What Does the World Eat?
"To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art."- François de la Rochefoucauld.
Food is not only a daily necessity in our lives, but can also be a powerful source of joy, comfort, and cultural connection. For many of us, our favorite foods are closely tied to our memories and lived experiences. We might love that meal our grandmothers cooked for us when we were younger, or that street food we like to get after school, or a simple snack we enjoy with tea or coffee.
Regardless of the specific dish, humanity’s universal appreciation for food has helped unite people across the world for centuries. Thus, in this article, we will be exploring a small but delicious sample of these foods and snacks from different countries.
UGANDA
A Ugandan Rolex. Source: Glim.
If the key to a man's heart is through his stomach, this would explain why many people feel completely loved and cared for in an African environment. Along the streets of Uganda is a variety of food and drink either being sold at select stations or passed around by persistent, energetic hawkers. One aspect of the national cuisine that stands out above others is a very peculiar one — the rolex. No, we don't eat watches: in fact, we don't know where the name for the meal came from, but it's been around longer than the eldest in our communities can remember.
Flour and water are mixed to create dough, and a section of it is rolled and spread out to create a flat circle. This is then fried with oil on both sides to create what we call a chapati. The cook will then crack an egg (or two, if you're paying extra) into a cup, add salt and even tomatoes if you're down for it, and whisk the mixture to a certain consistency before frying it as well. Next, and this is the important part, the egg is laid to rest atop the chapati and the two circles are treated as one; being rolled into a cylindrical blessing and inserted into a food bag.
Whether I'm in the taxi going home after a long school day, or walking with friends to the cinema, my mouth instantly salivates when I catch a whiff of the familiar scent of greatness. Many local restaurants have remodeled the basic rolex to include chicken, beef and dressings.
So the next time you happen to visit the country, make sure to try one. You won't regret it.
BANGLADESH
Rice with hilsa fish. Source: Medium.
Bangladeshi cuisine has been shaped by the river line geography of the country and the diverse history. The national dish of the country is rice with Hilsa fish with mustard curry. Bangladeshi cuisine has many influences of Mughlai cuisine, the cooking style of the Mughla rulers. Dishes such as biriyani and chicken korma are dishes with Mughal influences. These two dishes use a plethora of spices and a large amount of ghee.
Different districts of Bangladesh have their own specialities. For example, the Rajshahi district is known for their sweetmeats and yogurts such as Bograr Doi (Yogurt of Bogra) and Para. The Chittagong district’s specialities are Kala Bhuna and Mejbani Mangso. These are beef dishes served with rice. Both dishes use a lot of spices and take a long time to cook. The capital Dhaka city’s Old Dhaka is best known for their Iftaar items during the Holy month of Ramadan. Another famous food from Old Dhaka is Dhakai Bakarkhani. It is a thick, spiced flatbread, usually eaten with tea.
Bangladeshi people love drinking tea. Whether it is for breakfast or in the evening, tea is drunk at any time of the day. A popular tea drink comes from Sylhet. It is the Seven Layer Tea. This tea has seven layers of different colors of tea. The different layers of tea have different concentrations of sugar and spice such as cloves.
ITALY
Orecchiette alle cime di rape. Source: Great Italian Chefs.
The best Italian cuisine? Undoubtedly Grandma's; no one can compare. The secret? Love and tradition. You should know that, although they are constantly evolving, recipes go back thousands of years in a history of mouth-to-mouth. Tradition is the cornerstone of Italian culture and in Italy there is plenty of it. The peninsula is divided into 20 regions and each one is unique in its landscapes, dialects, museums and typical dishes. Yes, there aren’t only pasta, pizza and ice cream!
Let's start with Northern Italy. We are close to the Alps and it is cold... we really need something to warm us up, something like polenta concia. In Valle d'Aosta, Piedmont, Trentino Alto Adige, Friuli Venezia-Giulia all the way to Lombardy, polenta reigns supreme. It is a mixture of water and maize flour and is usually accompanied by cooked vegetables, melted gorgonzola or Bruscitti (shredded beef).
Do you prefer the sea? Liguria, which overlooks the Ligurian Sea, offers you a nice dish of trofie al pesto, which is pasta dressed with a sauce made from basil, pine nuts, garlic and oil.
