Country 1- Abhazia

Creamy mushrooms dish called Soko Arazhanit, Abysta the national dish of Abkhazia, which is a cornmeal, and Adjika which is a dish of pepper combos and almostly completely too spicy. As well as yogurt, pomegrante and cukecumbers.


I won’t lie. Until today, I don’t think I had ever heard of Abkhazia….despite the fact I have a degree in International Politics (which makes this fact somewhat embarrassing). Truth be told, most people have little to no idea about Abkhazia, so I will give some brief background information. I would post a YouTube video, but all the videos about Abkhazia require prior knowledge of the conflict and they do not provide good insight and explain the country’s history. (However, if you have some prior knowledge there is a video about Abkhazia that’s about 20 minutes, called “The Forgotten Country”, that is pretty decent). For some reason, one of the best ways I learn is through a combination of videos and Wikipedia. In retrospect, this is probably not the best way to learn. IF you are aware of the situation of South Ossetia it is pretty similar.

Abkhazia is a repressed and war torn country; its' plight is not commonly or globally known. The people of this country struggle for independence and freedom from rule by the country of Georgia and Russia. Home grown fruits and vegetables are plentiful. Many of the dishes obviously are shared with Georgia and surrounding regions. There was NOT a lot of information on Abkhazian cuisine, in fact the Wikipedia article linked me to Georgian cuisine---which I found frustrating. Since the countries are so blighted, I wanted to make sure that if there was a dish or recipe special to Abkhazia that they would be given credit. And if I am ever lucky enough for an Abhazian to read my blog, I want to make sure I don’t insult them! (Or anyone for that matter). After an extensive Google search, I found that their staple dish that is served at almost every meal is called “abysta” or “mamaliga”—an oatmeal/grits like dish of cornmeal. This was pretty simple to make, so I gladly added it to my list of things to make. The next thing that I saw that is served as a spicy side dish is a kind of pepper mix. I was unable to find a lot of the peppers they asked for—and it consequently, I believe it ended up way too spicy. From what I can tell, these are two very common things on an Abkhazian table. Understandably so—as the cornmeal is very inexpensive, and the ***** can last a long time, and isn’t that pricy either. (The 4 hot chili peppers cost me 0.06 cents total). I also discovered a Georgian Dish from another person who attempted this endeavor and cooked it for Abkhazia. I assume it’s probably served in Abkhazia but can’t be certain. However, I felt that I had two recipies that were definitely from Abkhazia, it was okay to make the Georgian dish especially since all articles said they shared cuisine. In case the dish was beyond DELICIOUS, and so simple to make. I HIGHLY recommend it to ANYONE.
Another thing that’s popular in Abkhazia is walnuts and I found a few interesting dishes that had walnuts; however someone I was cooking for has an allergy to them, so I skipped over these options. On Abkhazian tables, there is often lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, so I bought a pomegranate and also served some sliced cucumbers. I also served strained yogurt as well, I know yogurts are served there, and I know that strained yogurts are common in that region. (Versus the yogurts we have here, which I find disgusting, but I do love strained yogurt). All of these things together, created a delightful meal. The only thing I was missing was—drinks and dessert, which I guess Ill have to work on for next time—though I am pretty sure I am taking on a lot already.


I am not sure if people will be interested in reading the recipies or not. Sorry for the bad picture. After this, I plan to have much more exciting pictures. Out of this meal, the most recommended thing would probably be the Soko Arazhanit. It is one of the best and most tasty things I have EVER made, and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone out there. It’s really easy to make. And probably—if you have a hefty spice cabinet doesn’t cost more than a couple of dollars for the mushrooms, a dollar and some change for the light cream, and a buck for the fresh parsley. If you go to an Asian Market, (HMart, Great Wall) it will probably be even cheaper.

Cooking through 195 Country, and 9 Territories.

Yesterday evening, after more complaining about what to make for dinner and being tired of cooking and eating the same food. I said that I would cook at least one meal each week that represented a different country in the world and that I would not stop until I made a meal from every country. My family pretty much doubted I could do this---so I said GAME ON!!!

I did some internet searching and saw two people were currently doing this: one a professional chef (http://myhungrytum.com/), and more interestingly, a mother who lives in Massachusetts! She has a knack for writing, (and clearly for cooking) and her blog has been a great read. Thank you to these blogs for the inspiration to actually do this.


Sarah, from What's Cooking In Your World (http://www.whatscookinginyourworld.com/)-- is a self-taught cook, like me, which I find very appealing since anyone who knows my family--knows that I am LITERALLY self-taught...(aka, I love you mom and dad....but not your cooking) Sarah really does an awesome over the top job with her meals and makes more of an adventure than anything else. (ie. cooking a FIREPIT in here back yard...which if I do, I'll have to do before the ground freezes)

How many countries are there REALLY?

The definition of a country is a confusing one. As a international politics major, the idea of a country is even more confusing in my head--and I can't really explain it. Especially because there are lot of territories that though they are governed by other nations --have a completely different cultural and lifestyle---an example is Greenland, etc. For personal interest, I am including the 5 US territories, simply because I am personally interested in them. I am also going to include Greenland, because I am currently obsessed with it. Also when I do the UK--I plan on making the meal have dishes from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

According to Wikipedia, there are 193 UN recognized countries. I am going to the 10 soverign states which include Kosovo, Taiwan, Palestine, South Ossettia, etc. because I feel they deserve some kind of recognition. I also add things, like H'mong and Kurdish cuisine. I included places like French Polynesia (Bora,Bora & Tahiti), Aland Islands, etc. I added the 5 US teroritories--American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and Guam. There's a bunch more in there, and I'll post the list later--I'd love feedback, If you think I am forgetting some place near and dear to your very heart.