We did not have much selection for H. After doing Honduras last year, we only had Haiti or Hungary to choose from. So we decided to go the Eastern Europe as we plan to head to the Caribbean for J!

Hungary has a long history starting more than 1500 years ago with the migration of the Magyar people and the rule of King Stephen. But from 1200 to 1990 Hungary’s history consisted of being taken over by various other countries, and being on the wrong side of every war. Hungary only became a free and independent country in 1990 after the fall of communism.

Today Hungary has a strong economy and is popular destination full of intricate architecture and embroidery, as well as amazing hot spring spas and tasty food!

For more information visit our Power Point presentation here: HUNGARY PRESENTATION 

And here are some more fun facts:

• Lake Balaton is the largest lake in Central Europe and it measures nine miles across at its widest (making it appear that you are on an ocean)
• Hungary’s national sport is water polo
• Hungary has the most Nobel prize winners per capita. Winning in every category but Peace!
• Hungary is home to the first known wine region. King Karoly named the Tokaj region official in the 5th century (120 years before Bordeaux)

FOOD

Hungarian food is similar to others in Central Europe with rich food (and sour cream) and lots of red meat. But the thing that makes Hungary unique is their use of paprika – smoked or sweet – which makes everything (and it is used in nearly everything) delicious.

Breakfast

Its been so long (midday April) since we had our Hungarian breakfast, but it was a tasty traditional breakfast complete with their favorite condiment –  pepper paste!

Kilfi  – It os kind of like a Hungarian croissant but has a slightly different texture and flavor with the addition of sour cream and much less butter

Cured sausage, hard boiled eggs, cheese, tomatoes and apples (their most widely grown fruit!)

Dinner

Goulash – This classic Hungarian dish did not disappoint and was even better as leftovers! We ate it with egg noodles, but I am told bread is more traditional

Langos – This is fried Hungarian flat bread, smothered in garlic butter and cheese. Delicious!! Will definitely be making this again!

CULTURE

The embroidery tradition in Hungary goes back thousands of years, when those doing embroidery were mostly men. Apparently each of the 20  “folkloric regions” of Hungary have their own style, the most popular being Kalocsa and Mayto. Some styles are more dense, and some with specific colors like reds and blacks, but all can be found on anything from the simplest tea towel to wedding dresses. For more information check out the article here: Hungarian Embroidery 101

As much Hungarian embroidery is still done by hand, we thought we would try our hands at it. Everyone had fun at the start but it proved quite difficult to do as they do and make sure the back is just as beautiful as the front. We still have plans to finish our thread artwork but just haven’t gotten around to it yet!

And I know we have been a little slacking at getting these post out every other week (err, more like once a month). But Isaac is really promising the next one – Iraq – in the near future!

 

 

 

For G we returned to Africa to do a western central African country called Gabon. Located in a pretty unstable region of Africa (DRC, CAR, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, etc.) but it is a relatively stable. But you probably haven’t heard of this country. Colonized by the French, who have made a huge dent in the country’s culture, language, and cuisine.

We chose Gabon as some countries are too well-known like Germany and Greece, while some like Georgia and Guatemala have the same culture and cuisine as previous countries we have studied. Overall, Gabon is a very surprising, interesting country filled with gorillas, baguettes, and national parks. Happy travels!

 

Interesting Facts:

• Gabon is home to over 25% of the natural Gorilla population, mostly western lowland, This is the most out of any country in the world.
• Almost 80-85% of Gabon’s land is covered by National parks
• Only 3.1% of the population is over the age of 65
• Gabon is home to hundreds, maybe thousands of limestone caves yet to be explored.

For more information about Gabon, check out our presentation here: Gabon Info.

FOOD

Gabonese food is very, very french influenced. They eat a lot of French food such as baguettes and beignets. Gabon also is influent by local flavors like palm oil and okra. Gabonese cuisine is very similar to creole cuisine from Louisiana as the use okra,, peppers and lots of creole ingredients. The food was actually good for an African cuisine.

