So we took a week off, but came back with the extremely interesting country of Iceland.

It has a unique terrain formed out of volcanic lava flows and full of hot springs as well as glaciers. It is also one of the newest countries (in terms of when the land was formed) but has one of the oldest forms of representative government in its 1,100-year-old Althing.

And compared to most all of the other countries we have studied it is far in away the most well off with a a GDP of $49,730 and a life expectancy of 82 (higher than even the U.S.)

Here is the link to the information sheet if you want to learn more details (iceland_info)and below are a few facts that everyone found interesting:

1. Most of the population lives in the capital Reykjavík, and more than 80 percent of the island is unpopulated because the land is covered either with permanent snow.
2. The town of Thingvellir is one of only TWO places in the entire world where you can see two of the earth’s tectonic plates meeting above the earth’s surface (the other is in Africa).
3. The country was independent for hundreds of years, but 1262, the Althing voted that Iceland should come under the rule of Norway.
4. The fox is the only four-legged animal native to Iceland.
5. About 80 percent of Icelandic people believe in elves. Roads have even been built to specifically avoid rocks and trees where elves are rumored to live.

FOOD

If you search online for Icelandic cuisine, you come across a fair number of articles about the weirdest and grossest foods in the country. So we tried avoid the, um, interesting delicacies of boiled sheep’s head and cured shark meat, and go with some more appetizing items.

On a side note, hot dogs are apparently hugely popular in Iceland as they have their own kind made with beef, pork and lamb meat. But I could not find anything similar at speciality stores in the U.S. Just another reason to visit Iceland in person!

Breakfast

Pönnukökur (Icelandic Pancakes) – These are delicious. Kind of a crispy crepe. We ate them with a little white sugar and strawberries

Skyr – Classic Icelandic yogurt.  Technically not yogurt but tastes almost like the Greek variety (apparently they are made differently and with different cultures.) And we think the Skyr is even more delicious and not as tangy. And available at Giant under the Icelandic Provisions brand.

Dinner

Plokkfiskur (Icelandic Fish Stew) – Mixing fish, a milk-based rue and potatoes did not sound super appetizing but it was quite tasty. Reminded us of a New England clam chowder. Just make sure to season it all well! (We even used cod straight from Iceland!)

Pickled Cabbage – Iceland has few home grown veggies so once that keep for a while – like cabbage – are ample.

Brown Bread – Another dinner staple.

CULTURE

After reading a book about Iceland, Andrew became obsessed with learning how to play handball as it the default national sport of Iceland.  In fact, its men’s team won a silver medal in handball in the 2008 Summer Olympics, marking its first team Olympic medal ever.

So we learned the rules  and watched some Icelandic professionals play. And then tried a little on our own. It seems like a cross between soccer and basketball, and Andrew was particularly amused by the way the goalies attempted to stop shots – jumping up like a big X.

I hope you have enjoyed the fascinating country of Iceland. Next week we will be back with our most mainstream country yet – Japan!

 

 

I admit, I have been looking forward to doing a Central American county since we started this. As I love me some fried plantains and homemade tortillas, and have a special place in my heart for Latin music.

So our first destinations in North American  – much like it was for Christopher Columbus – is Honduras.

Honduras is home to one of the greatest civilizations, the Mayans, and one of their best preserved cities, Copan. But even after the area broke free from the Spanish, it still ended up in being controlled by the U.S. Banana companies, earning its name as a Banana Republic. And since then Honduras has a troubled history of both political unrest and more recently the drug trade.

But it does have some interesting culture, and three very distinct regions – including the amusingly named Mosquito Coast and people that make Honduras unique.

Here is the link for more info on Honduras: Honduras_info . And here is the crossword if you you want to test your knowledge: HONDURAS_CW

And here are some interesting facts we learned about Honduras:

• The Bay Island of Honduras sit on the second largest coral reef is off its northern shores
• The Honduran currency, the lempira, is named after an Indian chief that fought to death against the Spanish conquerors. But it is not his face on the bill, but instead is the image of an American Red Indian.
• Honduras and El Salvador fought a war in the early 1970s call the “Football War” because the first outbreak of violence happened at a soccer game between the two teams
• While not typically prone to hurricanes, Hurricane Mitch hit Honduras in 1998, killing 5,600 people.

FOOD

As I said, I love the Central American Food – as do all three kids. And Honduras did not disappoint.  Honduras its own twist on beans and rice, tortilla, grilled meats. And in fact, we have already eaten baleadas two more for breakfast times since first making them. Isaac declared that Honduras was his second favorite food country (after Albania)!

Breakfast

Baleadas – Its just a flour tortilla filled will refried beans (we used mushed up black
beans) and queso fresco (or  shredded mozzarella, if your in a pinch) and typically eggs and well. And the warmed up in a pan to make it a little crisp. Delicious!! Isaac and Eve were especially big fans.

Fried Sweet Plantains – Just slice them and cook them up in oil until they are nice and brown and soft. Yum! As I said, a favorite of mine!

Guava Nectar

Dinner

Carne Asada – This marinated grilled meat did not disappoint!

Sopa de Frijoles (bean soup) – A combination of whole black beans and pureed black beans with a few additions to make this thick bean stew. Make sure to soak beans overnight!

Chopped Avocados (with lime juice and salt)

Shredded Cabbage

Homemade  corn tortillas – Unlike the thinner corn tortillas they sell in stores in the US, Hondurans like a thicker more pancake looking tortilla. Just get Maseca (Corn Masa Harina) and add water per the instructions and fry them up in a pan on each side for a minute or so.

Dessert: Arroz Con Leche – Another household favorite. It didn’t last two days!

CULTURE

While I do love Latin music, it seems we have been doing quite a bit of dancing lately. So we decided to turn our cultural activities to a more sedentary activity: Painting.

We looked at the art work of José Antonio Velasquez, Honduras’ most famous painter, who lived in the mid-1900s (died in 1983). His main painting focus was Primitivism, where one borrows techniques and forms from pre-historic art and cave drawings. Much of his work almost looks like it could be molded out of clay. He is touted as the first Primitivism artist in the Americas.

So we tried our hand at painting like Velasquez! Not quite succeeding but we had fun! Though, Andrew did get frustrated and quit (Eve was exempt from this, as we used oil paints!)

Hope you learned a little more about Honduras. Next week we travel to Iceland!