Ropa Vieja literally means ‘old clothes’ which the dish can claim to resemble, if you use your imagination. It is the national dish of Cuba. According to a fun legend associated with the dish, a man who had no money and desperate to feed his family, started cooking his shredded clothes as he had nothing …
Quiche Lorraine is known as a French dish. It gets its name from the French territory of Lorraine, lying between France and Germany. However, according to historical records, the dish originated in the medieval times in the German kingdom of Lothringen. And it is exactly this region that the French acquired and changed the name …
Paprikash is a delicious stew-like dish from Hungary, with a centuries old history. The main flavoring ingredient of the dish is paprika, from which the dish’s name also originates. It is believed that it was created by the farmers of southern Hungary, the area famous for excellent quality paprika. The Hungarian National Cookbook published in …
Oaxaca is the south western region of Mexico, bordering on the Pacific Ocean. And home to a food culture that sets it apart from the rest of Mexico, or for that matter, any other part of the world. What is noteworthy about Oaxacan cuisine is that it has more or less stuck true to its …
Nasi Goreng Ayam literally means chicken fried rice and is a national dish of Indonesia. It is popular not only in Indonesia but also in neighboring countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. Migration of population has carried it over to countries all over as well. Nasi goreng ayam has originated from the Chinese fried rice, …
Moussaka is a classic dish from Greece. Layers of eggplant and meat are topped with a béchamel and baked to make a spectacular dish. Moussaka has a long recorded history, with a similar recipe appearing in ‘A Baghdad Cookery Book’ (Kitāb Al-ṭabīkh), written in the 13th century. Also, a very similar dish called ‘Mousakhkhan’ was …
Lomo saltado is a beef stir fry dish from Peru, originated in the Barrio Chino (Chinatown) of Lima. It has a very interesting history. During the 1800s, a large number Cantonese immigrants arrived in Peru to work on the railroads. Many of them, having worked as cooks on the ships to pay for their voyage, …
Kuku paka is a chicken and coconut curry, from the coastal East Africa, the region extending from the Northern point of Kenya to the southern point of Tanzania. Kuku means ‘chicken’ in the Swahili language spoken in the area. The dish is also sometimes called ‘kuku na nazi’ (chicken and coconut). A perfect blend of …
Jollof rice is a spicy aromatic rice preparation popular in many parts of West Africa. The dish takes its name from the Jolof empire that ruled around the Senegal region, in the 14th century. From West Africa, its fame has spread everywhere. Jollof food festivals have been held in cities like Washington DC and Toronto. …
Have you ever fainted from the sheer joy of eating something sooo delightful? Neither have I! However, today’s dish, Imam Bayildi, says that someone actually did just that. Imam bayildi literally means ‘imam (Muslim cleric) fainted’ in the Turkish language. Legend has it that the dish was so delicious and the imam lost his senses. …