Timothy Dzurilla's Blog

Posted by Timothy Dzurilla

Anyone can stroll into the nicest restaurants in town and eat the "finest" a city has to offer, but the curious eater is truly rewarded when sitting at a food stall talking with the local crowd and enjoying the local fare.

Nicaragua is no different. This is a short list of the wide variety of different local items found throughout the country.

Nacatamales: These packets of masa are not entirely different from the tamales of Mexico or Colombia. The Nacatamales of Nicaragua are mixtures of masa, rice, shredded meat, beans, and more all wrapped in large banana leaves and steamed for hours until the rice cooks through.

Empanadas: The empanadas in Nicaragua are similar to empanadas in other Latin American countries. A simple masa dough is flattened into a round and folded over a filling of rice, meat, and cheese. The packets are dipped in a batter and then deep-fried until they float. They are served with a simple cabbage salad and a spicy onion salsa.

Mondongo: The rich stew, typically found on Sundays in the markets and at road-side stalls, is for the true meat-lover. It is a combination of many of the tasty bits of a cow not typically found at a fine dining establishment. Large pieces of tripe, knuckle, and yucca swim in thick broth flavored with local herbs and tomato ketchup. Served with lime wedges and tortillas, this is a full meal that requires a siesta afterwards.

These are just a few of the foods I have found so far on my trip through Nicaragua. Join the dinner party and leave a message and recommend other street fare I should seek out.

Posted by Timothy Dzurilla

Nicaragua is Central America's largest country (129,494 sq km), but with a population of 5.5 million it's also the least densely populated. The country has a long history of oppression, revolution, counter-revolution, and amazing food. Despite the history of turmoil, Nicas (the local name for Nicaraguans) are some of the warmest people around.

"My country is a very happy place," Luis proudly says as we drive through the streets of the capital city, Managua. Seeing children playing, the curb-side grills and bubbling, steaming pots, and the families sitting together with their doors open to the world, Luis seems to have a point.

Nacatamales, ceviche, mondongo, stewed meats, gallo pinto and fresh tropical fruits are all on the menu as I travel through Nicaragua for the next few months searching out the best places to eat in the major cities as well as the most rural of communities.

Please leave comments if you have any suggestions on where to eat, what local fare to sample, or want to recommend any local organizations working towards an even happier future I should visit.

Posted by Timothy Dzurilla

Marlon is the leader of his remote jungle community in Nicaragua. A gentle-hearted 35 year old who has two children of his own and cares for another teen who lost her parents in recent conflicts.

He has organized the coffee farmers in several of the surrounding areas in a cooperative so that they may share knowledge, shipping costs, and the price of purchasing Fair Trade certification. The great thing about Fair Trade certification is that it allows for this small cooperative to make a reasonable wage for their produce which they would be unable to without both the organic and fair trade stamps on their coffee which sells for a premium in the US.

The idea is that this certification allows for the protection of workers' collective rights and to sooth consumers' anxieties for a fixed cost.

Now the pickle here is that this is a certification that protects the rights of the collective workers rather than the individual farmers and is being dictated by consumers rather than big government.

"I don't know if we're going to be able to comply with the regulations this year," explains Marlon.

"You see, our kids have school only twice a week because it is so far away. The rest of the time they work picking coffee."

"This year, they are demanding that no child under the age of 16 works in the fields. There are 16 year old here with wives and homes already. How are they suppose to manage? Our children help pick the coffee during harvest. We cannot afford to hire workers like the large plantation. How are we suppose to manage?"

Child labor is a human rights violation, we can all agree on that. The idea with this regulation is to protect the collective rights of children, but it comes at the expense of individuals like Marlon and the members of his communities. Continuing on this path, Fair Trade coffee will drive his community in a helpless situation where they will have to work on someone else's farm to survive.

Is Fair Trade better than not? Probably. But as long as it is a system dictated by Western consumers presupposing other people's plights and transposing Western standards of development without the support to protect the individuals, that coffee should taste just as bitter as any other mass-produced gruel.

Posted by Timothy Dzurilla

One easy way to save money on your food bill is to pay attention to which foods are locally in season. Fresh produce everywhere from your nearby super-grocer to a farm stands will be significantly lower in price.

Besides being affordable outings, visiting local agrotourism locations can be a great opportunity to pick up some fresh produce at an affordable price. Also, ask around about any local food share programs. This is a great way to have fresh produce, sometimes delivered directly to your home, as it is available and at a greatly reduced priced price. While it's too late to join a community supported agricultural program this year, this is the best time to ask around to see what the options are come springtime.

Seasonal produce in October:

• Cranberries
• Pumpkin
• Butternut Squash
• Sweet Potatoes and Yams
• Nuts

Once you know what the local ingredients are, you're going to need some great, simple recipes.

This month try out purchasing a whole pumpkin and using the flesh for Jamaican Pumpkin Soup and then use the seeds for Pipián sauce or making pepitas.

Posted by Timothy Dzurilla

Cumin is one of the more common spices in Latin cooking that you can grind in your own kitchen. After you try this little trick out for yourself, you will never go back to using preground spices.

To grind spices, you can use a mortar and pestle, but it is much faster to use a coffee grinder. Some people keep two coffee grinders in their kitchens –one for coffee and one for spices– to ensure the flavors do not get confused and muddled in the processs of sharing. This is a waste of time, space, and money in my opinion.

To make sure your flavors do not get mixed up, you can grind a small handful of dry rice. The grinding of the rice will remove any of the spice or coffee that is left in the grinder. Once you have a clean spice grinder, or mortar and pestle you are ready to grind your spices.

• To start, purchase whole cumin seed. Some recipes call for using whole cumin seed, but it is more common to see ground cumin.
• Toast the cumin see in a hot skillet. To do this, just drop a small handful of the seeds into a hot pan without any oil. Shake the pan to ensure you do not burn your seeds. You will know when the seeds are toasted when they become fragrant (your nose will certainly let you know).
• Transfer the toasted seeds to your grinding machine or choice and grind to a fine powder.

It is best to roast and grind your spices as close to the time of use, but you can make a little jar of ground cumin for yourself that will still taste pretty good for up to a week.