Ginger Beer - Sierra Leone Style

This month, I’m combining my Eat the World pick with a book…and not the book one would expect.

Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was ok. I learned some facts about TB that were very fascinating. The rest just didn't do it for me, due to the large amount of repetition or leaving the reader hanging, especially concerning Henry and his fight with TB, just to give another tidbit a few chapters later. I felt there was a lot of the author metaphorically shaking his fist skyward yelling "why!" when we heard the same thing literally every time we read about Henry. But that's just me. If you like all the feels dragged out over a whole book, this one is for you.

View all my reviews

That’s right, a book about the history of tuberculosis was my inspiration for choosing Sierra Leone as the destination for Eat the World since much of the story took place in Sierra Leone, since tuberculosis is still a very real concern for many of the people in Sierra Leone due to a lack of medicine and safe hospital facilities.

There were many great recipes to choose from, but since it’s summer, I ultimately decided on Ginger Beer.

Now, this is not the fizzy ginger beer I am accustomed to in the US.  This ginger beer is a very strong infusion of ginger that, even when served over ice, was a bit too potent for my tastes.  Since I really associate ginger beer with fizz, I ended up adding sparkling water to my homemade ginger beer to reduce the potency and add bubbles - It was a great way for me to enjoy this homemade ginger beer!

Ginger Beer

Adapted from Recipes from a Pantry

4 ounces fresh ginger

4 cups water

2 whole cloves

1 ½ tablespoons sugar

Juice from ½ lime

Sparkling water, to serve (optional)

Peel the ginger and cut into large chunks.  Place the ginger and 3 tablespoons of water into a small blender or food processor.  Blend into small pieces.

Bring the water to a boil.  Add the ginger and cloves and stir.  Set aside to infuse for 2-3 hours.

After the water is infused, pour through a sieve to remove the solids.  Stir in the sugar and lime.  Cool and serve.  If desired, mix with sparkling water (I mixed the ginger beer and sparkling water in a 1:1 ratio).

 Amy Eats the World in...

1. Cuba: Ropa Vieja (Slow Cooker Beef)
2. Ireland: Cheesy Potato Soup with Irish Ale
   
3. Thailand: Chicken Satay
   
4. Kenya: Crunchy N’Dizi (Peanut Crusted Bananas)
   
5. Sweden: Rodbetssallad med Getost (Grated Beet Salad with Goat Cheese)
6. New Zealand: Kiwi Burger 
7. France: Fougasse (Provencal Flatbread)
8. Argentina: Chimichurri Sauce
   
9. Mexico (Halloween Special): Pan de Muerto (Day of the Dead Bread)
10. India: Spiced Golden Milk 
11. Poland: Chrusciki (Angel Wing Cookies)
12. Ethiopia: Buticha (Hummus)
13. England: Wizarding World of Harry Potter Leaky Cauldron-Style Mini Cottage Pie 
    
14. Georgia: Lobiani (Bean-Stuffed Bread)
15. Mexico: Crispy Pork Carnitas
    
16. Cambodia: Loc Lac (Shredded Beef with Lime)
17. Israel: Chicken Albondigas (Chicken Meatballs)
18. Finland: Sima (Lemonade) 
19. Puerto Rico: Arroz con Tocino  (Rice with Bacon)
20. Egypt: Ghorayebah Cookies
    
21. Ukraine: Scuffles (Rohalyky) Cinnamon Crescent Rolls
    
22. Portugal: Bitoque (Steak & Eggs) 
23. Germany (Christmas Special): Lebkuchenherzen (German "Gingerbread" Cookies) 
24. Trinidad & Tobago: Trini Macaroni Pie 
25. Iraq: T'bit (Slow Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice) 
26. Fiji: Fijian Creamy Lentil Soup (Dhal) 
27. Senegal: Cafe Touba (Senegalese Spiced Coffee) 
28. Colombia: Cañón de Cerdo (Colombia-Style Pork Loin Roast) 
29. Soul Food (United States): Oven-Baked Ribs with Cola BBQ Sauce 
30. Bangladesh: Shemai (Sweet Vermicelli Pudding) 
31. The Netherlands: Dutch Farmer’s Cheese Soup (Boerenkaas Soep) 
32. Laos: Khao Piak Sen (Lao Chicken Noodle Soup) 
33. Jamaica: Chicken &  Pumpkin Soup 
34. Vietnam: Vietnamese Chicken Porridge (Chao Ga) 
35. Sudan: Red Lentil Soup (Sudanese Addas) 
36. Luxembourg: Bouchée à la Reine (Vol-au-Vent)
    
