A friend who served in the Peace Corps in Senegal once told us that she thought we'd be fascinated by the food. The thought got tucked away and somewhat forgotten until we received a copy of Yolele!, chef Pierre Thiam's cookbook devoted to this West African's country's cuisine. Wow, our friend was right! As we've discovered, Senegalese food is a rich blend of fresh, local ingredients and multicultural flavors from France, Portugal, the Middle East, the Americas, and even Vietnam. More

Ramadan (in Arabic: رمضان, Ramadān) is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. During the whole month, faithful observers of Islam fast from sunrise (Sahour) to sunset (Iftar). During the fast, no food or drink is consumed, and thoughts must be kept pure. Followers of Islam believe that fasting helps the Muslim learn patience, modesty, and spirituality. Meals are served before sunrise and after sunset, and eaten with family or with the local community. More

I recently posted a question in my weekly email and on the site from Maria, who had gotten involved with an organization called Dining for Women and was having a dinner party to raise funds for a project in Uganda. She asked for help planning her menu. She promised me she'd send in a report with photos... More

I received a great question from a reader a few days ago:

Dear The Kitchn,

I just got involved with an organization called Dining For Women which hosts monthly dinners at members' homes to raise money for international projects benefiting women. My first dinner is coming up and I will be cooking for about thirty people. Our beneficiary is Bead for Life, a Ugandan organization that assists women in their bead making businesses.

I have a really limited budget and I need to make dishes that can be made ahead of time and eaten without lots of dishes, the better!) and will work for a 4pm - 8pm time frame. Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Maria

This email really moved me, so I put the question out to our Thursday email subscribers and heard back from dozens. Click through for our community's menu ideas and more on my thoughts about Maria's email. More

Chapati [chuh-pah-tee] noun: Pan-grilled unleavened flatbread eaten in India, East Africa, and most of South Asia.

Chapati is ubiquitous in Kenya; big golden wedges of this flat, chewy bread were served at almost every meal. We loved it; the fried golden taste is so delicious, and it's handy for sopping up extra meat and sauce. We were already familiar, too, with chapati from Indian cuisine. But we quickly realized that what the Kenyans called chapati was something different; it's not analogous to the familiar Indian style of chapati at all. More