EGYPT-Dinner is Ready! Plus Fun Facts

Falafel or Ta’meya is one of the most famous widely consumed inexpensive, vegan foods in  Egypt. It is estimated that almost 99% of  Egyptians eat falafel every day. It is easy to make and very flavorful. Egyptians usually eat it in breakfast specially on weekends accompanied by fava beans and  Pita Bread. For this recipe you will need:

·         1 cup  yellow fava beans.(You can use chickpeas if you prefer or a mixture of both)

·         10 cloves of garlic.

·         1 big yellow onion.

·         1 cup of fresh parsley.

·         1 cup of fresh cilantro.

·         1 tsp of coriander.

·         salt to taste.

• one egg.

To make the Falafel:

1.   The night before, soak the beans in a bowl overnight. Change the water once or twice if you can. Also, wash the fresh parsley and cilantro and let them dry completely.

2. Drain the beans then put it in the food processor with garlic and onion. It will be coarse at the beginning but it will come to a smooth texture later. Add the parsley and cilantro then pulse the whole mixture  until it is very smooth.

3. Add the coriander, mix well.  Add egg and salt to taste.

4.  Form the mixture into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball. Slightly flatten, you can dip them in sesame seed. Fry in 2 inches of oil at 350 degrees until golden brown (5-7 minutes).

 

 Falafel recipe courtesy of:  http://arabianmama.com/tag/egyptian-falafel-recipe/

 Fun Facts about Egypt

-The longest river in the world, the Nile, runs through Egypt.

 -Egypt is home the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

It was  built as a burial place for King Khufu (2589-2566 B.C.) and took more than 20 years to build. It is built from over two million blocks of limestone, each one weighing as much as two and a half elephants. It stands about 460 feet (149 m) high—taller than the Statue of Liberty. The base of the Great Pyramid takes .up almost as much space as five football fields.

- The most popular sport in Egypt is soccer.

 

- Ancient Egyptian women had more rights and privileges than most other women in the ancient world. Women could choose who they wanted to marry,  get a paid job outside the home if they wanted one. They could run a business. They could own, buy, and sell property. They could make a will and leave their personal goods to whomever they chose, including their daughters.  

-The ancient Egyptians worshipped more than 1,000 different gods and goddesses. The most important god of all was Ra, the sun god.

-The ancient Egyptians were the first people to have a year consisting of 365 days divided into 12 months. They also invented clocks.

-The Egyptian polymath Imhotep (“the one who comes in peace”) is known as the first physician, the first engineer, and the first architect.

Source: http://goafrica.about.com/od/egypt/a/egyptfacts.htm

 

EGYPT-Music and Dance

EGYPT-Gift of the Nile

 

 

This week we are studying Egypt, one of the most ancient civilizations in the world.  In Arabic Egypt is called Miṣr, and in ancient times the country was known as Kemet, or the black land, due to the alluvial soil which was deposited during the annual inundation of the River Nile.  This yearly event gave Egypt its fertile land that enabled it to expand along the length of the river, especially in the Delta where many various crops were, and still are, harvested. The Nile is the world's longest river. It is over 4000 miles long and is shaped like the lotus flower so often seen in ancient Egyptian art.

 

 

Egypt,  is often called the gift of the Nile River because the Nile River filled the needs for the civilization. Without the river the Egyptian civilization would certainly not have existed because the river filled Egypt's basic needs of transportation, religion and agriculture.

Egypt has one of the longest histories of any country, inhabited since the 10th millennium BC. Its monuments, such as the Great Pyramid of Giza which is one of the Seven  wonders of the Ancient world and its Great Sphinx, were constructed by its ancient civilization, which was one of the most advanced of it s time.

Egypt's population is around 71 million. Around 62 million of them are Sunni Muslims and about 8-9 Million are Coptic Christians (Christian Egyptians).

 

The official language of Egypt is Arabic, but other languages such as English and French are widely spoken as well.

 

In ancient Egypt, children were the heart of the family. If a couple could not have a child, they adopted a child.  Children were taught to be kind and honest, to respect their parents, to help with the family business, and to care for the elder members of their family.

 

It was important that children learn to be caring. The ancient Egyptians believed in "ma'at" - order and justice. They spent a lifetime trying to be fair and just at all times.  The ancient Egyptians believed that you could only reach your afterlife if your heart was light. The only way your heart would be light is if you had spent a lifetime being kind and honest. 

Anyone and everyone, from the pharaoh on down, who made a mistake or lost their temper made up for it by doing good deeds to balance the scale. 

