Pinakbet is a fantastic vegetable dish from the Philippines, which is indigenous to the northern parts of the country. This Filipino vegetable dish is made from mixed vegetables steamed in fish or shrimp sauce. The typical sauce used in the preperation of Pinakbet is extracted by a common ingredient used in the Philippines, known as Bagoong Terong and it is made by salting and fermenting the bonnet mouth fish.

Pinakbet – A fantsastic Filipino vegetable dish from the Philippines – Image by Joits – flickr

Filipinos love to use bitter melon along with other vegetables including eggplant, tomato, okra, string beans, chili peppers , parda, winged beans etc in cooking Pinakbet. Root crops and some beans like camote, patani, kadios are also optionally added. It is usually spiced with ginger, onions or garlic. The fantastic Filipino vegetable dish, Pinakbet is very popular in the Philippines for its mouth watering and exotic taste and for the veggie lovers around the lovely planet, Pinakbet is also an awesome feast.

Many people in the United States love the Chinese food known as “Mongolian Beef” which is normally served as a buffet dish. Mongolian Beef is only the name of this Chinese American dish; otherwise this never came from Mongolia. The pieces of the beef are sliced and then their strips are fried as steaks coated with spicy sauce. But before this the thin slices of the beef are mixed with cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce and pepper into a bowl. After keeping the beef marinated for almost half an hour, they are fried and stirred with oil and fried onions in wok. The best way to enjoy the Mongolian Beef is to eat it with stir-fried vegetables which not only add colors to this magnificent dish but it doubles its awesome taste. Some Americans also love the Mongolian Beef to be served over crispy fried cellophane noodles or with steamed rice. Mongolian Beef, the Chinese American Dish is prepared with many recipes and it is a part of the traditional American Cuisine.

An image of the Mongolian beef ( Courtesy: dwinning's photostream on flickr )

What if we tell you today about a salad from Latin America? This is a traditional dish of Guatemala, Fiambre, which is associated with the dead people.  Surprised? Oh, yes ! Fiambre is eaten in the memory of the beloved ones, who have passed away. Not every day. But on 1^st and 2^nd November specially, on the eve of the Day of the Dead (Día de los Difuntos) and the All Saints Day (Día de los Santos).

Fiambre: A traditional salad of Guatemala ( Image : Keneth Cruz - flickr )

The recipe of Fiambre is not same as it varies from people to people. Some people prepare Fiambre with fish, others use blood sausage in it. But all of them have some basics in common. It is essentially a pickled dish of many meats, cheeses, vegetables and canned goods, made into an elegant salad. The ingredients of Fiambre might be in number, 40 up to 50. Fiambre is an expensive dish, serving and sharing of which is a customary tradition of the people of Guatemala. The families are gathered in the cemeteries and clean the graves of their loved ones. They perform prayers and also put fresh flowers on the graves. They leave a dish of Fiambre along with a bottle of rum or cusha (local illegal liquor) for their deceased to feast on later. There are various types of Fiambre, a traditional dish of Guatemala, such as el tradicional (traditional), el dulce (sweet), el “divorciado“ (divorced), el blanco (white) and el rojo (red).

The people who have visited Tunisia, they will be well aware of a very famous breakfast dish served with crusty and day-old bread which is almost available from all of the restaurants even from street stalls. This is known as “Lablabi” made up of chickpeas which are soaked in water overnight.

Lablabi ; The favorite chickpeas soup from Tunisian Cuisine

The chickpeas are boiled in water till become tendered before preparing Lablabi and then these are mixed with spicy and hot soup containing the simmered mixture of fried garlic, harissa sauce, ground cumin, and salt. After becoming ready, Lablabi is served hot after adding lemon juice, olive oil, and bread crumbs. Tunisian cuisine is spicier as compared to other North African cuisine. The Lablabi can also be served by placing portions of bread crumbs in each soup bowl, ladling the soup over the bread, and pouring equal portions of lemon juice and olive oil over the soup. Lablabi soup is also liked with hardboiled egg or pan fried fish.

This is certainly an amazing experience to have a bowl of Lablabi, the favorite Tunisian chickpeas soup in breakfast when you are touring this wonderful part of Africa.