Breakfast

 

Beignet– Just in time for Fat Tuesday we ate these beignets which were delicuious covered in powder sugar. They come from Gabon’s French influence and can be found sold all over.

Fried Plantains – This is another favorite food in Gabon – eaten anytime of day.

Dinner

 

Poulet Nyembwe Recipe – This is the national dish of Gabon and reminded us a lot of
gumbo. It has rich but spicy flavors that came from the smoke chicken and palm nut oil we had to buy at the African store. It was yummy but the smoke chicken with the bones was a little hard to eat

Fufu – They eat the plantain fufu in Gabon with everything. It kind of tastes like mash potatoes, though I like the yam kind better

Couscous – They also love couscous with lots of things, including dessert.

CULTURE

 

For the Culture of Gabon we made these masks that come from the Fang tribe who make up about 40% of the Gabonese population and are found in the eastern parts of Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon. These masks have been made by Fang society since pretty much, forever.

White painted masks are used for punishing or killing sorcerers who had done bad
things or broke the law. Most masks though, have been linked to the dead Fang or are used in ceremonies, like when a boy becomes a man. We learned more about the masks here: Fang Masks Info.

We decided to make our own mini masks out of clay. We have fun making them with their long features, though we never go around to painting them.

Next we are going back to Europe for a landlocked country that eats goulash called…

– By Isaac

 

 

 

 

 

For F we find ourselves back up in the Nordic countries to Finland (which is considered Nordic but NOT considered Scandinavia, by the way.) I really like learning about this  very interesting and unique country . It seems when the Russians weren’t attempting to take over their land, the Finns were drinking coffee, basking in saunas, playing hockey or making up ridiculous sports.

Finland has loads of lakes (55,000) and natural forests (timber is its major industries) and has also been on the forefront of social reform, including women’s rights and public education. Consequently, Finland is typically rated as one of the happiest countries in the world

Here are some more interesting facts about Finland:

• Finnish has its own language group – Finno-Ugric language group. (The only other languages included in it are Hungarian and Estonian)
• The sauna was invented in Finland and you can find them anywhere – including a Burger King in Helsinki! In fact, in Finland there are more saunas than cars.
• Despite having the population of Minnesota, Finland has 49 players in the National Hockey League, the fourth most behind Russia and Canada.
• Speeding fines in Finland are calculated based on the drivers income. So you can pay up to $100,00 USD for driving over the speed limit!

For more information on Finland you can read here: Finland Info

FOOD

Finish food is what you would expect from Nordic cuisine. Lots of of hearty food like potatoes and rye bread, sausage and smoked fish. Not very many spices are used by the are heavy on the butter!

Breakfast

 

Korvapusti (Finnish cinnamon rolls) – These were so delicious! Slightly different from their Swedish cousins – cut on an angle and topped with sugar and not icing. (Also a hint of cardamon flavoring!)

Blueberries – We couldn’t find Finnish bilberries, so we decided to eat their American counterpart

Coffee and Milk – Because, well, the Finnish drink the more cups of both of these than any other country in the world!!!

Dinner

 

Karjalanpiirakka – These pastries originated in Karelia, the mythical birthplace of Kalevala, the epic 19th century poem that is classic in Finnish culture. And they were surprisingly yummy! I was skeptical of the egg an butter topping and baked rice but it all worked nicely together. (And BTW, we could not find rye flour so we used buckwheat flour and crushed caraway seeds and it worked great!)

Grillimakkara (Finnish sausage) – Delicious as expected! We couldn’t actually find real Finnish sausages so we relied on a German variety!

Uudet Pernau (New potatoes) – These are apparently a sign of spring in Finland and loved all over the country. They are served with various toppings but we just chose a simple salt, butter and dill.

Pickled Beets – One of the more popular (and locally grown) vegetables in Finland.

