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Recipes from Madagascar
Madagascar, the 4th
largest island in the world, is home to many unique species of plants and
animals thanks to its geographical isolation. Unfortunately, much of the
land is suffering because the Malagasy people have herded and farmed land
that once was tropical forest in order to survive. Many fruits and
vegetables grow in Madagascar, including mangos, grapes, pineapples,
avocados, lichee nuts, tomatoes, bananas, scallions and turnips. A famous
food product is the vanilla bean, which is grown for export, but also is
used extensively in flavoring local dishes. The native people are Malayan
Polynesian, with Indian, African, Arab and European heritage as well, all
of which contributes to an interesting cuisine. A good resource, from
which the fruit salad recipe below is taken, is the African Studies Center
at the University of Pennsylvania, whose web site address is http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/.
Fruit Compote with
Lichee Nuts (Madagascar)
yields 1 quart, serving app. 8
Salady Voankazo
| In
a 2-quart glass bowl, combine: |
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1
cup fresh pineapple in 1-inch pieces, 1 cup cantaloupe in
small pieces, 1 cup oranges, peeled and thinly sliced, and
½ cup sliced strawberries |
| Mix
the fruits until well-blended. |
| Pour: |
½
cup canned lichees across top of fruit |
| In
a small saucepan, combine: |
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½
cup sugar, ½ cup water, ¼ teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons
lemon juice |
| Bring
to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat. |
| Add: |
2
tablespoons vanilla extract to the syrup |
| Pour
the hot syrup over the fruit and chill in the refrigerator
for one hour |
To serve, bring the salad to the
table along with a small cruet of pure vanilla extract. Spoon the
compote into small glass dishes and sprinkle with additional
vanilla. |
Chicken with Garlic
and Ginger (Madagascar)
serves 5 to 6
Akoho misy Sakamalao
(ah-KOO-hoo mee-see sha-kah-mah-LAH-no) The combination of garlic
and ginger used in this dish is a common one in Malagasy cooking.
| Cut
in serving pieces: |
3
pound chicken (remove skin if you prefer) |
| Prepare: |
2-inch
piece fresh ginger root peeled and grated or crushed
6 cloves garlic, finely minced or crushed |
Rub ginger and garlic into the
chicken. Sprinkle with a little salt. Place a small amount of oil in
a large frying pan and gently cook chicken on low heat until done,
about 40 minutes. Test to make sure chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Serve with cooked rice, which is a
staple food in Madagascar.
If you wish to serve a meal, you
might decorate the table with bright colors, and put a flower at
each place. Orchids are likely too expensive, but you can use any
nice flower. Cooked spinach and ripe sliced tomatoes could accompany
the meal. It is not common practice to serve bread or rolls. If you
want to eat in a true Malagasy style, you would serve the meal on a
mat on the floor, with everyone gathered around the food, sharing
from a common dish. A good beverage to serve would be tea, although
we cannot usually find Malagasy tea in the U.S.
Recipe from Extending
the Table: a world community cookbook by Joetta Handrich
Schlabach, Herald, 1991, p. 230
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