persian) 53%, Azeri Turkic and Turkic dialects 18%, Kurdish 10%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 7%, Luri 6%, Balochi 2%, Arabic 2%, other 2%
• Literacy: 77%, however this is broken down into 83.5% for men and 70.4% for women.
• Suffrage: Universal above 18 years
• GDP per capita: $13 200
• GINI index: 44. This means income is shared between families at a rate that is slightly fairer than the USA, but slightly less fair than Kenya.
• Unemployment:  15%, with male youth unemployment at  20% and female youth unemployment at 34%

 

Did you know…?

Iran is the 18th largest country by land-mass (smaller than Australia but bigger than South Africa), and it is also the 18th biggest country in the world by population.

One of the oldest modern higher-education institutions in the world is in Tehran.

Iran grows 90% of the saffron in the world.

The Menu

As I mentioned above, I found a book – Saraban: a chef’s journey through Persia, by Greg and Lucy Malouf – in the library and was so taken by the pictures I thought that the next stop for AroundtheWorldVegan just had to be Iran.

I’ve also found a great source of recipes online, at http://turmericsaffron.blogspot.com.au/ .

My plan is for two dinners, a lunch, snacks, and a breakfast, which should look like:

Breakfast

• Barberi bread
• jams
• tea

Lunch

• flat bread
• beet and lentil soup

Dinner

• basket of herbs
• flat bread
• pickles
• mashed eggplant with creamy sauce (Kashk-e badenjan)
• chelow
• khoresht – chicken and herb sour, or eggplant.

Dinner

• salad with petals and purslane and herbs as well as lettuce
• flat bread
• borani badenjan (eggplant and walnut dip)
• pickles
• grilled ‘chicken’ with saffron, lemon and mint
• jewelled polow

Dessert/snack

• spiced seeds and nuts (maybe)
• brittle (maybe)
• baklava (almond, cardamon and rose)

 

Introducing South Africa

About – where is it?

Well the name says it all really.  South Africa is in the south of Africa, at the southern-most tip. It is between the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. South Africa surrounds Lesotho, and also borders with Namibia to the north-west, Botswana to the north, and Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Mozambique to the north-east.

File:Map of South Africa with English labels.svg.  Source

About  – people and economy (from CIA World Factbook)
•    Population: 48 810 427
•    Median age: 25.3 years
•    Life expectancy at birth: 49.41 years
•    Children born per woman: 2.28
•    Religions: Protestant 36.6% (Zionist Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%), Catholic 7.1%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1%
•    Languages: IsiZulu (official) 23.82%, IsiXhosa (official) 17.64%, Afrikaans (official) 13.35%, Sepedi (offcial) 9.39%, English (official) 8.2%, Setswana (official) 8.2%, Sesotho (official) 7.93%, Xitsonga (official) 4.44%, siSwati (official) 2.66%, Tshivenda (official) 2.28%, isiNdebele (official) 1.59%, other 0.5%
•    Literacy: 86.4%, with men and women roughly equal.
    •    GDP per capita: $11 100
    •    Unemployment rate: 24.9% overall, and 48.2% for youth.

Did you know…?

• South Africa has the highest death rate in the world (number of deaths per year, per thousand inhabitants). This is largely due to the AIDS epidemic, with an adult prevalence rate of 17.%, and the biggest number of adults living with HIV/AIDS in the world.
• With a GINI index of 65, South Africa is the second least fair country in the world with respect to the distribution of family income.
• The Kreepy Krauly pool cleaner was invented in South Africa
• Check out http://www.southafricanembassy-jakarta.or.id/didyouknow.html for more SA facts.

Menu Plan

On the menu for my foray into South African food are these dishes:

• bunny chow
• bobotie and yellow rice
• sausage, pap and sauce and
• frikadell (meatballs) with green beans and potatoes

I intend to make one these desserts – but it is so hard to chose which one!

• Milk tart
• Koeksisters (a deep fried dumpling in syrup)
• Pumpkin fritters in syrup
• Malva pudding (apricot jam-flavoured pudding)
• Apple caramel pudding

Links for South Africa

http://www.sapromo.com/recipes

http://whatsforsupper-juno.blogspot.com.au/

http://www.rainbowcooking.co.nz/

http://www.foodandthefabulous.com/

http://www.vegansa.com/

http://www.vegansociety.org.za/

(http://www.vegansa.com/recipes-cuisine-type-south-african.php)

Introducing Uzbekistan!

I’ve never eaten Uzbek food before, but while I was staying in Georgia I did get to hear a few Uzbeks wax lyrical about their fabulous palov and salads, so I have been looking forward to trying it.