CULTURE

The Finns are known for inventing some crazy sports and competitions. They have official air guitar competitions (as they do love their heavy metal) and swamp football games. But what they are probably most known for is wife-carrying races! Apparently We learned about the RULES and what a VIDEO or two. Then decided to try it ourselves. (Err, rather brother/sister/child carrying races.)

Apparently the course has to be 831 feet long and have three obstacles (one water-based) But due to a limited back yard space and cold weather we modified it a bit. Here is are the results of Isaac carrying Eve (he attempted carrying Andrew but it didn’t last long!): Sister Carrying. Andrew carried Eve and I also carried Isaac as well.

Everyone concluded it was lots of fun – especially being the one carried – so long as your partner didn’t jump too much!

Next up for G we move back to as Isaac’s puts it “another random African country,” can you guess which one?

 

You probably haven’t heard of this landlocked country almost completely surround by South Africa near the Indian Ocean. eSwatini, or Eswatini, is a country that recently changed its names from maybe the more known Swaziland. Eswatini was very surprising in ways like being the only absolute monarchy, or having the longest reining king in the world!!

Colonized by the British, but they didn’t made quite a big dent on society as it has to other countries. Most people are from the 70 clans of Swazis. Setting that aside we picked, Eswatini because it is a tiny, not while known country, and another E country like Ethiopia might be too well known. Happy Travels!

Interesting Facts

• Eswatini is the only country in the world to have black and white rhinos living next to each other
• Most of Eswatini is  covered in Velds (The Southern African term for a Uncultivated grassland)
• The Lilangeni (its Currency) has the same fixed value as the South African Rand and they  can be interchangeable. Some coins also has a neat curvy edges to them.
• King Mswati lll has an estimated 15 wives
• Eswatini has the highest HIV rate in the world with 27% of the population being infected

To find more about Eswatini go here: Eswatini Slides

Food

Swazi food has local flavors in them and some dishes are British influenced but not as much as their neighbors. Most of the cuisine is local dishes like Biltong, porridge, and boiled native plants. A lot of the plants grown and used in the cooking of Swazi’s come from the new world such as the potato or avocado. Swazi food is not spicy and can be bland but overall I liked it compared to other African dishes that we have eaten.

Breakfast

Porridge with Sugar and Treacle – This was very sweet but good. For me, I now feel like
Treacle is better than syrup.

Grapefruit with Sugar (South Africa is the 4th largest grower of grapefruit in the world!)

Dinner 

Biltong (Dried Southern African beef) – This is just like Beef Jerky and I thought that it was even better

Boiled Pumpkin/Potato leaves with peanuts – This was bitter but it was delicious with the salt and peanuts which gave it a lot of flavor.

Grilled Corn on the Cob – A regular street food in Eswatini

Sidvudvu Recipe – This is a Pumpkin porridge that was kind of bland but sweet at the same time. Even though the recipe calls for squash the traditional way is using Pumpkin

Slaai Recipe – This is a Avocado with lemon and ginger salad. It was awesome and very refreshing. We will definitely be eating this again.

Culture

For Swazi culture we didn’t look that hard. You just have to look on their flag. The shield like thing that is black and white, well thats what we made. It is called a Nguni Shield and traditionally it is made cow skin and sew it to a stick to fight with a sword and spear. This is what they use in battles long ago but they don’t really use it anymore. It isn’t that big even though the flag portrays it really big. It only about 2 ft. tall, though older pictures show them twice as big.

We aren’t using cow skin of course. We just used cardboard and construction paper. Here are the instructions to make them.