37. Uruguay: Pasta Caruso
38. China: Homemade Fortune Cookies
39. Lesotho: Borotho Bread
40. Scotland: Tattie Scones
41. Native American Tribes of North America: Wild Rice, Squash, & Corn Soup
42. Guyana: Butterflaps
43. Greece: Cabbage Roll Rice Bowls
44. Réunion Island: Rougail Z'Andouille
45. Japan: Yoshinoya Beef Bowl (Gyudon)
46. Australia: Fairy Bread
47. Ecuador: Lentil Soup with Rice (Arroz con Menestra de Lentejas)
48. Slovakia: Garlic & Potato Soup (Cesnaková Polievka)
49. Turkey: Simit Bread
50. Dominican Republic: Taco Shepherd’s Pie (Pastelón de Papa)
51. Libya: Macroona Imbakbaka (Libyan Minestrone)
52. Malta: Brodu Tat-Tigiega (Maltese Chicken Soup)
53. Wales: Cawl Cennin (Welsh-Style Leek & Potato Soup)
54. Morocco: Kefta Tagine with Eggs in Tomato Sauce
55. Bermuda: Bermuda Triangle Cocktail
56. Philipines: Pork Siomai
57. Chile: Chilean Beef & Corn Shepherd's Pie (Pastel de Choclo)
58. Slovenia: Slovenian Flatbread (Belokranjska Pogača)
59. Lebanon: Ka’ak (Lebanese Purse Bread)
60. Congo: Moambe Chicken (Congo Poulet Moambe)
61. Guatamala: Fiambre (Guatemalan Salad)
62. Austria: Viennese Kaiser Rolls
63. French Polynesia: Vanilla Bean Lemonade
64. Seychelles: Creole Rice
65. Switzerland: Bündner Gerstensuppe (Swiss Barley Soup)
66. Brazil: Brigadeiro (Brazilian Fudge Balls)
67. Madagascar: Hen`omby Ritra (Malagasy Simmered Beef)
68. Spain: Tortilla Española (Potato Omelette)
69. Afghanistan: Aush (Afghan Noodle Soup)
70. Indonesia: Nasi Goreng with Chicken
71. Denmark: Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)
72. Oman: Omani Bread (Khubz Ragag)
73. Costa Rica: Costa Rican Garbanzo Bean and Chicken Soup
74. Palestine: Whole Chickpea Hummus (Musabaha)
75. Zimbabwe: Beef Hifiridzi (Beef Short Ribs with Greens)
76. Kiribati: Kiribati Squash Coconut Soup
77. Belize: Pan de Muerto
78. Azerbaijan: Sweet Turmeric Milk Bread (Shirin Chorek)
79. Iceland: Piparkökur (Icelandic Pepper Cookies)
80. Zambia: Zambian Spinach
81. Burma/Myanmar: Garlic Oil Noodles with Chicken
82. Moldova: Zeama (Moldovan Chicken Soup)
83. Samoa: Keke Pua’a (Samoan Steamed Pork Buns)
84. Honduras: Honduran Style Refried Beans
85. Czech Republic: Česnečka (Czech Garlic & Potato Soup)
86. Vatican City: Gnocchi al Vaticano
87. Montenegro: Pečena Piletine Sa Rižom (Baked Chicken & Rice)
88. Mauritius: Mauritian Beet & Potato Salad
89. Togo: Zowey (Togolese Spicy Peanut Balls)
90. Liechtenstein: Gerstensuppe (Barley Soup)
91. Korea: Dwaeji Bulgogi (Korean-Style Pork BBQ)
92. Northern Italy: Tiramisu
93. St. Lucia: Cacao Tea
94. Armenia: Lavash Crackers
95. Algeria: Khobz El Koucha (Algerian Bread)
96. Andorra: Pa Amb Tomaquet
97. Venezuela: Carne Mechada (Venezuelan Shredded Beef)
98. Sierra Leone: Ginger Beer - Sierra Leone Style