Around the World in the Hetzel Kitchen

Haiti, along with the Dominican Republic , is one of the two countries on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Haiti declared independence from France in 1804, making it one of the first post-colonial nations. It is currently considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. French and Creole are the official languages. The country is slightly smaller than Maryland, with over 10 million citizens. Port-au-Prince is the capital. Read more at the CIA World Factbook . I have never been to Haiti, but feel a slight connection. In high school, one of my close friends and her family went there often to help on medical mission trips. More recently, my little brother Patrick has gone two years in a row to help do some work there too. I have art up in the house that they have brought back for me and I have heard plenty of stories. I would love to go someday and try to help and get to know the people as well. I reached out for some help on what I should make for Haiti. Might as well g...

" Flag of Ghana ". Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons . Background : First sub-Saharan African country in colonial Africa to gain independence Location : West African, bordering Cote d'Ivoire and Togo Size : Almost 240,000 sq km; 82nd largest in the world          Slightly smaller than Oregon Population : About 25.75 million; 49th largest in the world Source: CIA Worldfactbook This one was a while ago, so bear with my memory.  This was during that glorious time where first-trimester wooziness was gone and third-trimester oh-my-god-I-only-want-to-sleep hadn't started.  What better to do with that time than cook African food? As always, there was a lot of searching involved.  It was a bit easier to find Ghanaian recipes than many other countries.  There were lists like the 10 Ghanaian Foods You Must Eat Before You Die .  Fact: I found this list after I did this cooking and picked some different foods because I...

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...

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....