A Taste of Guinea: Fried Plantains

In Guinea, most people have less freedom compared with many other countries in the world because of Guinea's oppressive government. Even though their government doesn't control everything, they make sure their people know who can take away certain necessities like food or shelter if they rebel. This leaves their culture very undeveloped, although they do some favorites past times such as music and football. Guinea is also one of the few countries to make hand crafts such as leather, jewelery, wood carvings, etc very ethnically genuine. Many don't get to see the creative and innovative side of Guineans because the majority of visitors are businessmen. In Guinea, an oppressive government not only effects their culture, but the food supply. Most families only can afford to eat one meal a day, unless they have a high paying job, which is hard to achieve because their education is one of the lowest in the world. The government has been raising food prices so high that there has been violent protests over bread, rice, vegetables, etc. Some organizations such as World Food Programme have donated food to over 50,000 people, but there are still lots of starving Guineans. Many people have to survive on what they can find to make meals for their families or sell snacks on the streets. One popular and tasty snack is fried plantains (bananas) that are usually sold for a penny, which may not seem like a lot, but can buy a week's worth of food. Here's a simple recipe to make fried plantains:

Ingredients

3-4 large bananas
2-3 cups of vegetable oil
pinch of salt

Heat oil until very hot in a fry pan or electric fryer. Put a little salt on plantains and fry until done. The thin lengthwise-sliced plantains will be a deep yellow and should be crisp. The thicker rounds will be brownish and crisp on the outside. The inside of the rounds should not be crisp. Add onion or other seasonings to give bananas a more savory flavor.

Tomorrow will be about a nearby African country: Liberia




sources: http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Guinea.html, http://www.friendsofguinea.org/recipes.shtml#maffi%20hakko, http://www.lexisnexis.com/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T6003125002&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T6003125008&cisb=22_T6003125007&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=10962&docNo=1

A Taste of Guinea: Fufu

Guinea or formerly known as the Republic of Guinea is an underdeveloped African country bordering Liberia, Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, and Guinea-Bissau. A nickname of Guinea is Guinea-Conakry to not confuse visitors with Guinea-Bissau. The Republic of Guinea is a place of major diversity, with the main language being French and various types of races such as Fulani, Mandinka, Soussou, etc. The dominant religion is Islam due to islamization in the 19th and 20th centuries, with majority being Sunni Muslims. The Republic of Guinea has been heavily influenced politically and although they do have democratic elections, the military overthrew the government in 2008 and now rules over Guinea. There has been many social influences for food, mainly because of the social castes in Guinea. One important rule is to always eat in big groups, because most people will eat out of the same bowl to not waste food. In Guinea, people eat little or no meat because of their religion or cost. The main staples of food are rice, millet (small-seeded grains), cassava (root vegetable), and sorghum (grain). One very popular staple meal is fufu or porridge, which is a thick paste made from boiled cassava or bananas. It has a texture and taste similar to mashed potatoes that is usually added with tomato or fish soup. Here is a recipe to make your own fufu dish:

Ingredients

2½ cups cassava (also called manioc or yucca); do not use very center of cassava
5 plantains; do not use very center of plantains

Prepare the cassava and plantains by peeling them, slicing them lengthwise, and removing the woody core. Then cut the cassava and plantains into chunks and place in a large saucepan. Cover with water.
Heat the water to boiling, and then lower heat to simmer. Simmer the cassava and plantains until tender (about 20 minutes). Drain.
Return the pan to low heat and pound, mash, and stir the mixture, using a wooden spoon or potato masher. Add a sprinkling of water to keep the mixture from sticking. Continue pounding and mashing for 15 minutes, until the mixture is smooth.
Form into balls and serve.

Enjoy!

sources: http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Guinea.html, http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-guinea-fried-sweet-potatoes

A Taste of France: Noël

Noël or Christmas is a widely celebrated holiday in France like in many other parts of the world. Christmas is celebrated on different days of December depending on the region of France, but most celebrate on Dec. 25th. Families will decorate their homes very festively, one way is by putting fruits, candies, nuts, and small toys on their tree for Santa. They also set up a manger to represent the Holy Family with little saints and other people part of the town. Children will put their shoes in front of the fireplace to hopefully receive some goodies from Santa on Christmas morning. Kids will also write letters to Santa with each child receiving a letter back from him. A popular event in France they have before Christmas are puppet shows, especially in Paris and Lyon. Then on Christmas Eve, some people will attend la Messe de Minuit (church) and then have a le Réveillon (Christmas feast) to symbolize the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas dinner can vary depending on the region like in Burgundy, they feast on turkey with chestnuts, while others eat oysters and pat de foie gras. Most dishes have goose, turkey, chicken and for dessert they serve Buche de Nol or yule log (cake made with chocolate and chestnuts), la Galette des Rois (round cake that is passed out by a child), and many other cakes to be given to the less fortunate. After dinner, people will leave wine, food, and a fire burning if Virgin Mary comes that night. Here's a simple recipe to make your own yule log that some French use to save time:

