In September, we’re traveling to New Zealand for our “Around the World in 12 Dishes” series! First we’ll learn about New Zealand and then we’ll make Maori fried bread!
Find New Zealand on a map with your kids and ask:
Is New Zealand in the Northern Hemisphere or Southern? (Southern)
Is it landlocked or bordered by other countries? (It’s a group of islands!)
What body of water surrounds the islands? (Pacific Ocean)
What language do they speak in New Zealand? (English)
What is the capital? (Wellington)
Notice New Zealand’s location, and talk to your children about the seasons in the southern vs northern hemisphere. Also notice NZ’s location near the international date line. New Zealand is the first country to welcome a new day! What countries are nearby? How would it be to live on an island?
Fun facts about New Zealand.
There are around 9 sheep to every 1 person in New Zealand (the population of New Zealand is 4 million)! Lamb and mutton are popular to eat. One famous sheep is called “Shrek” and for a long time wouldn’t let anyone shear his wool!
Because New Zealand is made up of islands, and isolated from land and land-migrating animals (for example there are no snakes!), unique plants and animals have developed there. New Zealand has more species of flightless birds than any other country!
Many people in NZ speak English. The second most common language is te reo Maori, spoken by the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. Here is an adorable preschool of the colors in te reo Maori.
When I asked on Kid World Citizen’s facebook page for recipes from New Zealand, several of our readers chimed in: pavlova, Anzac biscuits, Lemon & Paeroa (soft drink), whitebait patties, mussel or paua (sea snails) fritters, boil up (pork bones boiled in a big pot with vegetables), cheese & wine or “anything fit for a hāngi” (an earth oven with stones heated by fire and food wrapped in special leaves), pineapple lumps (candy with pineapple flavoring covered in chocolate), scones, and…. Maori fried bread. Because we love bread, and the ingredients were easy to find, we fried up some delicious bread and topped it with sweet golden syrup for an after school snack.
Recipes: Maori Fried Bread
4 cups of standard white flour
3 Tablespoons of sugar
2 Tablespoons of yeast
1 liter of water (about 4 1/4 cups)
cooking oil
an electric frying pan or a deep pot
Add sugar, water and yeast together, then pour into the flour. Mix into a dough, and once combined, leave to rise in a warm place for 20min. Knead and cut into appropriate sizes. Cook in hot oil till golden brown.
Drizzle golden syrup on top (pictured above right). If you can’t find it, use honey.
This is the 7th month in the new season of “Around the World in 12 Dishes.” This year we have chosen the following countries:
March – Ireland
April – France
May – Finland
June – Spain
July – Kenya
August – Egypt
September – New Zealand
October – Korea
November – Thailand
December – Jamaica
January – Peru
February – Canada
We are inviting our readers to participate in our culinary adventure!
Participating blogs:
Adventures In Mommydom, All Done Monkey, Crafty Moms Share, Creative Family Fun, Creative World of Varya, Glittering Muffins, Here Come The Girls, Juggling with Kids, Kid World Citizen, Kitchen Counter Chronicles, Mermaids’ Makings, The Educators’ Spin On It, The Hands-On Homeschooler.
Visit the following links to see how other families are learning about New Zealand, and please share your adventures learning about NZ here:
Wow, that looks amazing. I love anything with golden syrup in it!
This looks great and reminds me of Navajo Fry Bread!
I love this post and we can definitely get Golden Syrup here! I’m pinning this – thanks Becky!
This bread looks super yummy, and I also love your age-appropriate suggestions for learning more about New Zealand!
Thank you! It is SO good- fried dough with sweetness on top!:) Not calorie-free haha!:)
So interesting! We also made Maori fried bread, but the recipe was a little different (no yeast), perhaps because it was from a kids’ cookbook so they simplified it. Still tasted great, though! Yours look wonderful!
I have heard that everyone has their own recipe!:) Fried dough + sugar= delicious!
That looks very yummy! Didn’t know about the sheep ratio, neat! Thanks for participating again 🙂