 

 

Over 5000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians wrote things down using a picture writing called hieroglyphics. The people who did the actual writing were called scribes. 

The scribes had a problem. The ancient Egyptians wrote everything down, absolutely everything! Although hieroglyphics were very pretty, it took time to write in pictures. 

Scribes needed a faster way to write things down. They created a new form of writing called Demotic script. The new scribes did not study the old language of hieroglyphics. They could write much more rapidly with some of the new scripts they created.

Hundreds of years later, archaeologists discovered beautiful hieroglyphic writing on the walls of ancient Egyptian pyramids and tombs. The archaeologists had a problem. They knew hieroglyphics had meanings. Although lots of archaeologists could read Demotic script, there was no one left in the world who remembered what the ancient hieroglyphics meant. 

 
 

It was only during the time of the Old Kingdom that the ancient Egyptians built pyramids to hold the royal tombs of their kings. Pyramids were huge structures. Pyramids had storage rooms, courtyards, secret passageways, and all kinds of fancy traps designed to catch robbers who tried to break into the pyramid to rob it. 

Pyramids were full of treasures. The average person created grave goods to take with them to their afterlife. Imagine the treasures a pharaoh might feel were necessary to bring along! 

The first pyramid, the Step Pyramid, was built around 2700 BCE, nearly 5000 years ago! Pyramid construction was abandoned after the time of the Old Kingdom. It was simply too easy to find a pyramid. Grave robbers knew exactly where the pharaohs were buried, and thus knew exactly where to find riches and wealth.

Sources: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/countries/egypt.html,
http://www.ask-aladdin.com/Egypt-Travel-Tips/egypt_culture.html

 

DJIBOUTI-Dinner is Complete plus some fun facts!

 

Our study of Djibouti has ended. I really enjoyed cooking this dinner last night. The blend of fragrant spices and heartiness of the lamb was a perfect marriage. What I loved most about Djibouti was the fact that different ethnic groups live together in harmony and have done so for many years by not only respecting the other cultures and festivals, but participating in them as well. We can all learn something from this. Here are some fun facts about Djibouti!

1. Djibouti is just a little smaller than the state of Massachusetts.
2. The history of the country dates back to the days of the barter system when the people inhabiting the region traded skins and hides for the perfumes and spices of ancient India, China and Egypt.
3. Djibouti enjoys proximity to few of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Apart from the closeness to the lanes, the country is also close to the Arabian oilfields.
4. Not only is Lake Assal the lowest point in Djibouti, it is also the lowest point in the continent of Africa.
5. The Afar and Somali ethnic groups in Djibouti were amongst the first populations in Africa to embrace Islam as a religion.
6. The only United States military base in sub-Saharan Africa is located in Djibouti. The country is an African pioneer in the fight against terrorism.
7. Strangely, the capital city of Djibouti goes by the same name and is the largest city in the country. Nearly two-thirds of the country’s population lives in the capital, while the rest are mostly nomadic herders.
8. Due to the curse of scanty rainfall in the country, agricultural production is limited only to fruits and vegetables. Most of the food in Djibouti is imported.
9. One of Djibouti’s biggest problems, apart from a huge long-term debt, is its rate of unemployment. The unemployment rate in Djibouti as present is at a high 50%.
10. Djibouti is located within the limits of the Afar Triangle, one of hottest and most isolated places on the surface of the earth.

Sources:http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/djibouti-facts/

DJIBOUTI-Traditional Djibouti Afar Music

DJIBOUTI-Menu is set! Skoudekharis(Lamb and Rice Stew) and Sambusa(Djibouti Samosa)!

We just picked up our ingredients for our Djibouti Dinner tonight! I cannot tell you how amazing all these wonderfully fragrant spices smell! The cumin, coriander, clove, and cinnamon! We will be cooking the national dish of Djibouti, Skoudekharis which is a highly spiced Lamb and Rice stew with tomatoes, onions, and tons of beautiful spices. For appetizer we will cook a commonly eaten snack in Djibouti which is Sambusa. Sambusa is a version of traditional Indian Samosa. It is a puff pastry triangular in shape, filled meat, onions, leeks, and spices. It should be delicious!



                                                            Skoudekharis

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 lb lamb, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1-2 Tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cayenne (or to taste)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup water, plus extra as needed
1/2 cup long-grain rice
salt & pepper

 

Preparation:

Fry the chopped onions in the oil until softened. Add the meat and cook until browned then add the tomatoes and allow to cook for a few minutes. Add all the spices, cover with water and allow to simmer gently for 45 minutes. When the meat is tender add the rice and 1 cup of water, bring to the boil reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until the rice is done. Cook for a few more minutes to dry the mixture immediately and serve immediately.

