Around the World in the Hetzel Kitchen

Commonly Known As : Ivory Coast Location : Western Africa, between Ghana and Liberia Area : Almost 325,000 sq km; 69th largest in the world          Slightly smaller than New Mexico Geography : Except for the capital, most people live along the coastal region Nationality : Ivoirians Language : French Population : Almost 22 million; 55th largest in the world Capital : Yamoussoukro HIV/AIDS deaths : 36000 in 2009; 12th highest in the world Literacy : 48.7% UN : 9000 forces present since 2004 Source: CIA Factbook The national dish of Cote d'Ivoire is fufu.  We already tried that once.  Well, kinda.   Didn't go so well.   I decided to try something else this time.  Something fun and new and full of potential.  Something with a name like  chicken and plantain curry.   That sounds about right.  I did a search for the French version of the name, and got a bunch of sites, in French, that mentioned Cote d'Ivoire....

History : Declared independence from Spain in 1821 Armed Forces : Dissolved in 1949.  Only two brief periods of violence have hindered the democratic development since the late 19th century Location : Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean Area : Over 51,000 sq km; 130th largest in the world          Slightly smaller than West Virginia Population : Over 4.5 million; 123rd largest in the world Religion : 76.3% Roman Catholic Capital : San Jose Human Development Index : Consistently among the top Latin American countries Carbon : Announced plans in 2007 to become the first carbon-neutral country by 2021 Happiness : Ranked #1 in the Happy Planet Index in 2009 Sources: CIA Factbook and Wikipedia When Kevin and I were recently considering where to go on vacation before the baby arrives, we seriously considered Costa Rica.  The standard of living is high and tourism is a major industry.  There were really o...

History : Former French region of Middle Congo that gained independence in 1960 Government : First democratically elected government took office in 1992 Location : Central Africa bordering the South Atlantic Ocean Area : Almost 350,000 sq km; 64th largest in the world          Slightly smaller than Montana Noun : Congolese Official Language : French Religion : 48% "animalist" Population : over 4.2 million; 127th largest in the world Capital : Brazzaville Cities : About 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them Budget surplus : 7.7% of GDP; 8th highest in the world Source: CIA Factbook As we covered a little bit last time, the DRC vs Republic of the Congo cuisine was causing me some issues.  They both refer to themselves as the Congolese, and most sites just refer to it as Congolese cuisine.  In fact, there is only one Wikipedia article for both:  Congolese Cuisine .  Most other ...