The Portuguese arrived in Mozambique as a trading stop and gradually occupied the nation for about 470 years, one of the most brutal occupations in history. Vasco da Gama stopped in Mozambique on the way to India in 1498. It was a stop to refuel and rest. What he found was a vibrant trading community between the Arabs and the Swahili communities. By 1505, the Portuguese had taken over the island and controlled the trade in ivory and gold from Africa. They set up a system of "

In July of this year, I took a trip to Angola, one of the least touristy destinations in the world. This was a superb cultural and culinary trip organised by Roads & Kingdoms , and hosted by the fabulous food writer, historian, and cultural guru who was our guide for the week. On my first night, we went out to a local restaurant,  Churrascaria Nandinhos, renowned for its BBQ'ed chicken. I have lived in the US, and BBQ'ed chicken in the Virginia belt was what I considered th

Islamic culture has a tradition of bread puddings that arose from the need to use stale bread. It was a simple solution to soak the bread...