Global Food Blog Report #35 · Global Voices
Melissa De León

#1: Yulinka Cooks shares her recipe to prepare Sauerkraut. This new food blogger cooks up Russian food, an often-overlooked food from the former Soviet republics, especially Uzbekistan, Armenia and Georgia.
My sauerkraut is currently on day three of fermenting, and I’m excited to think that it could be done as early as Friday. Never having pickled anything besides some super-easy pickles, I approached this first sauerkraut-making venture with trepidation. Read more…
#2: Visit Argentina without a passport! The CookingDiva takes you to: The Butcher Shop, The Belgrano Market, and you will even watch how they bake empanadas in a mud-oven.
#3: From Panama, Chef Elena teaches how to prepare puff pastry (ES), a step by step pictorial guide and a delicious recipe. Head over to her blog and show off your baking gifts!
#4: From the Philippines,  The Pilgrim's Pots and Pans bakes "Muff-cakes"
What are muff-cakes? A cross between muffins and cupcakes (refer to previous post differentiating muffins and cupcakes). Even if I used hard wheat flour (usually meant for yeasty breads) and given the ratio of flour, sugar, oil and eggs, these are definitely cupcakes but since a good amount of the sugar and eggs, not to mention milk, went into the curdled mixture, the batter for this recipe was dough-like and so the finished product looks more like a muffin. Read the complete, very interesting post…
#5: Field to Feast prepares a Fish Stew from Nigeria:
By the end of the trip, I had identified several favorite dishes. First, there was moin-moin – a steamed cake of ground legumes studded with tiny fish and hard-boiled egg, and dyed a lovely rose color from the use of palm oil. I’d usually order moin-moin with a side of dodo, which are fried plantains similar to the ones you’d eat at a Cuban restaurant. I also enjoyed a wide variety of fish stews and soups.
And  a Botswana Chow-da:
Sweet and spicy, smooth and creamy, Botswana chowder has become one of our preferred weeknight dinners and a favorite recipe to share with friends. One acquaintance was so enamored with Botswana chowder that she e-mailed the recipe to a relative in the States, who reportedly wrote back, “I never knew I wanted to eat warm, spicy peanut butter and yogurt. But I do.” You will, too.
#6: Cooking up a Story, a video blog about food and people, shares with the world the story behind a successful sausage making family business spanning four generations whose ancestors came from Germany. "A good Justice" is a must-see story of how the business grew and was handed down generation to generation with the same family. It is truly a delightful inspiration!
#7: From Budapest, Hungary: Dumneazu writes about "Where Food Comes From"
On Saturday farmers come come to Bosznák tér to sell produce. The farm bred chickens are incredible – no comparison to the tasteless, watery birds available at supermarkets. And the slab bacon and sausages that are on sale here are homemade, ugly, and absolutely delicious. Screw supermarkets, this is where food comes from, unwrapped, unadulterated, and sometimes with the head and feet still attached. Read the complete report now…
#8: From Canada: Is that my Bureka? unveils the story behind "Dulces de Membrillo" and Cydonia Oblonga, better known as quince:
I grew up with knowing this called a few different ways — ayva, coing and membrillo/bimbriyo. none of my childhood friends at the time really knew what in the world this was if i mentioned it. It was foreign to them. Quince has historically been a significant fruit in sephardic circles. in spanish it is called membrillo and is commonly jellied and served with manchego cheese. In the ladino language it is called bimbriyo [the m is pronounced as a b], and is cooked the same way, used in jellies, jams and sweets. It is sometimes used in stews with meats and used as one of the fruits blessed at rosh hashana. Continue reading…
#9: From Notes from Spain: a podcast on "Marmitako," a warming Basque fish stew that receives its name from the saucepan that it is cooked in, a Marmita.
#10: Cook Sister's chronicles from Dubai:
The concierge had suggested a Chinese, an Indian and a Russian restaurant nearby as alternatives as well, but since we had Indian in London the night before we left, and I’m spoilt by our lovely local Chinese Yi Ban, and the Russian restaurant looked more like the Russian version of a greasy spoon, we opted for Lemongrass. The décor is lovely and restful with thoughtfully chosen Thai artifacts and muted colours. I also particularly liked the crockery which was square and white with a green crackle-glaze centre (but then I’m a sucker for a square plate…!). For starters, I chose the Lemongrass vegetarian set, which included tempura vegetables (zucchini, I think?), something that resembled a very un-greasy potato rosti and cubes of deep-fried tofu, all to be dipped into a sweet & sour peanut dip. Read the complete report...
I'll be back soon with more!