1. Cut out a 2 ft. tall football sized shape
2. Cut out white and black construction paper to cover the shield
3. Glue them on in a manor so each part is covered.
4. Draw brown lines to the middle using a marker
5. Tape a long stick onto the back
6. Fight with your new shield. To get an idea of how they really fight, go here: Nguni Stick Fighting Video

Flag

The Swazi flag is very unique. Having the shield on it that we’ve previously talked about. The stick reinforcing the shield is hanging by tassels made by the feathers of the Loury and the Widowbird. Above the stick are two traditional fighting spears. The white and black colors of the shield symbolize white and black people living in harmony. The Yellow stands for Eswatini’s resources, the blue for peace and stability, and the red for the battles in the past.

For F we are returning to Scandinavia for a country called…

We were going to go to Africa for D (Djibouti) – but after noticing far too many tiny African nations on our list, we decided to go north to a more familiar place – Denmark!

A small peninsula and island nation that has a long history fro the Vikings to one of the earliest social democracies to neutrality through the World Wars. Often citing as one of the the happiest and friendliest places in the world, Denmark is a really unique and interesting country with rich culture and a unique history.

And here are a few more interesting facts about Denmark:

• Only 78 of the 402 islands are inhabited
• 90 percent of the people living in Denmark are ethic Danes
• Denmark is one of the only countries to have holed currency since the 1900’s
• Swimming is compulsory in all public schools in Denmark
• LEGOS were invented in Denmark and Lego comes out of the Danish words Leg Godt meaning play well

To learn more about Denmark click on our Power Point here: Denmark Info.

FOOD

Denmark is the place where Western European and Nordic countries converge. They love a German style beer but also a Swedish-like meatball; They love their fresh fish but also have a bar/leftover/snack tradition like the Spanish tapas.

And of course in Denmark you also have danish or rather what the Danes call  Wienerbrød. Much tastier than our Americanized version!

After declaring that he did not like northern European food after we studied TKTK, Denmark’s interesting array of foods might have change Isaac’s mind!

Breakfast

Raspberry Wienerbrod – This was delicious and flaky – almost like a croissant – with just the right amount of sweet. And it was lots of fun to make and braid as well! We did have a little problem with the inside being undercooked so make sure not to make it to thick and perhaps cook on a lower temp for a longer.

Dinner

Smørre­brød – Apparently the quintessential Danish treat is Smorrebrod – more of a lunchtime/snack treat of various leftover items served on a dense rye bread spattered in butter, so had to try this for ourselves. There are no real recipes, just suggestions of common combinations. So we went with:

• Shrimp, egg and dill
• Potato, mustard/mayo and chives
• Apple and cold smoked salmon

And all were delicious!! I think the salmon was my favorite, Andrew loved the egg one and Isaac the potato! The bread and butter definitely added to the flavor

Frikadellers – Like their Nordic neighbors, the Danes love their meatballs, but to make them their own, they serve them more flattened in a patty form. Another hit with everyone! Isaac even took them in his lunch the next day

Pickled cabbage – a traditional compliment to the Frikadellers!

CULTURE

While we did think about counting building with legos as exploring Danish culture, we decided to go a more academic route!

As many know, the famous fairy writer Hans Christian Andersen is from Denmark. He wrote more than 3,000 stories including the famous “Little Mermaid,” “Ugly Duckling” and “Little Match Girl.”

But the Danish have a long history of folktales and folklore! And many of Andersen’s earlier tales – like the “Princess and the Pea” – were retellings of the traditional Danish folktales. The typical Danish folktale uses characters that are similar to the Norse Gods and or a mischievous elf like character, but  they usually have a Christian bent to them, and usually convey a lesson!

We listened to two stories “The Wicked Prince” (By Andersen) and “The Fat Cat” (Danish Traditional), and read more about Danish Folklore. Then the boys tried our hand at writing our own Danish Folktales! Here is the start to Isaac’s Enchantress’s Night and here is the start to Andrews “The Word of Life”:

“I run across the battlefield. I look for Devin Lentron that big fat trickster then suddenly I see that there is a gem the ground lomterdelimt the most valuable and rare gem to ever exist. A feeling comes over me to take it but I remember greediness started the whole thing…”

Up in two weeks (we promise, per some New Year’s goals!) is an African country with a new name that now begins with E!