Ingredients

18 Sugar Cookies
1 teaspoon powdered cocoa
8 oz. heavy cream
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
Colored sugars for decorating, or icings in a tube
A fork, a whisk, a mixing bowl, aluminium foil, and a large serving plate

Pour the heavy cream, sugar, and cocoa into the bowl.
Whisk cream until just stiff enough to stand up in peaks. Using about half of the prepared chololate cream, spread the whipped cream onto the cookies and sandwich them together to form a long roll.
Wrap the roll of cream and biscuits up in some aluminum foil and close up the ends.
Place the Yule Log into the refrigerator to set for 12-24 hours; cover and save the other half of the cream there as well.
Carefully unwrap the roll the next day and place the roll onto the plate and cover it with the rest of the cream.
Draw the fork tines across the cream to make the cream look like bark.
Sprinkle it with colored sugar and form snow and holly on top and cut servings between the cookies.

Bon appetit!

Next week will be on the Republic of Guinea culture and cuisine!

sources: http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Best-French-Christmas-Recipes,
http://french.about.com/cs/culture/a/christmas.htm

A Taste of France: Wine

France has been making wine since during the time of the Greeks. In the beginning, wine was for nobility such as high clergy members or royalty until the French Revolution. Now vineyards can be found in every part of France, it's especially popular in Burgundy and Bourdeaux. The location of where the grapes are grown is very important because the soil, altitude, hills, and terrain can deeply effect how the grapes will taste. Wine is made from fermented grapes, which becomes alcohol over time. There are many types of wine such as red wine, white wine, sparkling, and fortified. Variables that make these many types of wine is temperature, light conditions, and amount of alcohol. Most wine is served in France with dinner or lunch and each type of wine goes with a certain dish. Red wine is best served with beef or pork. White wine tastes best with seafood like oysters or fish. Lighter wines are made sweeter such as champagne, which can be served with desserts. People in France savor the taste of their wine by using all of their senses to enjoy it. To properly drink wine you must first swish your wine glass to heighten the smell, then take small little sips to thoroughly taste all of the wine's flavors. You must also always keep your glass half full and never empty. Today many French don't drink as much wine as before, so now wine producers must sell in foreign markets like America or England to keep their business running. For special occasions, people drink vin chaud, which has a mildly spicy and warming flavor to it. Here's the recipe to make vin chaud:

Ingredients

1 bottle of red wine
4 cinnamon sticks
1 5-inch by ½-inch piece of orange zest (white pit removed)
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cardamon pods
5 whole cloves
1/3 cup Cognac

Mix all the ingredients together in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to just under a simmer over the lowest heat setting on the stovetop. Do not allow the wine to boil. The mulled wine is hot enough when the sugar has dissolved and pulling and lifting a spoon from the wine brings up steam. If desired, strain the spices from the wine by pouring it through a fine-mesh sieve or a cheesecloth-lined collander. Add 1-2 teaspoons of Cognac to a mug and ladle the mulled wine over it. Serve with cheese, bread, or fruit.

Bon appetit!







sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_wine, http://www.ilikewine.com/wine-making-process.html, http://frenchfood.about.com/od/wineandwinerecipes/r/vinchaud.htm

A Taste of France: Famous Ingredients

Some of France's best known ingredients that are used in many of their traditional recipes are foie gras, truffles, and cheese. Foie gras is a very well known delicacy because it comes from a duck's liver. People fatten up the ducks using a technique called gavage, where they force-feed the ducks or geese. This technique is most used in Gascony, which is in the south-west region of France. Foie gras has a very rich and buttery taste that is usually made into pate and goes with bread or steak. Along with using gavage, the French use another popular technique called confit, where you preserve meat. Most meats used in this process are geese, duck, and pork that can be seasoned with garlic, thyme, nutmeg, or salt. Then the duck or pork confit are cooked into cassolet (stew made with white beans and rich meats depending on the region), confit sarlandais (confit served with potatoes), and salade landais (confit served with greens in a vinaigrette). There are many various types of mushrooms used in French cooking such as the truffle, a rare and prized mushroom found in Perigold region of France. There are very expensive, but the taste of the truffle will linger so many people use truffles in sauces. Moving on to cheeses, there are about 8 categories of cheese depending on how their made. Some are fresh cheeses (cow's milk is not aged and has lots of water), soft cheeses with a natural rind (cow's milk aged for about a month), and pressed cheeses (cow's milk that is pressed when being processed and ages for several months). Here is a simple and delicious recipe using the precious truffle:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 cup mixed wild mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 3 cups mushroom broth
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 truffles, shaved
• 2/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus 1/4 cup for garnish
• Salt and pepper
• 1 truffle to shave
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

In a saute pan, heat the olive oil. When the pan is smoking hot, saute the shallots, garlic and mushrooms. Cook for 1 minute. With a wooden spoon, stir in the rice and saute for 1 minute.

