Glossary K
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King Cake refers to New Orleans extra-large oval doughnut pastry dusted with colored candied sugar. A plastic baby doll is hidden inside the cake and the lucky person who gets the piece of cake with the doll inside (and doesn't break a tooth or swallow it in the process!) buys the next cake for the next party throughout the Mardi Gras season.
Mardi Gras season in New Orleans falls on Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent, the day to celebrate before the traditional Catholic tradition of sacrificing and fasting during the 40 days of Lent.
Kentumere refers to fish and spinach in tomato sauce, a dish from Ghana which is made with kippered herring, chopped fresh spinach, chopped onions, tomatoes, cayenne pepper and palm oil.
To cook Kentumere: Heat the oil in a large skillet or heavy pot, then saute onions and pepper together. Mash or grind the tomatoes and stir them in, along with the remaining ingredients. Cook at a moderate temperature for 15 minutes, or until fish is tender and flaky. If there is too much oil on the surface for your liking, skim some off with a spoon.
Kentumere is served with cooked plaintain or rice.
Karkadeh refers to the Egyptian popular mint tea and a drink made with hibiscus leaves. Karkade (pronounced kar-ke-day) ?????? is an infusion made with the petals of hibiscus flowers. It is a popular drink in Egypt, served both hot and cold. When my dad lived here, he used cold karkade as a substitute for the cranberry juice he used to flavor his iced tea. (And I never visit him now without bringing along several bags!) In the summer, I love a cool glass of karkade! And since – if you buy the dried petals in bulk with your own container – this can be a completely plastic-free beverage, there is even more motivation to have plenty prepared and cooling in my fridge!
This Hibiscus tea is sought after for its medicinal properties. Karkadeh which can be drunk hot or cold, is said to reduce high blood pressure and cools a person down on a hot day in the dessert.