 

I don’t think most of you have heard of this island nation of the east coast of Africa in the Mozambique Channel called COMOROS! This nation is very distinct in its language and culture. They speak a language called Shikamoro found nowhere else in the world.

The culture is French, Arabic, and Swahili all at the same time. They have lots of French colonial architecture, with Mosques and Islam, and Shikomoro is a dialect of Swahili. We chose it because for the last round of countries I wanted to do Comoros but we felt like we should pick another continent to do it on. So read farther and Happy Travels!

Interesting Facts

• Mt. Karthala is one of the most active volcanoes in the world erupting on average every 11 years
• A Grande Marriage as some weddings are  known is Comoros can last up to nine days
• Comoros is the biggest producer of Ylang-Ylang , a flower used in perfumes and the second biggest producer of vanilla after Madagascar
• The endangered Livingston Fruit Bat – a species of megabits with a wingspan of 4 feet – are only found in Comoros, and only about 1,000 are left!

….For more information on Comoros check out the Power Point here: Comoros_Moroni

Food

The food is a mixture of French, Arabic, and local flavors. Arabic because of the spices like cardamom used in the cuisine. French because of the pastries, cream sauce and other French food used in Comoros. But the pastries are made out of coconut and the sauces have a local twist on them. But I would agree that it is so much better than that stinky Durian sauce of Brunei and we would definitely make it again.

Breakfast

 

Vitumbua Recipe – This is a delicious coconut and rice cake with a coconut caramel sauce that me and Mama loved but Andrew didn’t like it.

Dinner

Langouste A la Vanille recipe  – This is LOBSTER in a vanilla cream sauce. The sauce was bitter but it did go well with the lobster. and we also made shrimp as well as lobster in the U.S. is really expensive.  (In Comoros lobster is like chicken to them!)

Pilau Recipe – This is avery well flavored rice with lots of spices in it. It has peanuts, bell peppers and tomatoes inside. I loved it and had it for lunch the next day.

Shredded Green Mango

Culture

Most men in Eastern Africa  wear a cylindrical shaped hats called a Kofia (or hat in Swahili) . Unlike a Kofia in other parts of Africa, the ones in Comoros have lots of tiny holes in to help the man’s head breath better. And also there is intricate embroidery all over with lots of Arabic symbols. Here’s  more information Comoros Kofia along with other traditions.

 

So we made our own Kofias. We used yellow poster paper and thin ribbon, along with a sharp thing to poke holes in the hat.

1. Cut a strip of paper about three inches tall, and long enough to fit around the top of your
   head. And a circle to fit in it.
2. poke holes all around the strip
3. draw a pattern or Arabic writing
4. With a glue gun, glue ribbon to follow the pattern
5. Tape the strip together and tape circle the edge of the round strip.

….Next time we will be back with D….and will stay in East Africa

• By Isaac

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week we traveled to a country about the size of Delaware tucked away on an the Malaysian island of Borneo – Brunei. Brunei is one of the of the richest countries in Southeast Asia – thanks to oil drilling in the South China Sea. And despite only becoming a real country in 1984, Brunei has been its own entity for nearly 1,500 years.

While its literacy rate and life expectancy rival that of the United States, there is still a stark economic divide.  The capital Bandar Seri Begawan, has modern building and new roads and in  the rural areas houses are built by hand on stilts over the river and the rivers are the main form of transportation.

For more information on Brunei check out our slide show here: Brunei

Interesting Facts

• Rainfall is extremely  heavy with annual precipitation ranging from 100 inches on the coast to more than 200 inches in the interior.
• Citizens in Brunei receive free education and medical services from the government.
• The Sultan of Brunei – one of the richest people in the world – owns more than 5,000 cars
• Bruneians don’t point using their index fingers; this is considered impolite. They point with their thumbs instead.

