THIS WEEK MARKED the annual World Food Day, an initiative started to highlight the plight of hunger across the world.
To mark the occasion – and to celebrate achievements in food security and agriculture - Goal has shared some fascinating images of worldly foods with us.
The charity’s aid workers obviously sacrifice a lot when they move to help those in need in foreign nations. Here they share their personal experiences with food during those difficult times of famine, poverty and conflict.
“I was so busy in Iraq that sometimes I’d forget to eat. I did get to try masgouf, however. It is a traditional dish of grilled carp, and the de facto national dish of Iraq. It was the best fish I’ve ever eaten.” -James Kelly, Roving Humanitarian Officer
“In South Sudan dietary diversity was severely limited, especially in the rainy season when flights bearing supplies of freshfood were unable to land for extended periods. Staple foods were rice, beans, goat and ugali – a bland maize porridge that provided sustenance, but little else. Goat is a grizzly meat at the best of times, but it was better than the alternative – a pungent flat fish that could hibernate in the dried out mud at the bottom of the river during dry season. This fish smelt distinctly of feet, and tasted little better.” –James Cousins, GOAL Desk Officer
“In Ethiopia, at the height of the famine in 1985, we had nothing to eat but tinned cheese. I never saw it before or since. I felt guilty about having food to eat amongst people who had none. I remember coming home to Ireland after 12 months in Ethiopia and being stunned by the aisles, the vast array of food, and the amount of space dedicated to cat and dog food in the supermarket.” - Maura Lennon, GOAL Fundraising Officer
“Mopani worms, a delicacy in Zimbabwe, are probably the most unusual food I’ve eaten during my time with GOAL.” – Gabriella Prandini, GOAL Programme Advisor
“Injera, an Ethiopian flatbread, is a bit like marmite - you either love it or hate it. I made it once in a prison. It’s contains tef flour, an ancient grain only really found in Ethiopia. It is fermented to give it a sour taste. You end up with a sort of porridge mix which is then poured onto a hot plate. The key to it is measuring the pour. You start from the outside and pour gradually inwards in concentric circles, making sure you have enough left so that you don’t have a hole in the middle. Needless to say I cocked it up and made prisoners laugh.” – Peter Heaney, GOAL Desk Officer
“Potatoes over here aren’t called potatoes, they’re called ‘Irish’. Staples vary depending on the region, but include cassava, beans and rice.” –Lachlan Butcher, GOAL Uganda Communications Officer
“Ethiopian food is really delicious. A favourite of mine is a traditional dish called Kitfo, made with raw minced beef, a chili powder spice blend, butter, herbs and spices.”- Laszlo Gobolyos, GOAL Logistics Officer
“On a recent trip I tried kabalagala- a type of pancake made from ‘apple’ bananas and cassava flour. This one cost about three cent and was bought from a street vendor in Kampala.” – Louise Kelly, GOAL IT Officer
“I remember a saying from my time in Malawi – ‘a man cannot have his nsima with the same sauce everyday’. If you’ve ever had nsima – a bland kind of porridgy mash made from maize– you’ll know the value of adding a decent sauce.” – Cian Doherty, Donations Officer
“You often forget how diverse your diet is living in Ireland. People complain about the boring ‘meat and two veg’, but that meat and veg changes each day, and there is always something nice for afterwards. Last week we had a great feast to celebrate Eid al Adha. My face lit up when I saw chicken, tomatoes and cabbage on offer. Perhaps the treat came too soon for me though. I haven’t been here too long yet, but already I’m starting to crave an apple or a banana. I never thought the day would come when I would be wishing for some potatoes.” –Aisling Daly, Roving NIPPS Assistant
“Lake Hawassa offers a variety of fish. In particular the Tilapia is eaten and its row meat is very delicious, especially with grounded pepper and Local bread (injera) “ - Messay Fisseah, GOAL Ethiopia Logistics and Finance Officer
All images from Goal
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