ground cloves – Notes From a Messy Kitchen

Kuwait: Machboos Laham

Cooking Time: 2 hours

Asia

Kuwait

I’ve often been asked how I decide which country I’m going to cook from next. It’s usually fairly arbitrary. An ingredient I’m looking to use, a craving, a whim. This week I wanted to get back on the journey. I was researching recipes and discovered that February 25th is the...

Johanna

Like 6

Comment

Malta: Kapunata Maltija

Europe

Malta

Malta is an archipelago in the central Mediterranean Sea between Sicily and the North African coast. Most the food is imported, making the cuisine open to outside influences, including Sicilian and English as well as Spanish, French, Provençal, and other Mediterranean cuisines. Kapunata is a Maltese caponata, similar to a ratatouille –...

Johanna

Like 4

Comment

United Kingdom: Beltane Cake

Europe

United Kingdom

Knowing I wanted to make a cake for my brother’s May 1st birthday, I decided to do a little bit of research into the origin of May Day. It turns out, May Day originated in the Celtic festival of Beltane, a celebration of fertility and renewal historically recognized across Scotland, Britain, and...

Johanna

Like 9

Comment

Canada: Tourtière

Cooking Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Canada

You can imagine how excited I was when our Diversity & Inclusion Committee circulated an invitation for a potluck to learn more about the culture and traditions of our coworkers. You know how some people are visual learners, while others learn by reading or doing? Food is my learning style. As...

Johanna

Like

Comment

Democratic Republic of Congo: Ndizi Wa Nazi

Cooking Time: 20

Democratic Republic of Congo

I’m a little anxious about what the title of this post might draw to my blog, but in Swahili “zdizi wa nazi” means quite literally “banana with coconut.” Popular in African and Caribbean cooking, plantains are a member of the banana family, and can either refer more colloquially to any banana that...

Johanna

Like 3

1 Comment

Ingredient: ground cloves