Purpose: Exposing children to food from a different country is a great way to teach children about culture. It engages their sense of taste and smell and it is a fun way to teach them about different people, what they eat and how they live.
If possible cook these recipes with the children so that they are able to get a sense of the ingredients used. Cooking the snacks together will also give them a sense of collaboration and empowerment. Another idea is to have each child bring an ingredient for which ever recipe you choose, that way the idea of working together to create a product that is better then each individual ingredient alone is illustrated.
If you have an oven available:
Mbatata (sweet potato) Cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 cups mashed sweet potato
1/4 cup milk
4 Tbs. melted margarine
1 1/4 cups sifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder
4 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix sweet potatoes, milk, and melted margarine and beat well. Sift and stir in the remaining ingredients. Turn onto a floured board, knead lightly and roll out 1/2 an inch thick. Cut with a cookie cutter. Place cookies on a greased baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle some cinnamon/sugar mixture on top.http://www.africaguide.com/cooking.htm
If you do not have an oven available:
We recommend creating a trail mix. Really any dry ingredients can be used. Here is one idea:
Ingredients:
4 cups Chex cereal
1/2 cup Dried fruit bits
1/2 cup Raisins
1/2 cup Yogurt covered peanuts
1/2 cup Reese's Pieces
Directions: Put into a large ziploc bag and shake to mix.
If you have a stove top available to you:
Another idea you might try are omelettes! Eggs are easy to come by in Rwanda, and so this is a dish that is cooked often over open fires. Each child could bring different ingredients, and each child also has the opportunity to decide which ingredients they would like in their omelette.
Questions for cooking activity
1. Give examples of typical food used or eaten in your home
2. What do the cookies recipe have in common with other cookies you have tried before?
3. Have you tried food from other countries? List names.
4. How is this recipe important for children in Rwanda?
5. How did you feel participating in this cooking activity?
References
Abwenzi African Studies(1996) Retrieved October 15, 2008 from http://www.lettersfromafrica.org/dir/subjects/snacks.html
The Africa Guide. African Cooking & Recipes. Retrieved October 22, 2008 from http://www.africaguide.com/cooking.htm
If possible cook these recipes with the children so that they are able to get a sense of the ingredients used. Cooking the snacks together will also give them a sense of collaboration and empowerment. Another idea is to have each child bring an ingredient for which ever recipe you choose, that way the idea of working together to create a product that is better then each individual ingredient alone is illustrated.
If you have an oven available:
Mbatata (sweet potato) Cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 cups mashed sweet potato
1/4 cup milk
4 Tbs. melted margarine
1 1/4 cups sifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder
4 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix sweet potatoes, milk, and melted margarine and beat well. Sift and stir in the remaining ingredients. Turn onto a floured board, knead lightly and roll out 1/2 an inch thick. Cut with a cookie cutter. Place cookies on a greased baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle some cinnamon/sugar mixture on top.http://www.africaguide.com/cooking.htm
If you do not have an oven available:
We recommend creating a trail mix. Really any dry ingredients can be used. Here is one idea:
Ingredients:
4 cups Chex cereal
1/2 cup Dried fruit bits
1/2 cup Raisins
1/2 cup Yogurt covered peanuts
1/2 cup Reese's Pieces
Directions: Put into a large ziploc bag and shake to mix.
If you have a stove top available to you:
Another idea you might try are omelettes! Eggs are easy to come by in Rwanda, and so this is a dish that is cooked often over open fires. Each child could bring different ingredients, and each child also has the opportunity to decide which ingredients they would like in their omelette.
Questions for cooking activity
1. Give examples of typical food used or eaten in your home
2. What do the cookies recipe have in common with other cookies you have tried before?
3. Have you tried food from other countries? List names.
4. How is this recipe important for children in Rwanda?
5. How did you feel participating in this cooking activity?
References
Abwenzi African Studies(1996) Retrieved October 15, 2008 from http://www.lettersfromafrica.org/dir/subjects/snacks.html
The Africa Guide. African Cooking & Recipes. Retrieved October 22, 2008 from http://www.africaguide.com/cooking.htm
Pictures copyrighted by Jen Lemen.
