The Casbah of Algiers was brought into being lying on the remains of old Icosium. Icosium was the Roman city whose site is currently occupied by the casbah area of the modern city of Algiers. There are stonework walls and mosques. The Casbah played a central role during the Algerian struggle for independence from 1954-1962. Foreigners consider the Casbah to be a bewildering tangle of paths and dead-end alleyways bordered by scenic dwellings. Algerian powers that be consider father time, negligence and increase in population as the main factors to the degeneration of the Casbah of Algiers historic neighborhood.
Couscous also known as kuskus
Confused about couscous also known as kuskus? The dish is a primary staple throughout North Africa. It’s both a name for wheat-grain semolina, appearing in many supermarkets today as simply couscous, and for a spicy chicken-vegetable stew served with cooked semolina that’s popular throughout North Africa. Traditional couscous requires considerable preparation time and is usually steamed and fluffed to separate the couscous granules. In many places, a more-processed, quick-cook couscous is available and is particularly valued for its short preparation time. Couscous is traditionally served under a meat or vegetable stew. It can also be eaten alone, flavoured or plain, warm or cold, as a dessert or a side dish.
Curried Couscous
Ingredients
2 teaspoons butter
16 ounce can reduced-sodium fat-free vegetable broth
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
10 ounce package couscous
Directions
Bring the butter, broth, and water to boil in a medium saucepan.
Gradually stir in curry powder, allspice and couscous. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork serve warm as a side dish for lamb, chicken or for a vegetarian option serve with grilled vegetables.
Cameroon Boyo Coffee: The Taste of West Africa
From the western highlands of Cameroon, West African farmers have organized themselves to organically produce a fine Arabica coffee named after their region — Boyo. The pleasing aroma, mellow flavor and rich full body distinguish this fine coffee, which arises from extensive quality control as well as the region’s nutrient rich volcanic soil and plentiful sunshine.
The Republic of Cameroon is an African nation well known for both its geographic and ethnic diversity. Lying in the Northwest province of Cameroon, there is a mountainous region known as Boyo that is seeking to improve the standard of living for its many farmers. In the late 1990’s a farmers’ cooperative initiative was started with the goal of delivering back to the farmers a fair price for their coffee. The means to do so has been through the standardization of the cultivation and processing steps to produce a consistently high quality Arabica coffee. They market their coffee under the name – Boyo – of their region.
The farmers appear to be on the right track, producing a high quality, robust coffee. The flavorful characteristics of Boyo coffee are purported to result from the nutrient rich, dark volcanic soil in climatic conditions ideal for coffee growing. The onset of the first rains coincides with the blossoming of the coffee plants. And then just as the coffee berries begin to ripen, the dry season begins. The abundant sunshine stimulates the coffee berries to quickly attain their optimal sugar content. That is the secret to Boyo’s distinctive flavor.
Boyo coffee undergoes thorough and all natural processing – from cultivation to harvesting to selection. The Boyo coffees of Cameroon are grown alongside other crops to spread out the individual trees, thereby minimizing the risk of infection among the coffees trees and avoiding the need for herbicides and pesticides. To supplement the soil, farmers mix the coffee berry pulp with the soil around each tree after the de-pulping process. The farmers and their families facilitate the hulling, polishing and grading of their coffee beans and then hand-pick the very best of their crop to bear the Boyo coffee label. Select beans of Cameroon Boyo are also selected, graded and marketed as a Cameroon Peaberry coffee. Cameron Boyo coffee is classified as organic.
The next time you are looking for an African coffee, I suggest you stray from the African standards – Kenyan AA, Tanzanian Peaberry, and Ethiopian – to try Cameroon Boyo coffee. Beyond enjoying a fine cup of coffee, you may just be helping out some very hard-working and intrepid farmers in Cameroon.
Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1122136_26.html Author: Joe Jefferson
The population of Madagascar is around 18.4 million it’s capital Antananarivo, with a population of around 1.5 million people, is the capital of Madagascar. The official languages are Malagasy and French, with other local dialects also spoken. The climate of Madagascar is a subtropical climate.The numbers on this page might be useful to you during your stay in Madagascar.
Malagasy Numbers:
1. One- Isa
2. Two- Roa
3. Three- Telo
4. Fou-R Efatra
5. Five- Dimy
6. Six- Enina
7. Seven- Fito
8. Eight- Valo
9. Nine- Sivy
10.Ten- Folo
South Africa’s Seasons
Summer
Over much of South Africa, summer (mid-October to mid-February) is characterised by hot, sunny weather - often with afternoon thunderstorms that clear quickly, leaving a warm, earthy, uniquely African smell in the air.
The Western Cape, with its Mediterranean climate, is the exception, getting its rain in winter.
Autumn
Autumn (fall) in South Africa (mid-February to April) offers in some ways the best weather. Very little rain falls over the whole country, and it is warm but not too hot, getting colder as the season progresses. In Cape Town, autumn is fantastic, with hot sunny days and warm, balmy nights which many people spend at outdoor cafés.
Winter
Winter in South Africa (May to July) is characterised in the higher-lying areas of the interior plateau by dry, sunny, crisp days and cold nights. So it’s a good idea to bring warm clothes. The hot, humid KwaZulu-Natal coast, as well as the Lowveld (lower-lying areas) of Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces, offer fantastic winter weather with sunny, warmish days and virtually no wind or rain. The Western Cape gets most of its rain in winter, with quite a few days of cloudy, rainy weather. However, these are always interspersed with wonderful days to rival the best of a British summer. The high mountains of the Cape and the Drakensberg in KwaZulu-Natal usually get snow in winter.
Spring
Nowhere in South Africa is spring (August to mid-October) more spectacular than in the Cape provinces. Here the grey winter is forgotten as thousands of small, otherwise insignificant plants cover the plains in an iridescent carpet of flowers. The journey to see the flowers of the Namaqualand in the Western and Northern Cape is an annual pilgrimage for many South Africans.
Credit www.southafrica.info