Add the mushroom broth 1/2 cup at a time. Add the cream, 1/2 cup at a time until all of the liquid is incorporated into the rice, stirring constantly, about 20 minutes. The rice is done when it is tender but still firm. Fold in the truffles and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer the risotto for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Spoon the risotto into a shallow bowl. Garnish with shaved truffles, cheese and chives.

Bon appetit!

sources: http://www.traditionalfrenchfood.com/famous-french-food.html, http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_11262_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html

A Taste of France: Light Breakfast

A French breakfast is a great way to start off the day, with a light, but filling meal. Breakfast is a meal that is the same in every part of France. The French never eat any heavy foods in the morning like sausages or pancakes, only baguettes (bread), crepes, fruit, coffee, hot chocolate, or yogurt. Most popular type of breakfast is having baguettes with butter or jam and some fresh hot coffee or chocolate. Baguettes are made of a lean dough with crispy crust that is baked in a deck oven, which is a combination of a brick and gas oven. This type of oven gives baguettes its light texture. In France, baguettes taste very plain because their laws state you can only add yeast, water, salt, and flour to bread. For breakfast, baguettes are usually dipped in coffee or hot chocolate to give it more flavor. You can buy baguettes at any local supermarket or bakery, but make sure to check that the crust is a dark caramel color with small irregular air holes. When ordering coffee there are many different types: cafe (plain coffee), cafe au lait (coffee with steamed milk), cafe creme (coffee with hot cream), and cafe noisette (espresso with cream). French coffee has a stronger taste than other coffees around the world, because they use a french press, which keeps the coffee grounds with the water. This stronger flavor is also seen in hot chocolate, because the French never use powdered chocolate, only chocolate that has a high percentage of cacao and warm milk to give a creamier taste. Chocolate in France has lots of rich flavor and is slightly bittersweet, not like milk chocolate that most people eat. Hot chocolate is served with water to offset the rich flavor. Here's a recipe to make your own chocolat chaud:

Ingredients


1 ½ cups whole milk
2 ½ Tbsp. water
2 ½ Tbsp. granulated sugar
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, water, and sugar.
Place over medium heat and whisk occasionally until the sugar is dissolved.
Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture just to a boil.
Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the chocolate.
At this point, blend the mixture.
If you have an immersion blender, you can do this directly in the saucepan; if not, you’ll need to transfer it to a traditional blender.
Either way, blend for 1 minute (on high speed, if using a traditional blender ).
The finished mixture should be very smooth and frothy.
Serves for 2 people.
Dip in bread if you want. Bon appetit!

sources: http://lafujimama.blogspot.com/2008/11/chocolat-chaud-hot-chocolate-french-way.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baguette

A Taste of France: Crepes

France is a place of beauty, style, and diversity. Since the 17th century, after the French Revolution, France has been the center of culture and art with medieval cathedrals, fashion shows, wide varieties in music, delicious foods, etc. France has been heavily influenced by political and military leaders such as power-hungry Napoleon or French minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert that shaped French culture, fashion, etiquette, and architecture. France is a melting pot of different races that can range from Haitian, Italian, Spanish, or Albanian. In France, they are many different values to follow, especially when comes to family and privacy. French people take parenting very seriously and don't tell strangers about their life, only close friends and family. Friendship is also very important, where every person respects each other and make time in their busy schedules to keep in touch. Despite what most people believe, French people don't kiss every person they meet on the cheek, only close friends and family. When it comes to French food, it varies on each region of France, but cheese and wine are a major part of their cuisine. The French take food very seriously by critiquing their skills when making any dish such as pastries, seafood, pasta, desserts, etc. The are 2 types of cooking: haute cuisine (many courses of food in small portions) and nouvelle (lighter food with little butter or cream). One popular dish served for either breakfast or dessert is the crepe, which is a thin pancake that can be topped with any kind of ingredient. Crepes are usually sold by street vendors or small cafes, especially in Paris. Crepes are even eaten on a special holiday called Candlemas that celebrates the Virgin Mary. There are 2 types of crepes: sweet crepes (has wheat flour that is slightly sweetened) and savory crepes (has buckwheat flour that is unsweetened). Here is a recipe to make plain crepes and chocolate hazelnut fruit crepes:

Plain Crepe Recipe:

Ingredients

1 cup of all-purpose flour
2 eggs 1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of water
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of butter, melted

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs.
Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine.
Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat.
Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe.
Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown.
Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.

Chocolate Hazelnut Fruit Crepes:

Ingredients

1 cup of chocolate hazelnut spread or nutella
4 crepes
4 bananas sliced
1 can of pressurized whipped cream

Spread 1/4 cup of chocolate hazelnut spread onto each crepe. Arrange 1 sliced banana down the center of each one. Roll up, and place in a warm skillet over medium heat. Let them warm up for about 90 seconds. Transfer to plates, and serve topped with whipped cream. This tastes great with coffee, tea, or cider. Bon Appetit!


http://allrecipes.com/Cook/Photo.aspx?photoID=18554

sources: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Hazelnut-Fruit-Crepes/Detail.aspx, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cr%C3%AApe, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_cuisine