About – where is it?
Uzbekistan is in Central Asia, and has borders with Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. The capital city is Tashkent.
About  – people and econom
    •    Population: 28,394,180
    •    Median age: 26.2 years old
    •    Life expectancy at birth: 72.77 years
    •    Birth rate: 1.86 children born per woman
    •    Ethnic groups:Uzbek 80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, Tatar 1.5%, other 2.5%
    •    Religions: Muslim 88% (mostly Sunni), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%
    •    Languages: Uzbek (official) 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%
    •    Literacy: 99.3%
    •    Suffrage: universal from age 18.
    •    GDP per capita: $3 300
    •    Unemployment rate:  1% unemployment

• GINI index (fairness): 36.8% (more equitable than the US, less equitable the Australia).

Did you know…?

• Uzbekistan is doubly landlocked? It doesn’t have access to an ocean, and neither do any of its bordering neighbours.
• 60% of people in Uzbekistan live in rural communities.

The Menu

• carrot and daikon salad
• daikon and almond salad
• pumpkin and mung bean soup
• palov
• cabbage carrot salad
• half fried cabbage soup
• apple palov
• fried meat and potatoes

Wish me luck

 

Introducing Morocco!

Moroccan is one of my favourite cuisines, it’s a wonder it’s taken me this long to get around to visiting Morocco with the blog. Time really isn’t permitting the week long forays of old, but I think I’ll have time enough to make a few meals.

About – where is it?
Morocco is in North Africa, on the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. It has borders with Spain, Algeria, Western Sahara and Mauritania. The area of Western Sahara is disputed.

About  – people and economy
•    Population: 32,309,239
•    Median age: 27.3
•    Life expectancy at birth: 76.11 years
•    Birth rate: 2.19 children born per woman
•    Ethnic groups: Arab-Berber 99%, other 1%
•    Religions: Muslim 99% (official), Christian 1%, Jewish about 6,000
•    Languages: Arabic, Berber languages (Tamazight, Tachelhit, Tarifit), French
•    Literacy: 56.1% (made up of 68.9% for men and 43.9% for women)
•    Suffrage: Universal over 18
•    GDP per capita: $5 100
•    Unemployment rate: 8.9%

Did you know…?

• The capital city of Morocco is Rabat, but the biggest city is Casablanca.
• Morocco is a constitutional monarchy
• Morocco is the only African nation to have a free trade agreement with the USA.
• Morocco has 15% of their population living below the poverty line. This is the same percentage as the USA.

The Menu
I’m going to attempt these yummy sounding dishes (its a lot less work than it looks like):

• Chickpeas Kdra
• Cous cous (obviously)
• Potato Salad
• Lentil Salad
• Spicy carrots
• Carrot puree
• Jerusalem artichoke salad
• Mint tea
• onion jam
• harira
• tomato and onion salad
• oranges and cinnamon
• zucchini salad
• ghriba biscuits

Introducing Armenia

About – where is it?
Armenia is in the West Asian/Caucuses/Middle East area, and shares borders with Turkey, Georgia, Iran, and Azerbaijan. It has no coast, and the Capital is Yerevan.

About  – people and economy
•    Population: 2,970,495
•    Median age: 32.3
•    Life expectancy at birth: 73.49
•    Births: 1.38 per woman (really low)
•    Ethnic Groups: Armenian 97.9%, Yezidi (Kurd) 1.3%, Russian 0.5%, other 0.3%
•    Religions: Armenian Apostolic 94.7%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi (monotheist with elements of nature worship) 1.3%
•    Languages: Armenian (official) 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4%
•    Literacy: 99.4%
•    Suffrage: universal at 20 years of age
•    GDP per capita: $5400
•    Unemployment rate: 5.9%

Did you know…?
Armenians claim to be descended from Noah (dude with the ark), via one of his grandsons, Togarmah.
Armenia is in a spat with Azerbaijan over a pocket of land (and the people on it) between Iran and Armenia, cut off from Azerbaijan.
There is nuclear power in Armenia, despite the fact that the area has earthquakes.
In 2007 Armenia had the highest youth unemployment rate in the world, at 57.6%, which was split into 47.2% for men and 69.4% for women.
Yerevan is the worlds oldest city to have documented the date of its foundation, in 782 BCE.

Like the rest of the region, Armenia has at different times been invaded by the Assyrian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Mongol, Persian, and Ottoman Turk empires and the Russians during the soviet period.
The Menu

• Bozbash
• Several Pilafs (spoiler – they make probably the best quick pilaf in the world)
• Salad
• Eggplant Salad
• Baklava
• Eggplant with “meat”
• Chickpea Salad
• “Cheese” Borek

Introducing: Spain!

While I was in Newcastle I did some blog cooking, but never followed it up with a post. I was cooking the food of Spain, but I got thrown out of kilter by illness and various family dietary requirements which made rich, spicy, tomatoey, Spanish food kind of tricky.