                                                                      Sambusa

 

 

 

Ingredients:   4 cups vegetable oil   2 cups of flour(You can use egg roll wrappers as well if you do not have time to make dough) 2 lbs minced meat 5 onions, finely diced 3 leeks, finely diced 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp ground cardamom Salt and black pepper to taste Cooking Instructions: Sift the flour and a pinch of salt to a bowl. Add just enough water so that the mixture comes together as a stiff dough. Shape into a ball and allow to rest. Meanwhile add 4 tbsp. oil to a frying pan and fry the meat for a few minutes. Add the onions and leeks season with salt and pepper then fry until the meat is done and the onions have softened. Roll the pastry out on a floured surface and cut into triangles. Place a tablespoon of the meat mixture in the center of the triangle and fold over to form a samosa. Heat the oil in a wok until almost smoking and place the Sambusas one at a time in this. Cook until golden brown and crisp on all sides, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Allow to cool a little then serve with African hot sauce. Recipes courtesy of http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Djibouti.html#ixzz2kZs3JyuF

       

 

 

DJIBOUTI-Welcome to Africa!

 

 

I am so excited to study Djibouti this week. It is a country I know very little of. Djibouti is in northeast Africa, on the Red Sea coast, bordered by Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. The country was created by France in the late nineteenth century during the colonial scramble for Africa. In 1977, it became independent after having been a protectorate and colony for more than a century.
The Culture of Djibouti is very rich and diverse. Arabs, French, Somalis, and other minority groups make up the ethnicity of Djibouti. The people of Djibouti are known to be very hospitable, kind, and generous. These different ethnic groups living in Djibouti have coexisted   and been in harmony for years by respecting each other's traditions and actively participating in the various cultural festivities. How wonderful is that!

There are generally two major ethnic groups in Djibouti, the Issa-Somali and the Afar. These groups have had minimal conflict and are known to possess a shared identity and national consciousness  as well as cultural similarities. The coat of arms shows two bent olive branches within which a traditional round shield is pictured over a vertical Somali spear topped with a red star and flanked by two Afar daggers to the left and right. It symbolizes the ideal of coexistence of the two dominant communities. The flag is a tricolor with blue, white, and green fields and a red star on the triangular white field on the left.

     

In Djibouti, 95 percent of the people practice Islam. The most popular and holy place for the Muslims in the country is in the Goda Mountains where the tomb of Sheikh Abu Yazid is present. This is an integral part of the custom of Djibouti. The only Djibouti Holiday that falls in the category of non-Muslim holiday is that of Christmas, which is celebrated in the country with glory. The religions of Djibouti also consist of minorities in Orthodox Greek and Protestant. Roman Catholicism is also practiced in Djibouti. In Djibouti, there is no state religion and the political parties do not support or oppose any particular religion.

The women of Djibouti wear long skirts and cover their faces with a veil. The married women also cover their head with cloth. During the religious festivals, people always stick to the traditional dress. The art and culture of the country is mostly passed on locally from one generation after generation. The local people dance, sing and also act for a particular story in their native language.
                

The influence of French and Islam tradition and culture can be witnessed in the architecture of the buildings of Djibouti. The art works in the houses of Djibouti people include various forms of calligraphy, plasterwork and motifs. The Afar group also has stylish literature which is mainly verbal and the major part of the literature is preserved in the form of songs. Songs in Djibouti are usually classified into various groups such as praise songs, war songs and many more.


The major Djibouti language that is spoken in the country is that of French and Arabic. The chief traditional languages that are spoken by the inhabitants of the country are Issa-Somali and Afar. The languages of Issa-Somali and Afar are the incorporations of the Cushitic language group.

Somali language is also spoken by a large number of people. The language of Afar is also limited to the areas of Afar people. There are so many languages of Djibouti that most of the residents of the country are multi lingual. Other languages that are spoken in Djibouti are Arabic and Taizzi-Adeni.

In schools, French is the official language of study. The cuisine of Djibouti is highly influenced by the French and the Arab culinary art forms.

 

 

 

 

DENMARK-Our Danish Christmas Dinner is Complete plus Fun Facts!