FOOD

Most of the food in Brunei has a heavy influence from its neighbor of Malaysia. With lots of spices and lots of coconut milk. Fish is extremely popular in Brunei as well and even eaten for breakfast. They also pride themselves on unique tropical fruits like pandan and durian.

Dinner

Ambuyat – This is the national dish of the Brunei and is, um, extremely interesting. We really wanted to try it ,but all of us but Andrew found it too disgusting after the first bit. It kind of looks like edible glue and you dip it in a stinky sauce shrimp paste and durian. (To be sure, we just used durian extract as we could not find actual durian fruit.) Apparently Bruneians love this dish, though, so….

Beef Rendang – This is more traditional Malaysian but eaten widely in Brunei and this recipe is delicious! Exploding with flavor! Definitely do this again.

Roti Canai – Can’t pass up a traditional fried flat bread! Super tasty, and what makes it specifically from Brunei/Malaysia is that the dough is really soaked in oil.

Breakfast

Nasi Lemak –  Again a  traditional dish from another country –  Indonesian – widely eaten in Brunei. It was delicious and fun to make. (We did not have pandan so just used the essence of it, which happened to include green dye  – thinking more for desserts – so our rice turned green.) The pandan flavor, though, really made the rice stand out, tasting a little like butter popcorn! The sambal was a little to fishy for everyone but me – so maybe we’ll just stick to the onions next time!

CULTURE

Bruneians have been heavily influenced by the Chinese, as they were trading partners dating back to 1500 years ago. Chinese influence that has remained since then comes in the form of a gong. But rather than the plain metal gongs, Brunei is famous for making gongs with intricate drawings and etchings. Gongs – or as they call the Tawak Tawaks –  are always part of traditional music in Brunei and used for important ceremonies.

Here is some more information on Brunei’s gongs: Tawak Tawak Info and here is some traditional Bruneian music with gongs: Brunei Ayasan.

So we decided to make our own gongs or Tawak Tawaks! We all had fun making and playing them and the sound on them weren’t half bad. Here’s what you need:

DIY TAWAK TAWAK

• Bottom of disposable roasting pan
• Aluminum foil – formed into a half sphere and glued-gunned in the center
• Pen –  for etching a intricate designs (so displayed side is raised)
• Yarn or string to hang the gong.

 

Thanks for traveling with us to Brunei! For C, the next stop is a tiny island nation in Africa called…

By Laura

 

We are starting another round of countries this year but with no o, q, w, x, or y countries. To start off the alphabet this year we are starting with the small, landlocked, Caucasus country called Armenia. We picked Armenia because nobody knew nothing about it. Mama didn’t know where it is.

Armenia has an interesting culture as being Christian and being mostly surrounded by Islamic neighbors like Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Iran. It is also a former Soviet country but there is really no Soviet architecture in it. It has some tall peaks (13,000 ft!)  while also having lowlands with a beautiful lake called lake Sevan. I was pretty excited to learn about Armenia so here we go. To learn more about Armenia go here: Armenia Info

Interesting Facts

• Armenia was the first country to make Christianity the state religion
• Armenia is the homeland of the apricot
• The world’s oldest winery is in Armenia and it is in a cave
• The Armenian alphabet is one of the most advanced in the world

Food

Armenian food is a mix of Mediterranean cuisine with pomegranates, feta, and spices, then you also have Russian with the pork, cabbage, and thick soups/porridge and some Arabic tastes in it. If you mix them all together than you get Armenian cuisine. It is not spicy but not bland either. In fact it is very flavorful and I would gladly eat it again.

Breakfast

Pamidorov Dzvadzekh Recipe– This was a tomato and egg scramble/omelette that I ate even though I don’t like eggs. It tasted more tomatoey than eggy to me

Armenian Lavash recipe– This is a very yummy, sweet, and savory flatbread. It has sesame on top and I was kind of mad when there was no more.

