HELLO, WORLD! THE GCI NEWSLETTER Issue 13 Hello, World! THE GCI NEWSLETTER INSPIRATION FOR PROGRAM PLANNING FROM THE GLOBAL CULINARY INITIATIVE COMMITTEE October 2020 Armchair Travels: Exploring Chapter Activities Ideas Consider some of these ideas for your chapter’s next GCI programs. World Cuisines • Support Local Restaurants: Often, international restaurants are smaller mom and pop establishments without the Faced with stay-at-home edicts and global The Arctic Circle resources for promotion. Make a list of all travel restrictions, your most adventurous trip • The Arctic Council’s award-winning book of them in your town and find out how each might be to the grocery store. is conducting business—curbside pickup, celebrates the abundance and diversity of But pack your bags! In this issue, we’ll venture delivery, outdoor service only, etc. (You may foods and the extraordinary food cultures need language translators.) Create a master off the beaten path to far-flung locations on a built over 10,000 years. The Arctic is changing list, post it to your website, and promote on virtual tour around the globe. in unprecedented ways. but the book teaches your social media platforms. We’ll meet fascinating people, partake in powerful lessons in sustaining Indigenous • Learn Together: select one of the countries intriguing food, and learn about centuries-old Northern Peoples. in this newsletter for further exploration. customs to connect us to our world. • Discover Alaska’s ancient Arctic foodways and Choose an iconic recipe that Dames could dishes like akutuq or “Eskimo ice cream”— make, and build a remote GCI meeting Antarctica hand-whipped reindeer fat, seal oil, and wild around this country. Everyone could • Did you know penguins and polar bears live berries. Traditional foods are essential to contribute their own research to add to the on opposite ends of the globe? The Ocean maintaining the health of Native Alaskans. discussion and enjoy the designated recipe Conservancy explains the differences between together. the continent of Antarctica, the southernmost Europe • Invite a Far-Away Expert: The pandemic continent, and the Arctic region to the north. • Nordic Iceland’s heritage foods include has erased geographical boundaries, now fermented shark and singed sheep’s head. that we’ve learned to use tools like zoom • If you were a polar explorer, how would Dietary mainstays include yogurt-like skyr to stay connected. So, host a remote GCI you survive the extreme conditions of the (technically cheese), ice cream, Icelandic fish session and invite a food expert from Antarctic? Learn about the basic foods and chips, hot springs rye bread baked with any part of the world to give a talk or required and the science of diet. geothermal energy, and lamb hot dogs. cooking demonstration online, adjusting • Meet the extraordinary chef of the remote for mutually convenient time differences. • Norsemen settled the idyllic, beautiful Faroe Rothera Research Station in Antarctica, where Focus on a relatively-undiscovered cuisine, Islands, a non-sovereign nation within the food is shipped in just once a year. He works such as one from this newsletter. Kingdom of Denmark. The Faroese are known magic for the British Antarctic Survey team. • Share Travel Ideas: Just because you can’t for their hospitality and legendary seafood and travel as much right now doesn’t mean you • Meanwhile, scientists at the equally isolated lamb. Wind drying and fermentation—traditional can’t plan for the future. Host a GCI wine Concordia Station, the French-Italian research methods that create distinct flavors and and travel evening online. Each Dame tells facility, enjoy their own exceptional cuisine. textures—preserve meat and fish. These ancient the group where in the world they’d like to • Fancy a trip to Antarctica? An ultra-luxury techniques are proudly incorporated in Faroese visit; Dames who have been to the country expedition ship will get you there! restaurant culture today. can share tips on restaurants, must-see sites, food tours, etc. HELLO, WORLD! THE GCI NEWSLETTER Issue 13 2 • The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in layers of dough filled with out how this smallest country in Norway safeguards one million chopped meat and fat; and Latin America blends European, seed varieties, including sacred ingredients like carrot, onion, Lebanese, Amerindian, Jewish, corn from the Native American potato, or pumpkin; all steamed in African, Chinese, Hindustani, Cherokee Nation and 27 plant a multi-layered pot. Not on many and Javanese influences into its species from Highgrove, the family restaurant menus, to experience food culture. Then try some residence of Prince Charles. this classic dish, you need to be Surinamese recipes. • Read this fascinating story about invited to a Kyrgyz home. • Brazil is the only nation in South papal gastronomy at Vatican City, an • Blogger Feride Buyuran discusses America where Portuguese is ancient city state and the world’s her cookbook, “Pomegranates and the dominant