Around the World in the Hetzel Kitchen

Photo courtesy of user Dietmas Temps on Flickr Location : Eastern Africa Background : Uniquely maintained freedom from colonial rule except between 1936-1941. Area : Over 1 million sq km; 27th largest in the world          Slightly less than twice the size of Texas Coasts : Landlocked since 1993; most populated landlocked country Agriculture : Coffee is believed to have originated there Population : Over 91 million; 14th largest in the world Capital : Addis Ababa History : Oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2000 years. Economy : 41% agriculture Sources: CIA World Factbook , Wikipedia A lot of the countries that I cook from don't have well-known cuisine in the US.  Yes, there may be pockets of people that eat the food, and some influences from there, but most people don't go out to an Equatorial Guinean restaurant.  This is not true for Ethiopia.  I have eaten at multiple Ethiopian res...

Photo courtesy of the user thecomeupshow on Flickr. Background : Formerly annexed by Ethiopia, but gained independence in 1993.  Has been in a border dispute with Ethiopia since 1998 that created a Temporary Security Zone (TSZ). Location : Eastern Africa, on the Red Sea Area : Over 117,000 sq km; 101st largest in the world          Slightly larger than Pennsylvania Official Languages : Tigrinya, Arabic, English Population : Over 6 million; 107th largest in the world Capital : Asmara President : Isaias Afworki since 1993.  Supposed to have a five-year term, but there have been no elections since 1993. Per Capita GDP : $700; 221st (out of 226 countries/territories) highest in the world. Pronunciation : eriTRAYa, not erEEtria like I thought. Source:  CIA Factbook Can we get two successful African countries in a row?  Let's find out! The national dish of Eritrea is Injera, a slightly spongy bread.  It is also popular in E...