We really enjoyed learning about Denmark this week. The girls loved our traditional Danish Christmas Dinner. Our favorite dish was definitely the Roast Pork! I cannot wait to travel there some day, it looks so beautiful! Here are some fun facts we learned about Denmark this week:

1.   The world famous building toys Lego are from Denmark.

 

2. The average tax rate in Denmark is 49%.

 

3. Danes eat more pasta than any other people.

4. There is not a single mountain in Denmark.

 

 5.  According to the WHO (2002 stats), Danes have the lowest incidence of obesity in the    EU.

 6. Danish men marry the oldest of all Europeans - at 32 years old in average.

      

 7. The flag of Denmark, Dannebrog, is the oldest state flag in the world still in use by an independent nation. It was adopted in 1219.  

8. There are 443 named Islands in Denmark, 76 of which are inhabited.

 

9. Denmark has the highest employment rate in Europe(75%).

 

10. The World Audit ranks Denmark as the world's most democratic and least corrupted country in 2008.

 

 

 

Sources: http://www.eupedia.com/denmark/trivia.shtml, http://www.10-facts-about.com/Denmark/id/31

 

Denmark-Menu is Set! Plus Traditional Danish Folk Dance

Thank you to my dear friend and native of Denmark, Ninnetta, for sharing with us this traditional Danish Christmas Menu. Tonight we will be cooking Flæskesteg which is a  Danish Christmas roast pork along with Brunkartofler - Caramelized potatoes, and red cabbage. I can't wait to get cooking!

Flaesketeg-Danish Christmas Roast

This is the classic Christmas meal in Denmark. This recipe serves four people, at least.

Ingredients:

- 4 lbs loin of pork with the skin on, and scored all the way down to just before the flesh in lines 1inch apart (ask the butcher to do this if necessary)

- 1 carrot

- 1 onion

- 1 or 2 bay leaves

-1 cup boiling water

- few sprigs of thyme

Method:

- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

- Place the pork joint skin side down (yes, ‘upside-down’) into a roasting tray. Add just enough boiling water to the tray so that the skin is submerged. 

- Put the pork in the oven for 20 minutes.

- Use a clean tea towel to hold the pork in the roasting tray so you don’t burn yourself while you carefully pour away the water.

- Turn the oven down to 350, then flip the pork over so it’s the right way up (skin up), and coat the skin with a generous amount of salt and pepper, making sure you get into the crevices created by the scoring. Be careful of your hands at this point, the pork will be hot! Stick the bay leaves into the crevices as well, then add the carrot, onion and thyme to the roasting tin, and pour 1 cup fresh, cold water in.

- Put the pork back in the oven for about an hour or until it is done. Check about halfway through to see if you need to top up the water if it’s starting to evaporate too much.

- Increase the oven temperature back up to 425 and put the roast pork back in to make the crackling. This can take a good 15 minutes, so use the grill if you want to kick start the process (but keep a close eye on it, or else you could end up with a burnt crackling).

- Let the roast rest uncovered for about 10 minutes. While that’s happening, make the gravy from the fat and stock - use gravy browning if required.

Brunkartofler - Caramelized potatoes

A traditional accompaniment to Danish roast pork.  It's a bit sweet so we only eat these once a year.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup sugar

- 1/2 cup butter

- 1lbpeeled and cooked small new potatoes - must be COLD.

Method:

- Add the sugar to a cold frying pan and spread it evenly across the bottom. Melt it on a high heat while you stir for about 2 minutes, then turn the heat down to medium while you add the butter. Turn up the heat to high again.

- Put the potatoes in a colander or sieve and run them under a cold tap, then add to the pan. As you can imagine, it’s going to splutter and spit a bit, so be careful.

- Get the potatoes covered in caramel and brown them for between 4-6 minutes, turning them carefully. If it looks like they’re getting a bit too dry, add a drop of water (again, take care doing this).

- Serve the caramelized potatoes along with normal boiled potatoes - as these are very sweet, they’re more of an extra side dish for the pork rather than a replacement for potatoes altogether.

NOTE: Always use potatoes that are completely cold. If you’re preparing them yourself, peel and cook them the day before.

Makes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (HelpRed Cabbage)

Red Cabbage

·      1 (2 pound) red cabbage

·     2tablespoonbutter                                                                                                                                       

 

 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

1 cup cranberry juice

·     2 tablespoons sugar, or more to taste

·     salt to taste

 

Directions

1.     Remove the outer set of leaves of cabbage and discard. Cut cabbage quarters; remove and discard white stem. Chop remaining cabbage finely.

2.     Melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Cook and stir cabbage in melted butter until softened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour vinegar over cabbage and stir to coat. Add cranberry juice and sugar to the pot. Season cabbage mixture with salt.

3.     Reduce heat to low, place a cover on the pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is completely tender, 60 to 75 minutes. Add more sugar towards the end if it is tart.