But now I’m back, so its time to finished what I started.

Let’s learn about Spain!

About Spain – where is it?

Spain is in Europe, between the Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean and Bay of Biscay. It has land borders with France, Andorra, Gibraltar and Portugal, and is separated from Morocco by the Gibraltar Strait. It’s the 52nd largest country in the world by land mass – slightly smaller than Thailand, but bigger than Sweden.

About Spain – people and economy

• Population: 47,042,984
• Median age: 40.5
• Life expectancy at birth: 81.25 years (15th longest in the world)
• Birth rate: 1.48 children born per woman
• Religions: Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
• Languages: Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, and Basque 2%. There are also populations that speak Aranese, Asturian, Aragonese, Leonese and others, but I couldn’t find numbers.
• Literacy: 97.9% with little difference between genders.
• GDP per capita: $30 600
• Unemployment rate: 20.8% total, but 39% for people aged 15-25
• Percentage population below poverty line: 19.8%

Did you know…?

• Spain has the 13th largest economy in the world.
• Spain includes several autonomous cities and communities.
• Spain has entered the Eurovision song contest 51 times, but hasn’t one since 1969.

The Menu

Ok, I’ve already made most of this, but look forward to posts on:

• Rabbit-food stew
• Paella
• Mashed potato
• Stuffed eggplants
• Polenta

and lots of Tapas, including

• Cold white soup
• Gazpacho
• Patatas Bravas
• Tortilla
• Croquettes
• Olives
• Stuffed mushrooms
• Veggies
• Tomatoes and sausages

 

Introducing Turkey!

This is a (potentially brief) return to the ordinary format of this blog, so you ca expect recipes from Turkey this week, rather my pictures and reviews about visiting Turkey, which I do in about three weeks time.

Where is it?

Turkey, which straddles Europe and Asia, lies between the Black Sea, the Agean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It has borders with Bulgaria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Georgia (that’s where I am atm!).

Facts and Figures

• Population: 78,785,548
• Ethinic groups: Turkish 70-75%, Kurdish 18%, other minorities 7-12%
• Religions: Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)
• Languages: Turkish, Kurdish, others
• Median Age: 28.5 years (That’s a lot younger than Australia, at 37, but a lot older than Afganistan, at 18)
  
• Births per woman: 2.15
• Life expectancy at Birth: 72.5
• Gini Index (Fairness of wealth distributon): 39.7, which means it is less fair than Japan and India, but fairer than the USA or Venezuela
  
• Unemployments: 12% total, 25% for youth
• GDP per capita: $12, 300
• Government: Parliamentary representative democracy.

Did you know?

The capital, Istanbul, is the only city in the world to span two continents.

Istanbul was at times the capital of the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Byzantine Empire and the Latin Empire, but it isn’t the capital of Turkey.

In the Noah myth, the ark landed at Mount Ararat, which is in Turkey.

The train line Orient Express terminated in Constantinople (now Istanbul).

Menu

While I have been told that eating out in Turkey is centered around meat and bread, home cooking seems to have quite a significant number of vegetable, rice and bean dishes, which I am keen to try. Among the dishes I want to have a crack at this week are:

Mezze (usually eaten with alcohol)

• Stuffed Peppers
• Stuffed cabbage leaves
• The Imam Fainted (and eggplant dish)
• Eggplant in olive oil

Soup

• Red Lentil soup

I’m not making any others due to my lack of blending apparatus and dairy substitues.

Salads

• Shepherd’s salad
• White Bean Salad
• Lentil and cabbage salad

Rice, grains

• Various rice pilafs

Vegetable and Bean dishes

• Raw Kofte

• Chickpeas in tomato

I might try vegetable kofte, or a bean version of a meat kofte. I sadly can’t do any borek, baklava, or breads, as I can’t find yeast or pastry in Tbilisi.

Wish me luck!

Introducing Georgia (the country, not the state)

After 7 months of constant movement, we have settled down for at least a month to enjoy Tbilisi, Georgia. Also to do some work writing/researching for an altogether different country, but that’s besides the point.

Where is it?

Georgia has borders with Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and stretches between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Its in the “confusion zone”, which seems to go by many names including the Near East, the Middle East, the Caucasus, South Western Asia, and Eurasia.

Here is it on a map:

Borrowed from aboutgeorgia.ge

People and Politics

The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi. St George is a patron saint of Georgia, and the flag shows a red cross on a white background, usually called the Georgian cross.

Georgia (and the kingdoms of the area that came before) has been invaded over the centuries by the Romans, the Persians, the Mongols, the Turks and the Russians. After a period of Russian rule, and a brief period of sovereignty, Georgia became a part of the Soviet Union in the 1920s, and remained so until 1991.