Feta

Basil, Cilantro, Parsley, and/or Dill

Pomegranates

Dinner

Khovorats Recipe – This is a delicious very flavorful grilled pork that was so juicy and I would love to eat it again.

Dolma Recipe – Dolma is Armenian stuffed cabbage in a tomato sauce and it was very delicious with the meat inside. You will have to go down to the bottom and go to the prepare the cabbage recipe to prepare the cabbage.

More Lavash

Dessert

Gata Recipe – This is an Armenian cake with crumbly sugar filling inside. I loved it but put it in the freezer after a day or else the dough will harden.

Culture

For culture we are writing Armenian because it is embedded into there culture and it also looked pretty cool. The Armenian alphabet is somewhat related to Greek as the first five letters are A, B, G, D, and Z (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon) but not that much. It was actually just made up out of nowhere by a man in 405 AD.

We found out a fact that is pretty cool. The Armenian Alphabet is related to the periodic table, even though the P.T. was invented in the 1869. An odd coincidence? The number as a letter (Ex. A = 1) added together in the word would equal the number of the element in the Periodic Table!  – for the 7 elements that were known at the time!!

We tried writing it and it turned out good. We tried to write I love you, Andrew and Isaac. Ö apparently is Yo so we were confused by that and there is also different Dz’s. To see the Armenian alphabet and how to write it go here:

Armenian Alphabet

Flag

The Armenian flag is simple 3 stripes of red, blue and orange going horizontally. Th blue stands for the Armenian sky, the orange standing for Armenia’s courage, and the red for the 1.5 million people that died in the Armenian Massacre. 

 

 

 

Next is the tiny Southeastern Asian country called…

 

After two months off (with lots of actual traveling of our own!) we are finally back on Playroom Passports to wrap up our first run of the alphabet with Zambia! It was between this landlocked southern African country and its neighbor Zimbabwe, and the boys agreed they’d prefer the lesser know country north of the Zambezi River.

Zambia, which is about the size of Texas, is home to some of the earliest stone age settlements, and for hundred of years was inhabited by Bantu people and then the Shona empire. And while the British claimed the area as their own in the 1800s it was not until the 1920s – when rich cooper deposits were discovered in the country – that foreigners took interest.

And in 1964 what was then Northern Rhodesia, finally gained its independence from Britain (and separation from Southern Rhodesia/Zimbabwe) and adopted the name Zambia (adapted from the Zambezi River).

Zambia is located on plateau, averaging 3,500 ft. above sea level, and it home the famed Victoria Falls (sharing it with Zimbabwe). Zambia is home to many unusual animal included a distinct breed of giraffes only found here and a small anteater -like animal called the pangolin.

Other interesting facts of Zambia include:

•  Zambia is among the 10 top countries with the highest fertility rate, as on average a
  woman gives birth to 5 to 6 children.
• English is the official language in Zambia, but more than 72 languages are spoken
• Protected wildlife areas make up one-third of the country.
• In Zambia there is only one doctor for every 20,000 people!

FOOD

Like most central African nations, Zambia also has a traditional starchy mush/dough eaten with every meal. Theirs is called nshimi, its corn-based and should really be used in place of utensils. (We learned that it’s considered polite to actually leave a little nshimi on your plate when you a done eating – apparently for the little kids in the kitchen!) Like many of its neighbors, Zambians  also love their peanut sauces and greens and unlike some there neighbors, they do like a little spice!

Breakfast

Vitumbua (or Zambian Fritters) – Generally eaten for snack or tea time, we decided on them for breakfast These are delicious and nearly exact to the fried dough treat eaten in LeSotho. We just rolled them in sugar!

Porridge with Peanut Butter and Honey – More of their traditional breakfast and we just used grits instead of corn porridge. Pretty yummy, still.

Blueberries – Apparently berries are a popular fruit in Zambia

Dinner

Nshima – We made this mixing some salt, corn flour and grits together and adding water and cooking it on the stove until it was a thick blob.

