Brownies

Sent by Diana, a postcrosser from Ukraine.

Netherlands - Edam Cheese

Edam Cheese Market

Sent by Marissa, a postcrosser from Leiden, Netherlands.

Edam (Dutch: Edammer) is a semi-hard cheese that originated in the Netherlands, and is named after the town of Edam in the province of North Holland. Edam is traditionally sold in spheres with a pale yellow interior and a coat of red paraffin wax. Edam ages and travels well, and does not spoil; it only hardens. These qualities (among others) made it the world's most popular cheese between the 14th and 18th centuries, both at sea and in remote colonies.

Most "young" Edam cheese sold in stores has a very mild flavor, is slightly salty or nutty, and has almost no smell when compared to other cheeses. As the cheese ages, its flavor sharpens, and it becomes firmer. It has a significantly lower fatcontent than many other traditional cheeses; as little as 28 percent of the cheese is made up of fat. Modern Edam is softer than other cheeses, such as Cheddar, due to its low fat content. However, it is not quite as suitable for toasting as are certain other cheeses, such as Cheddar. (read further)

Russia - Cuisine - Pelmeni

Russian cuisine : pelmeni.

Sent by Maria, a postcrosser from St. Petersburg, Russia.

Pelmeni (Russian pronunciation: [pʲɪlʲˈmʲɛnʲɪ]; Russian: пельме́ни — plural, пельмень pelʼmenʼ — singular) are dumplings consisting of a filling wrapped in thin, unleavened dough.

The dough is made from flour and water, sometimes adding a small portion of eggs.

The filling can be minced meat (pork, lamb, beef, or any other kind of meat), fish, or mushrooms. The mixing together of different kinds of meat is also popular. The traditional Udmurt recipe requires a mixture of 45% beef, 35% mutton, and 20% pork. Pelmeni in Perm (west of the Ural Mountains) are often filled with mushrooms, onions, turnips, or sauerkraut instead of meat. Various spices, such as black pepper and onions, are mixed into the filling.

The word pelmeni is derived from pel'nyan' (пельнянь) – literally "ear bread" in the native Finno-Ugric Komi, Udmurt, and Mansilanguages. It is unclear when pelmeni entered the cuisines of the indigenous Siberian people and when they first appeared in Russian cuisine. One theory suggests pelmeni, or stuffed boiled dumplings in general, originated in Moscow (thus explaining the use of spices such as black pepper, which are not native to Russia and had to be imported) and were carried by the Mongols toSiberia and the Urals, from where they gradually spread as far as Eastern Europe. Pelmeni are particularly good means of quickly preserving meat during long Siberian winter, especially eliminating the need to feed livestock during the long winter months.

Pilmän (the Tatar equivalent of pelmeni) are a traditional dish in Tatar cuisine, where they have always been served with clear soup. (read further)

Estonia - Estonian Summer Pancakes

Estonian summer pancakes.

Sent by Mart, a postcrosser from Talinn, Estonia.

Chile - Humitas

Sent by my best friend Hernán from Santiago in Chile.

This is from Wikipedia : Humita is a Native American dish from pre-Hispanic times, and a traditional food in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. It consists of masa harina and corn, slowly cooked in oil. Humita is a version of the Mexican tamal.

Humitas are common in various countries in Latin America, although their origin is unclear. The noun "humita" derives from Quechua a regional dialect found in Ecuador of the Quechua people living in Ecuador, the south of Colombia, the Peruvian highlands, and the northwestern part of Argentina. In Venezuela, they are known as hallaquitas, in Chile and Peru as humitas, in Bolivia as humintas, and in Mexico and Central America as tamales.

Sushi

Sent by NANACHAN, a Canadian who's living in Matsuyama, Japan with her Japanese husband.