Our culinary itinerary takes us to Central Italy where we must make a stop in Bologna, a city in Emilia Romagna, to try tortellini famous for their deliciousness and legend. It is said that an innkeeper, so in love with the goddess Venus, unconsciously gave the pasta the shape of her belly button. Another typical dish is mentioned by a great poet of Italian literature: Boccaccio and the pan lavato of Tuscany. He refers to panzanella, a kind of bread seasoned with onion, basil, oil and vinegar. The bread is excellent for a nice 'scarpetta', especially for carbonara and amatriciana, two spaghetti dishes that must be tasted if you visit Rome, the capital of Italy.
On the central-eastern side, Abruzzo offers arrosticini made from sheep's milk, Marche the olive ascolane, Umbria the salsiccia di Norcia and Molise the composta Molisana. And pizza? Pizza is the delicacy of Campania, you can find a pizzeria on every corner of Naples. Basilicata follows with lasagne e ceci and Calabria with Filei alla 'nduja. So many delicacies!
It only remains to end the culinary journey in the three southern Italian destinations par excellence: Puglia, Sicily and Sardinia (an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea). Emblematic of the heel of Italy are orecchiette alle cime di rape, pasta with turnip tops, durum wheat pasta, vegetables, extra virgin olive oil and eggs. They date back to the Middle Ages and their preparation was considered one more reason to take a young lady as a wife. The Sicilian tip, on the other hand, satiates you in a minute by preparing an arancina: rice balls with meat sauce, peas and cheese, breaded and then fried. Who's missing? Sardinian cuisine and its pane carasau which has passed from the pockets of shepherds to the tables of Italians.
How mouth-watering!
SOUTH AFRICA
Mogodu. Source: Woolworths TASTE.
South Africa is home to numerous different cultures, resulting in a rich, diverse food environment. Although our foods may be different, there are a few foods that we share.
Pap/Phuthu is a very famous food in South Africa especially because it is one of the common staple foods and is eaten by almost every tribe. To cook pap, you need maize meal, boiling water, and salt and/or butter (if preferred). Once the water has boiled, salt and/or butter should be added. A few moments later you can then add some maize meal while stirring it, you can keep on gradually adding until the consistency you wish for. Although pap and phuthu are very similar, the difference between the two are the different ways of cooking and phutu has more of a crumbled look than pap.
Mogodu/Mohodu is tripe that is enjoyed mainly during winter, especially with samp (one of the staple foods). It can be prepared or cooked in different ways. However, the hardest part for myself is cleaning it since it's a lengthy process.
Motoho o bodila is translated to sour porridge. It is a type of porridge that requires the fermentation of water and maize meal this is also known as sibidiso. It is cooked just like pap but it has a softer consistency and can be enjoyed with sugar.
Skopas/Amakipkip is a snack that is similar to popcorn but is sweet and if eaten while fresh it will stain your fingers. It can be found mainly in locations in South Africa, often sold by street vendors or in a spaza shop(a kiosk).
PAKISTAN
Sindhi Biryani. Source: Fueldom.
Enjoy this sweet and savoury roller coaster around Pakistan's cuisines! Pakistan, due to its cultural diversity, has many different and mouth watering dishes across its land. Cuisines here are influenced by the Aryan dynasty and Indus valley civilization. Dishes here also root back to the Mughal empire. Let's move from province-to-province tasting each one of their specialties!
Sindh is located in the southeastern region of Pakistan. Usually people here prefer spicier chicken dishes. Its famous dish is Sindhi Biryani which consists of rice, chicken/mutton, and special biryani spices.
Punjab is located in eastern region of Pakistan. Punjab's dishes lean more towards its agricultural lifestyle. Famous dishes here are Nehari (slow-cooked meat, mainly a shank cut of beef, lamb and mutton, or goat meat, as well as chicken and bone marrow), Halwa puri (deep-fried bread made of refined wheat flour served with chickpeas semolina sweet) and murgh cholay (chickpeas with chicken).
Next we have Balochistan, which is located in the western region. People mainly use conventional cooking techniques as they believe that one cannot achieve the same taste through modern cooking methods. Mouth watering dishes here are Dam pukht (slow cooked meat and vegetables) and Sujji (lamb marinated in salt with few other spices).
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) is located at the northwestern side of Pakistan. People here prefer light spices dishes and lamp meat. Popular dishes include Chapli Kebab and Kabuli Palau.
Azad Jammu and Kashmir is located in the northern region of Pakistan and is famous for its Kashmiri tea and Goshtaba(made of beef after meshing it for long hours, cooked with special Masala Jaat).
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