A little back story: in 2014 I came across a recipe on a design blog which reminded me of the mesemen I ate for breakfast on a trip to Morocco once. I was thinking about how I always gravitate to finding those convenient, portable, and most likely ‘safe-to-eat’ baked or fried dough-based staples in every new country I visit. A Pinterest board for countries from A-Z slowly formed.
As I compiled a list of breads from Abhkazia to Zimbabwe, I found enjoyment out of researching these “staple breads” for each country and learning a little about each country’s cuisine and traditions. For some countries the challenge to find a bread-like food and accompanying recipe was almost impossible (and in some cases actually impossible). In other countries (France, Germany, Italy) it was a challenge to select something I wanted to cook and that was common enough to represent that country. I’ve also tried to not double up on breads for those countries that are very similar – as much to make it more interesting for me and my taste test team.
I hope you enjoy reading about the baking experiences and get inspired to try out cooking something new yourself.
*Now for those who may be wondering, the list of “countries” I used was based on a list in Wikipedia from mid 2014 so officially the current list for you may look a little different.
** And for those who are particularly observant about the blog post dates – I generally don’t post the same day as I bake. I am trying to get through 3 breads a week so I can finish before it’s Spring in Europe (and get outside in the sunshine). I will try to post the results within the same week.
staplebread 