Around the World in the Hetzel Kitchen

Photo courtesy of user Patty3m on Flickr Location : Oceania, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand Area : Over 18,000 sq km; 157th largest in the world           Slightly smaller than New Jersey Geography : 332 islands, about 110 are inhabited Population : Almost 900,000; 161st largest in the world Background : Fiji has had several coups and leadership changes since 1970 when British rule ended.  Their current prime minister refuses to hold elections. Capital : Suva Military : Large armed forces for a country of their size.  Major contributor to UN peacekeeping missions Sources: CIA World Factbook , Wikipedia The problem with me doing an island nation is just that - they are an island nation.  What are they surrounded by?  Water.  What is in the water?  Seafood.  What don't I like?  Seafood.  With that in mind, I was able to find some non-fishy Fijian recipes.  I can't guarantee th...

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 User didkovskaya on Flickr   Background : Gained independence in 1918 before being forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940. Currency : Adopted the Euro in January 2011.  Bad timing... Location : Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea Area : Over 45,000 sq km; 133rd biggest in the world          Slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined Official Language : Estonian Population : Almost 1.3 million; 156th biggest in the world Capital : Tallinn Economy : Very pro-business, free market government National Anthem : My Native Land, My Pride and Joy; same melody but different lyrics from the Finnish national anthem Source: CIA Factbook I did not e-mail the Estonian embassy for an Estonian recipe.  I didn't even look in my international cookbooks.  Instead, I turned to the one and only Boris.  He is a friend from Madison, aspiring comedian , and his family was from Estonia (videos may not be ...

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...

So, apparently I don't say my name on here very much.  You know...Danielle Hetzel?  This has apparently led to some odd issues.  I have been doing some guest posts on my Church's blog.  The number one search result that brings people there?  Danielle Hetzel's blog.  Huh.  Apparently, right now, that search term doesn't bring them here.  Time to change that. This is Danielle Hetzel's blog.  You hear that, Google?

Background : Gained independence from Spain in 1968 Location : Central Africa, between Cameroon and Gabon Area : Over 28,000 sq km; 146th largest in the world          Slightly smaller than Maryland Climate : "Always hot" Population : Over 685,000; 166th most in the world Capital : Malabo Geography : One of the smallest Africa countries; has a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands Health : Tap water is not potable Source: CIA Factbook In my search I kept coming across one recipe that I wanted to try.  I tried to avoid it, given the unconventional ingredients, but I couldn't.  I was hooked on Guinea Fowl Paella .  That's right.  Guinea Fowl.  A new meat for me!  I searched high and low.  The international grocery store didn't have it.  Neither did Whole Foods.  My quest was done before it began. According to the interwebs, quail is a decent substitute for guinea fowl, so I decided that that was my ...

Photo courtesy of user Rick's Pic (Montreal) on Flickr Background : Independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839 Location : Central America, Pacific Ocean side, between Guatemala and Honduras Area : Over 21,000 sq km; 153rd largest in the world          Slightly smaller than Massachusetts Natural Hazards : Known as the "Land of Volcanoes" Geography : Smallest Central American country, the only one that doesn't border the Caribbean Sea Noun : Salvadoran Population : Over 6 millions; 107th largest in the world Capital : San Salvador Economy : Third largest economy in the region Source:  CIA Factbook As I have mentioned before, when I start my search, I always look for a national dish first.  This usually brings up some interesting results, as people don't have concensus for most countries.  The exception was El Salvador.  Every place I looked brought up one dish: Pupusas .  And since the...