Younes came to me with a fun idea last month about doing what he called a culinary world tour. The idea was simple: to try out recipes from different countries one week at a time, taste testing our way around the world. Sounds delicious, sign me up!
The Planning Stage
We went back and forth quite a bit about how to put this idea into action. Younes wanted to do one continent every week and a different country from that continent every day. But that's a lot of money, effort, and food piling up in the fridge if you don't stop to eat the leftovers. Hello, leftovers!
So the plan evolved. We decided to do one continent a week, and three countries from that continent. That way we can try out several recipes from the same place. Now, when Younes said a week I think he meant a literal seven days. But for my purposes, the definition of a week has changed. A week will last until I've finished at least two dishes from three countries in the same continent. No one is measuring time in days or weeks now anyways.
How do we choose a country?
Everything with Younes has to be automated. We can't just choose the countries on our own, because where's the fun in that!? No, instead we're using a random country generator. We choose a continent, and then take turns hitting refresh until we get a country from that continent. Simple. Exciting.
First up, AFRICA
Sudan, Ethiopia, and Ivory Coast
Meal Prep
This first "week" will have our taste buds visiting Sudan, Ethiopia, and Ivory Coast. I know absolutely nothing about the cuisine from these places, so I think we've got a pretty good line up to get started with. I hope we can stick with it!
Once we had a list of countries, I started my online research. I searched the internet for authentic recipes that seemed doable for this amateur chef. The good news is I've got lots of time on my hands these days and everyone needs a hobby. (I've been promised help with the cooking, but time will tell.)
The research process took longer than I thought it would, but I finally made a grocery list and headed out to the stores where I can always count on finding international ingredients. Shout out to the Fresh Market and this local gem, the Mediterranean Mart.
Food is purchased. We're committed now.
Let's share it with the world
As we went through the discussion and planning, I kept wondering how I would document the tour. What is all this work good for, anyways? (I mean, eating good food is its own reward, but still...)
This is where the blog comes in. I've always thought it would be fun to do a blog and now I have the perfect subject and plenty of time. The starts are aligned. Time to start cooking!
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