language. Culinary smallest independent nation. Saffron,” the first comprehensive traditions are rich and varied, • Often overlooked, food of the cookbook on Azerbaijani cuisine reflecting influences from Balkan Peninsula is a cocktail of published in the U.S. Europe, Africa, the indigenous cuisines drawing from countries • For the armchair adventurer and Amerindian people, plus a recent that had ruled it, including Greeks, cook – here is an introduction to North America Asian influence, which is mostly Japanese. Try a sampler of recipes. Romans, Byzantines, and Turks. the iconic foods of Afghanistan, • While Greenland is geographically Learn about Balkan cuisine. Then including Kabuli Pulao, the part of North America, it’s closer • Peru leads the world in fusion salivate over the 17 regional country’s national dish. Each in spirit to Europe and is now part cuisines. Nikkei cuisine blends dishes worth exploring. featured dish is linked to a recipe. of the Kingdom of Denmark. “Taste Peruvian foods with the culinary • Moldova, in Eastern Europe, often • As is often the case with island of Greenland,” a series of short traditions of Japan. Peru is home goes unnoticed, due to its small nations like Sri Lanka, the clips, follows Chris Coubrough, a to the second largest ethnic size. Known for its hospitality cuisine reflects an amalgam of New Zealand chef who is leading Japanese population in South and winemaking, the country’s influences triggered by conquest, the innovation of Greenlandic America. Meanwhile, Chifa cuisine wholesome cuisine is influenced trade, and migration. Enjoy this food culture. Seafood and meat are has emerged from Peru’s Chinese by Romania, Russia, and Greece. comprehensive essay on the food Greenland’s primary food sources; community and successfully A national dish, mamaliga, is springing from those influences. even so, it’s possible to be vegan. blends Peruvian and Chinese ingredients and techniques. similar to polenta. • On the coast of Borneo, Brunei • Discover why Saskatoon, known • Russia’s cuisine is one of the has one of the highest standards as the “Paris of the Prairies,” • Paraguayan food isn’t as well- world’s most underrated. In this of living in the world. Explore is Canada’s next great culinary known as other South American video, travel to modern kitchens the cultures and cuisines of the destination, from this survey by cuisines, but it should be! A producing innovative Russian tiny equatorial country, which Reader’s Digest. favorite dish, Sopa Paraguaya, isn’t fare and to the tables of the old is strongly influenced by Malay soup at all; it’s cornbread with • Six classic, quirky dishes of onion, corn kernels, and cheese. Russian Empire. Learn about culture and Islamic religion. Nova Scotia include the famous traditional Russian ovens, once Africa Rappie Pie. It always seems to Australia and Oceania central to peasant life. have a minimum of 10 pounds of • West African food is richly varied, • Australians love biscuits (cookies). potatoes. Scottish, with a touch of from country to country, and Try the soft, succulent cookies France via Arcadia, Louisiana! from different ethnic groups. But called Lamingtons. there are some unique flavors and • Everyone knows tequila and • While definitely Australian, ingredients that unify. mezcal, but here are 15 refreshing, the island of Tasmania has a non-alcoholic drinks from Mexico • Here are five of the most popular distinctive food identity. Indulge that are mostly pre-Hispanic and dishes of Algeria, including jwaz, a in an armchair tour of the locally not well known. favorite vegetable meal. The word grown foods and wines. refers to any dish that cooks • The Afro-Panamanian cuisine of • Among the foods to try in Tahiti is slowly in a pot. A rustic dish, it Panama is a culinary legacy from the national dish, known in French is made with carrots, potatoes, the West Indies. Learn more as poisson cru and in Tahitian as tomatoes, and onions. about Panama’s culinary roots. ia ota. Learn more about it and • Burkina Faso is a French-speaking, South America other French Polynesian foods, then try a few recipes. landlocked African country where • Guyana is the only South there are high levels of food American country where English insecurity, a Slow Food movement Asia is the official language. It’s also is taking root to defend food the most culturally distinct, with • Learn about the lifestyles, culture, security, preserve agricultural a Caribbean vibe and a diverse history, and food traditions of practices, and recover traditional cuisine that merges Amerindian, the Mongolian people. While food preparation methods. African, East Indian, Chinese, and cities have sprung up in parts of • Here are 12 Ghanaian dishes you European influences. Mongolia, nomads still comprise Global Culinary must try. One of them, Jollof Rice, Initiative a large part of the country, • While speaking Dutch, sparks a great rivalry between maintaining the lifestyle learned Surinamese don’t eat Dutch, Copyright 2020 Ghana and Nigeria.