Around the World in the Hetzel Kitchen

History: Christopher Columbus landed there in 1492 Location: Caribbean island, 150 km south of Key West Area: Over 100,000 sq km; 106th largest in the world          Slightly smaller than Pennsylvania Borders: Technically, the US base at Guantanamo Bay could be considered their only border Geography: Largest country in the Caribbean Population: Over 11 million; 74th most in the world Capital: Havana Physician density: Almost 6.4/1000 population; 2nd highest in the world Literacy: 99.8% Source: CIA World Factbook For a country that is so close to parts of the US, Cuba is a country that I do not know much about personally.  I was, however, in that scene from  Guys and Dolls .  Yeah, I had a lot to learn. The internet did not give consensus on what the national dish of Cuba was.  There are different opinions out there - shocking!  However, Ropa Vieja was a common dish I saw over and over.  The name means "old clothes." ...

Brief history : Croatia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close of WWI.  Later it was part of Yugoslavia until they declared independence in 1991.  It took four more years to clear out most of the Serb armies. Location : Southeasten Europe, between Bosnia and Slovenia Area : Over 56,500 sq km; 127th largest in the world          Slightly smaller than West Virginia Natural Hazards : Destructive earthquakes Language : Croatian Biggest ethnic group : Croats Population : Almost 4.5 million; 124th most in the world Capital : Zagreb Source: CIA Factbook Croatian cuisine seems to be pretty varied throughout this relatively small country.  There were a lot of dishes to choose from, which was rather exciting.  Goulash was listed, but I have traditionally associated that with Hungary.  Rather than just looking at information about their cuisine, I decided to make my choice based on the recipes themselves. Pasticada ...