Global Food Blog Report # 20 · Global Voices
Melissa De León

We keep a database of delicious food blogs from all over the world, and make sure to follow their creations and stories every week. Being the blogoholic I am, I spend endless hours searching and blog-hopping trying to find new and interesting blogs to feature. We love to learn about your country, your culture through your culinary traditions…, so if you know of a great food blog that we have not featured yet, please post a comment and we will visit it asap! You've got my girl scout's word :)
#1: Rani and Raja: Hot Tamales and they are Red Hot!
We made another batch of tamales. They are not a particular style of tamales. I used techniques and styles from the all over the tamal diaspora. My tamales are by no way traditional but they honor the ingredients and respect the methods of preparation that have been developed over the centuries in Latin American kitchens. I used maseca that I bought from my local tamal parlor. They make it right here in the Mission district of San Francisco. But I plan to make the masa from scratch some day with some tips from El Amor por la Cocina.  Check out her real deal Tamales Panameños with a great step by step recipe en español.   Also, get hip to the Food Diva, and check out her authentic Mexican tamales. READ THE COMPLETE POST HERE!
#2: Obachan's Kitchen: Konnyaku Day!
Jason of Pursuing my passions kindly invited me to join a blog event, “Konnyaku Day” which falls on May 29th. To celebrate this day and bring the lovely gray food into the spotlight, participants post about johnnycake dish on his/her own blog and send URL to Jason so that he can do a roundup. OK. Here’s my johnnycake post :)
If you are not familiar with konnyaku, wikipedia tells you what it is. It certainly is considered as a diet food today, but when I was a child, it was known for a different health benefit; it was said to prevent urethral calculus. I heard this from our elementary school teacher, and I’ve met several people who said, “Oh, yeah! I’ve heard of that, too!” And none of them knew why and how konnyaku could prevent that disease. I don’t, either. :P
BTW, I wonder how many of the participants decided to join this Konnyaku Day event because they really love this gelatinous food. To be honest, I have never been too crazy about konnyaku. Yes, there were a couple of times that I truly enjoyed delicate and tasty sashimi konnyaku from Kyoto or somewhere. But usually I don’t feel so happy when I find that gray stuff in simmered dishes. Nevertheless, I always include konnyaku in the ingredients when I make oden (Japanese hotchpotch) for a particular reason that I mentioned in my previous post.
Now, for this post, I chose something I have heard of but never tried making before. Get the DELICIOUS Recipe now!
#3: The Candied Quince: Baking Baklava
In my three decades on this planet, I’ve yet to meet a piece of baklava I didn’t like.
It matters not whether it is syrup-soaked or dry and flaky … pistachio-filled or brimming with walnuts … diamond-shaped, rectangular, round or square. If it’s baklava, I will eat it. And I will enjoy every sweet and nutty mouthful.
Here in Toronto, satisfying a craving for baklava is ridiculously easy.  A quick stop in Greektown or visit to any Middle Eastern food shop, and you’re walking away with a little pastry-filled paper bag and a great big smile. Even most grocery stores offer a passable version or two of this toothsome treat. As with most sweets, however, nothing beats homemade. Not only does making baklava at home mean you get to nibble on it while it’s warm and almost obscenely fresh, but you also get to luxuriate in the buttery, nutty, and spicy aroma while it slowly bakes in the oven. Need I add that—unless you’re one of those cute people who believes in sharing—making a pan of baklava means you get to eat a pan of baklava?? Continue reading this post!
#4: Jamie Oliver visits Mallorca and Joan Debit, from Tu Cocina (ES) gives us the scoop and a great photo!
#5:  Elvira, from Tasca da Elvira (FR) shares her favorite recipe to prepare the PERFECT PIZZA from scratch. It not only looks delicious, but so easy! The timing is just right, how about preparing it to watch your favorite team at the Football World Cup?
#6:   Verdant San Francisco explains everything about  Anazasi Beans. Have you ever tried them?  Find out how do they look, the history behind them and how to prepare this beautiful bean.
I've been going over my budget recently. With the money I'm putting into the comic book, I really need to start saving more money each month. The biggest preventable loss of money comes from eating out.
So I raided my pantry and pulled out the Anasazi beans I purchased several months ago. I've never had them before, and bought them solely because of the interesting, mottled look. Here's a quick history of the Anasazi Bean.
I kept everything pretty basic and just boiled the pound of dry Anasazi beans with the customary onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and my personal additions of turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger powder…CONTINUE READING THIS POST!
#7: Pisto y No Pisto (ES) help us to learn about the German gastronomy, specially the "sausages." He states that he is not a "football lover" but to honor the World Cup he has prepared this interesting report.
#8: MsAbcMom has the perfect salad recipe for you: Tabouli Salad! It works wonders as a light dinner or as a ready-to-eat meal, waiting for you at the fridge for a quick lunch or snack. Yum!
#9:  Slashfood on "No homemade cakes allowed," which is the latest modality in some nursing homes of the UK:
It is a sad day, indeed, when venues like nursing homes start prohibiting homemade cakes on the grounds that it is more "responsible" to allow only store-bought cakes. Today, unfortunately, is that day.
A former nurse and award winning baker, Elaine Richards, was told that her homemade cakes were not permitted to be served to any residents of the Age Concern center in Barnstaple, UK. A director said that "they have many disabilities and some of them are diabetic and our policy is to keep them as well and safe as possible." Richards thought this was ridiculous, given that her cakes are made with natural ingredients and free-range eggs, without the artificial colors, flavors and other components of the store cakes.
#10: Ginger and Mango: Green Blog Project!
Indira’s beautiful pictures about methi seeds inspired me to start this Green Blog Project. I love cooking as well as gardening. And someone famous once said, “A good cook always is a good gardener” (hehehe. I made that up!). But won’t it be nice, if we can host something every summer and winter, with the vegetables we grow in our garden? Continue reading this post!
While you are at her blog you will notice that some parts are in Mayalam, therefore we are including the following info., just in case you need it!
Malayam Blogs: The Next Revolution in Malayam Literature! From a handful of writers a few years ago, Malayalam blog world has grown into a full-fledged literary universe promising to take over the traditional print media at least in the on-line arena. These smart literary enthusiasts effectively handle categories ranging from humor, satire, short stories, poetry, cooking and photography to science and environment. They review the contemporary literature. They support, correct and criticize each other to improve the quality of their output on a daily basis. Unlike the paid writers of the traditional media, the only motivation of this dedicated group is their creativity.
Have a wonderful week!