Civil war followed, and though the country has seen stability for some years now, there are continued tensions in some regions. Shevarnadze, elected in 1995 and a number of times since, was deposed in 2003 as a result of a disputed ballot and claims of fraud and corruption (random fact, he lives on my street now).

Since then, I am told, things have been more settled in Georgia (excepting South Ossetia and Abkhazia) and the country is seeing increasing safety and prosperity.

Stats and Facts

• Population: 4,585,874
• Median Age: 41.6 years old
• Fertility Rate:  1.45 children per woman
• Life expectancy at birth: 77.12 years
• Religions: Orthodox Christian (official) 83.9%, Muslim 9.9%, Armenian-Gregorian 3.9%, Catholic 0.8%, other 0.8%, none 0.7% (2002 census)
• Languages: Georgian (official) 71%, Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%, other 7%
  note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia
• Ethnic Groups: Georgian 83.8%, Azeri 6.5%, Armenian 5.7%, Russian 1.5%, other 2.5% (2002 census)
• Literacy: 100% of the population over 15 years can read and write
• Main Industries: steel, aircraft, machine tools, electrical appliances, mining (manganese and copper), chemicals, wood products, wine
• GDP per capita: $4 900
• Unemployment rate: 16.4% (in 2009, this may have dipped)
• Gini Index: 40.8 (this means wealth is distributed less equally than the UK and more equally than the USA).

Did you know…?

Georgia was the first nation state to claim Christianity as the official religion around 330AD.

Georgia claims to have invented wine, and the earliest physical evidence of wine making found here is wine dust in barrels from 8000 years ago.

The mythical Golden Fleece would have resided in what is now Georgia.

Stalin was from Georgia.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the capital Tbilisi was without power for around three years, during a period of civil war. Of all the horror stories I’ve been told, not one has been of the soviet era, they’ve all been about post-soviet times. That said, there’s time, so maybe I’ll hear a few.

Introducing Micronesia

I just realised that I never actually did this. Well, I’m doing it now… here are some facts and figures (and photos) of the country we’re in now.

Where is it?

The Federated States of Micronesia is comprised of around 607 islands, spread over 2700kms in the Pacific Ocean. My sister has been explaining it to people by saying that from East Coast Australia, you go up to Indonesia, turn right, then go up a bit more, and she’s about right.

The National Capital is Palikir, on the island of Pohnpei, in the State of Pohnpei. We are living in Kolonia, which is on the island of Pohnpei, and is the State Capital.

People, Economy and Politics

• Population: 106,836
• Languages: There are 8 major indigenous languages including  Chuukese, Kosrean, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi. English is the official language.
• Ethnic Groups: Chuukese 48.8%, Pohnpeian 24.2%, Kosraean 6.2%, Yapese 5.2%, Yap outer islands 4.5%, Asian 1.8%, Polynesian 1.5%, other 6.4%, unknown 1.4% (this is according to the CIA world fact book, but as I understand it there are a number of other groups, such as the Mortlockese that might be hidden here as “other” or “outer island”).
• Religion: Roman Catholic 52.7%, Congregational 40.1%, Baptist 0.9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 0.7%, other 3.8%, none or unspecified 0.8%
• Median Age: 22.7
• Life expectancy: 71 years
• Education: The CIA has no data, but I’ve seen one study that says that of people my age (26) and older, 60% of women and 40% of men did not finish Primary School. Hopefully this is changing for people of school age now, and there are primary, middle, high schools and a college on the Island.
• GDP Per capita: $2,200
• Unemployment rate: 22.7%
• Population below poverty line: 26%
• The economy here is based on subsistence farming and fishing, and money from the US Government under a Compact agreed to last until 2023.
• The governmentis a Constitutional Democracy in free association with the US. There is a national Congress, and governments at the State level. There is also a tribal-like system in Pohnpei, which runs parallel to the elected government, although I’ve been told that in the proverbial fight the elected government would win.
  

  Kasehlelie Street, Pohnpei

Stuff you didn’t know about Micronesia

• There are no bees. Apparently they never made it here (it is a bit isolated). As such some crops need to be pollinated by hand.
• All the electricity in Pohnpei is generated by burning diesel. This makes electricity three times more expensive than it is in Australia, which must impact very heavily on people considering a much lower standard of income.
• In Yap (the state closest to Indonesia, and furthest from the other states) stone money is used.
• Even though it is an island in the pacific, there is actually no real beach on Pohnpei, as it is surrounded in thick mangrove forest.. There are a few man-made ones, and a lot of pretty outer island to visit if you want a swim though.
• They drive on the right hand side of the road, but in cars with either left or right hand drive.