Village Chicken – We followed this recipe pretty exact (except used chicken thighs and not the local village chicken!) and it turned out pretty delicious.

Ifisashi – Basically greens (we used kale) stewed in a peanut and tomato sauce. Isaac and I really found this to be quite delicious but Andrew and Eve weren’t as sure!

CULTURE

As the women of Tongan tribe in southern Zambia are know for basket making, we
decided to learn more and try our hand at it as well. As their baskets take nearly two weeks to complete, our 30 minutes of basketmaking was not nearly as successful but fun!

The Tonga baskets are apparently known for their distinct square bottom and wide sides and elaborate designs. They make them out of ilala palms that grow in the region.

We decided to try and make baskets with the same look but just by using rope, a glue gun and markers. Andrew also wanted to learn how to properly weave a basket so we tried our best Tongan design just with paper. And after two rows of weaving, we figured out why they do need two weeks to get it properly complete!

 

….And now that we are officially through the country alphabet, there has been demand from the boys (specifically Isaac, who insists he will write a post every other letter) to continue on with another round of countries. So the next entry – in two weeks – will be… Armenia!

 

We only had one choice for Y. Yemen!!!

You’ve might go heard of Yemen before. Well it is on the news a lot because of civil because rebels are attacking the very old capital of Sana’a.

Putting all the war behind, Yemen is very mountainous being on the relatively flat Arabian Peninsula. Socotra island has some wildlife that can be found no where else on Earth. It is sometimes called the “Madagascar of Arabia”.

Yemen is somewhat like its neighbors. Mainland Yemen has some date palms and other plants that can be found on the Arabian Peninsula. It also has some of one of the world’s largest desert, the Empty Quarter. It also has some oil that can’t be used because of the civil war. For more facts go here: Yemen Powerpoint

Interesting Facts

• Despite all the violence Today Yemen was once known as “Felix Arabia” or Happy Arabia.
• Like Oman, Yemen has no permanent rivers or freshwater sources
• Yemen has the fourth highest birth rate in the world

Food

Yemeni food is distinct and can be spicy and hot. But they also have sweet dishes but not too sweet. Yemen does shares dishes with other middle eastern countries. Yemeni’s always use flatbread to scoop up there food. We made some pretty delicious dishes.

Breakfast

 

Bint al Sahn Recipe – This is a Yemeni cake that was delicious and sweet that we dipped in Honey.

Shakshuska recipe – This is not the traditional Yemeni recipe which has scrabbled eggs mixed with the sauce instead of poached ones. I only ate the sauce and Andrew only ate the Eggs but it did taste great.

Dinner

Saltah Recipe 1  and Saltah Recipe 2 – We combined both recipes with the meat from recipe one and everything else from recipe 2. It did turn out very good and I thought it was one of the best dishes that we made on Playroom Passports. For recipe 2 you are going to need to make Hulba (Link in the recipe) and for Hulba you’re going to need to make something called Bisbas (Again, link in the recipe.) If you don’t have fenugreek than you can mix toasted mustard seeds with maple syrup.

Yemeni Flatbread Recipe – This is a very delicious flatbread that Yemeni people eat with most meals. Use it to scoop up the solid stuff in the soup.

 

 

Culture

Civil war = Extreme Poverty

How are 8 million people in Yemen are in poverty??

That’s crazy and I really wanted to help them. Most of the emergency food being imported to Yemen are actually not for the Yemeni People. There for the soilders fighting the civil war which what started the poverty. The Shia Houthi rebels and Iran fighting the government, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

All this bombing has led to extreme poverty which now makes 40% of the population in poverty. For more sad facts and more explaining and meeting the people go here:Yemen on the Brink of Starvation.

The main agency that provides relief to civilians is the International Rescue Committee so please can you donate because we want to help people in poverty. We donated 100 food packets in hopes of helping just a few people. IRC Food Packet Donations.