Around the World in the Hetzel Kitchen

Wo w, it has really been a while.  Apparently life gets in the way of stuff like this.  Luckily I am starting this writing before the baby comes.  Maybe I' ll finish it before the baby i s born.  Maybe. Note: Now, as I am about to post this, I can tell you that it is looking pretty good that it will get posted before the baby comes... Stats -This time, there were no countries in Oceania that I cooked.  That will change next time.  I did do the other 5 continents (Antarctica as always excluded).        Africa : 11;  Burkina Faso ,  Burundi ,  Cameroon ,  Cape Verde ,  Central African Republic ,  Chad ,  Comoros ,  Congo (Democratic Republic of the) ,  Congo (Republic of the) ,  Cote d'Ivoire , Djibouti ...wow, that was a lot        Asia :  4;  Burma (Myanmar) ,  Cambodia ,  China ,  Cyprus     ...

Location : Caribbean, about halfway between Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago Background : Last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by the Europeans, due to the resistance of the natives. Area : 751 sq km; 189th largest in the world         Slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC Terrain : Rugged volcanic mountains Highest Point : Morne Diablotins 1,447 m Natural Hazards : Flash floods and destructive hurricanes Population : Over 73,000; 200th largest in the world Capital : Roseau Diplomatic Relationship : The US does not have an embassy in Dominica, but instead the ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Dominica Economy : Traditionally based on agriculture (bananas), but moving more toward ecotourism Source: CIA Factbook Dominica was one of the stops listed for our honeymoon cruise, and neither Kevin nor I knew much about it.  In fact, we were even pronouncing it wrong...not like the beginning of Dominican Republic, but D...

Photo courtesy of user Travlr on Flickr History : Created in 1977 from a former French territory Location : East Africa, bordering the Red Sea Foreign Ties : Strong French military presence, hosts the only US military base in sub-Saharan Africa Area : Over 23,000 sq km; 151st in the world          Slightly smaller than Massachusetts Geography : Located near the world's busiest shipping lanes Population : Almost 775,000; 162nd largest in the world Capital : Djibouti (Personal note: This makes it super easy to remember in quizzes)             Two-thirds of the population live in the capital Currency : Djibouti franc, tied to the US dollar Economy : Heavily dependent on foreign countries due to a lack of natural resources and arable land Source: CIA World Factbook Djibouti, as far as I can tell, is pronounced sort of like "Shipoopi."  What, you don't know that Music Man song?  Shame on you! Other than havin...

Photo courtesy of user --Tom S-- on Flickr Background : This section in the CIA Factbook mentions the word "Viking."  Can't fail to mention that. Location : Northern Europe, on a peninsula north of Germany plus several major islands Area : Over 43,000 sq km; 134th largest in the world          Slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts Borders : Germany Natural hazards : Flooding in some areas of the country Nationality : Dane Population : Over 5.5 million; 110th largest in the world         Note : About 25% of the population lives in the capital Capital : Copenhagen Government : Constitutional monarchy Chief of State : Queen Margrethe II Source:  CIA Factbook It is usually a good sign that there will be plenty of recipes out there for a country if their cuisine has  a Wikipedia page.   Sometimes, it also makes it a little overwhelming.  There were so many options out there for Denmark! ...