Europe

Denmark: Risalamande

Man, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve made any progress on my mission to cook a recipe from every country in the world. But this week we changed that. Our international working group hosted a potluck where everyone brought a dish from a country that means something to them:...

Spain: Paella

Cooking Time: 2 hours
If I were on death row and given the opportunity to request one last meal, it would be paella. My dad’s paella, to be precise. So you can imagine the pressure to try to recreate it just so. In fact, the pressure was such that I waited until he was...

Romania: Sarmale with Mamaliga

There are many varieties of cabbage rolls popular across Eastern Europe, varying primarily by filling and sauce. You may remember, for instance, the balandeliai I made from Lithuania. Romanian sarmale aren’t all that different, although the pickled sauerkraut, bacon and dill makes it slightly more tangy and savory. This time I used...

Russia: Pashka

Cooking Time: 30 minutes + at least 8 hours to chill
So, I was trying to decide what to make for Easter, and I started seeing all sorts of Facebook ads persuading me to make Paskha – a Russian Easter dessert typical across many Eastern Orthodox countries. It’s traditionally made during Holy Week using foods forbidden during Lent (dairy, eggs), and then brought to...

Hungary: Chicken Paprikash

Cooking Time: 1 hour
Some of my favorite gifts from abroad are those I can use in my kitchen. Cookbooks, herbs, spices – they allow me to experience a part of your trip by recreating the meals you enjoyed during your travels right at home. When a wonderful colleague brought me this Hungarian paprika...

Finland: Porkkanalaatikko

How appropriate that Finland is where we’re Finnishing the year (see what I did there?). If I counted correctly, this was the 83rd country I’ve cooked from in 2017, which while far short of the 195 I set out to visit, is still nothing to sneeze at. Porkkanalaatikko translates roughly...

Germany: Kaese Spätzle

Cooking Time: 30 + 30 for the dough to sit
I have somewhat predictably been saving my German recipe for Oktoberfest, which has long since come and gone. In fact, most of the festival – which is definitely on my bucket list – actually takes place in September. While I wasn’t able to make it to Munich this year, the...