[Countries]
Image from The Daring Gourmet
Hungary
My first goal was to look inward at my own heritage by making chicken paprikash for the first time. I was warmed by this dish from the inside out and pondered what it means to be from somewhere.
Peru
I discovered a new favorite dish, pescado sudado, solely because I needed to eat fish on a Friday and was in a pinch. These fresh, light flavors renewed my spirit and convinced me that spring was finally coming.
Image from Natasha's Kitchen
Russia
I journeyed to an unfamiliar part of the world to determine why every culture has their own take on a dumpling. Instead, I found that I am completely unable to wrap a dumpling correctly.
USA
I faced my immense distaste for olives in this traditional Louisiana sandwich, finding a new appreciation for balanced flavors and respect for the history and culture of New Orleans.
France
Is French cuisine truly the best of the best in the culinary world? To take a stab at that question myself, I made coq au vin. The dish proved to be both delicious and terribly difficult to pronounce.
Nigeria
Excited to explore West African cuisine, I attempted to make fried bean patties, a common breakfast and street food. Instead, I found myself pleading with a deep fryer and facing a complete kitchen catastrophe.
India
I recreated my boyfriend's go-to Indian order, found that it was actually pretty easy to make cheese, and tried to answer a tricky question: why is South Indian cuisine so underrepresented in the United States?
Cambodia
What a beautiful country, and what a tragic history. My decision to explore this Southeast Asian country resulted in a dish with sharp, pungent flavor, and an optimistic take on the rise of Cambodian cuisine.
Tonga
My complete lack of knowledge about Oceanic countries prompted me to make a Tongan dessert of dumplings in caramel sauce. Not only did I love the dessert, I was re-inspired to use familiar ingredients in new ways.
South Africa
A weird food hack video on social media helped me stumble across this creamy dessert. I jumped into making melktert, a delicious traditional South African sweet, and found comfort in the familiar flavors.
Antarctica
Originally, I said I'd hit every continent "except for Antarctica, obviously." I then looked into this researcher-inhabited area. Instead of mimicking an existing recipe, I've presented the most comforting dish I know.
