Bobotie South African Meatloaf Casserole

Bobotie South African meatloaf casserole

What do you get when you throw a some ground meat, eggs and bread at an 17th century Dutch spice ship? The answer is bobotie, South Africa’s national dish that was born of a dark union between colonizers, slaves and the centuries-old spice trade. Bobotie is a dish of sweet and zesty mince meat topped … Read more

M’battan Libyan Meat Stuffed Potatos

M'battan Libyan meat stuffed potatoes

M’battan  – small, deep-fried balls of potato stuffed with a seasoned minced meat – might just be your next finger food favorite. Compact, tasty and portable, this Libyan specialty makes a great snack, party platter or picnic item. Kept for special occasions in its home country, m’battan – also known as mubatan – is pretty … Read more

Kashata: Tanzanian Coconut Peanut Brittle

Kashata: Tanzanian Coconut Peanut Brittle

Sometimes, it’s difficult to pin down a particular recipe to one given location, especially with today’s relatively new national borders. Count kashata, a delectable Swahili peanut brittle-esque dessert, as one such recipe. Yes, it’s a common snack and street food in abundance around Tanzania, but the recipe itself – much like the overarching Swahili culture … Read more

Dovi: Zimbabwean Peanut Stew

The final plated dish of Zimbabwe Dovi - Peanut Stew

For the both of us, one of the most valuable perks of preparing these posts is the opportunity to learn the lesser known histories of the cultures we cook. To say the least, we had limited insight into the history of Zimbabwe and how a dish like Dovi came to be. Little did we know that, even … Read more

Caril de Caranguejo: Mozambican Crab Curry

The final plated dish of Mozambique Caril de Caranguejo - Crab Curry

There are some culinary mixes that simply work better than others. It could be a complementary set of flavor profiles or that one cuisine’s cooking method merges seamlessly with another’s ingredients. In these cases, two is definitely better than one. Mozambican cuisine, and caril de caranguejo in particular, is one such fortuitous mix. Drawing on strong … Read more

Alloco: Ivorian Fried Plantains

Alloco: Ivorian Fried Plantains

Sure, every cuisine has popular recipes… the ones whose appeal to the local people separates them from the rest of the pack. The ones who, after generations of word-of-mouth and individual adaptations, have countless people claiming they make the best there is. But, amid our search into the fun and popular recipes around the world, … Read more