Family Meal Plan: Real Rwandan Spiced Honey Bread + Two Handed Honey Lemon Butter + Lemony Honey Milkshakes

Rwandan Spiced Honey Bread

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• knead :

  to work dough by pushing, pulling, and folding it by hand or with a stand mixer.

• pinch :

  to squeeze with two fingers to break off small pieces of a fresh herb or to collect a tiny measurement of a dried herb or spice.

• pour :

  to cause liquid, granules, or powder to stream from one container into another.

• shake :

  to rapidly and vigorously move a covered container filled with food up and down and side to side to combine ingredients and create a different consistency, such as shaking whipped cream to make butter.

• squeeze :

  to firmly press or twist a food with fingers, hands, or a device to remove its liquid, like shredded potatoes, frozen and thawed spinach, or tofu.

• zest :

  to scrape off the outer colored part of a citrus fruit's rind (skin or peel) using a metal tool with small sharp blades, such as a zester, microplane, or the small holes of a grater (avoid the "pith," the white, spongy lining of the rind that can be bitter).

Let's Learn About Rwanda!

• The country's official name is The Republic of Rwanda. It is a small, landlocked country in Central Africa, in the African Great Lakes region, and is bordered by Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 
• Rwanda is one of the smallest countries in Africa. Its total area is 10,169 square miles, and its population is close to 13 million. 
• Rwanda's nickname is Land of A Thousand Hills because the whole country is at a high elevation. The lowest point in the country is the Rusizi River at 3,117 feet, and the highest is Mount Karisimbi at 14,787 feet.
• Rwanda has two dominating seasons: wet and dry, with a temperate to subtropical climate.
• Rwanda is home to a very large and beautiful freshwater lake called Lake Kiva, which sits on top of a volcano. The volcano releases gasses that are used for energy. 
• Kinyarwanda is the language spoken by most Rwandans; however, you may also hear Swahili, French, and English.
• The capital of Rwanda is Kigali, located roughly in the center of the country, and is home to a vibrant arts scene, cafes with some of the best coffee in East Africa, and tons of creative start-up companies. 
• Also in Kigali is the Kigali Genocide Memorial, which tells the story of the 1994 genocide of the Tutsi people by the Rwandan government. The wounds from this painful point in history are still healing, so much so that it is encouraged to avoid asking a Rwandan their ethnicity. 
• Most people in Rwanda earn money by farming, and tea, coffee, and cotton are major exports.
• Coffee is a significant export and source of income for Rwanda, and most locals do not drink the higher-quality, exported coffee. However, a handful of fair-trade cafes are changing that by roasting beans grown by local female farmers.
• The Women's Bakery is an organization that trained women in Rwanda to become bakers and taught them how to run a bakery business. Since 2015, there are now three successful woman-run bakeries in the country, including their flagship store in Kigali. Product ingredients are locally sourced, so the bakeries also benefit the community.
• Typical dishes that Rwandans eat are "ugali," a porridge made with maize and water; "isombe," a stew made with cassava leaves, tomatoes, onions, peanut butter, and seasonings; and brochettes, skewered and barbecued chunks of meat (goat or beef), served with grilled bananas. 
• Also, people who live near one of the lakes in Rwanda often catch and eat "tilapia," an African freshwater fish.

What's It Like to Be a Kid in Rwanda?

• Many children live in rural Rwanda, although some also live in the cities. Kids are required to wear uniforms to school, and they often have to do chores before and after school. 
• In rural areas, an important task kids often do after school is to walk or bike to a central place in their community, fill a large container with water, and take it home to their families.
• In the first three years of primary school, kids learn in their native Kinyarwanda language. After that, classes are taught in English.
• Rwandan kids may participate in the following sports: football (soccer), volleyball, basketball, athletics (track and field), cricket, and cycling.
• A typical breakfast is a porridge and bread. Lunch or dinner may consist of beans and rice with potatoes or "ubugari," a porridge made with cassava or maize flour. For a snack, kids may eat "mizuzu," deep-fried plantain chips, or "mandazi," fried dough similar to a beignet but shaped into a triangle shape.