With 9 completed countries so far, I am very much enjoying this challenge. I'm as motivated — or even more — as when I started with Afghanistan. And I'm excited that I still have a long way ahead. Now, for my 10th country and dish, I go back to prepare another European country. This week: Austria!

New week, new country, new dish.

Keeping the momentum going, it’s time to cook something from a land down under… where women glow and men thunder. I hear there’s also thunder, so uhm… I guess we better run, we better take cover ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 🎶

Songs aside… this week I cooked a dish (and a dessert!) from the faraway land of: ¡ɐᴉlɐɹʇsn∀ 😉

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It’s the sixth-largest country in the world and the largest in Oceania.

It’s also considered a megadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates—ranging from deserts in the interior to tropical rainforests along the coast.

Australia’s written history began with Dutch exploration in the 17th century. British colonization started in 1788 with the establishment of the penal colony of New South Wales. By the late 19th century, multiple colonies had formed and eventually federated in 1901, creating the Commonwealth of Australia. Over time, the country gained full legislative independence, finalized with the Australia Acts of 1986.

Today, Australia is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy, made up of six states and ten territories. It’s considered a middle power and is part of major international groups like the United Nations, the G20, the OECD, the World Trade Organization, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Pacific Islands Forum, the Pacific Community and the Commonwealth of Nations.

Indigenous Australians traditionally lived on native fauna and flora, known as bush tucker. Since the 1970s, these ingredients—like lemon myrtle, macadamia nuts, and even kangaroo meat—have gained popularity among non-Indigenous Australians.

With colonization came strong British and Irish culinary influence. You can still see that today in dishes like fish and chips and the iconic Australian meat pie, which evolved from the British steak pie. Chinese migration also contributed, creating a unique Australian-Chinese cuisine.

Fun fact: Australia is also a major wine producer, especially in the cooler southern regions.

As you read above, kangaroo meat is actually quite common in Australia, and for a moment I seriously considered trying it…

But yeah—no luck finding it here in CDMX. Not sure if I was more relieved or disappointed.

So instead, I went with what’s considered an absolute Australian classic: the meat pie.

At first, I was a bit skeptical since it felt more like a British dish than an Australian one. But after digging a bit deeper, I realized Australia really made it their own—and it’s loved by Aussies everywhere. That was enough to convince me.

This week I’m switching things up and putting the “Getting Ready” section before the ingredients—because honestly, the pie structure is the trickiest part.

Most recipes I found only explain how to make the filling and assume you’ll either buy the pastry or already know how to make it. Except one recipe—the one I ended up using—which gave three options:

Since this is a cooking challenge, I went all in and made my own pastry. But I’m including all options so you can choose your own adventure.

Because the pastry is technically secondary (but also essential), I left its full instructions at the end instead of mixing everything together.

None.

Just a note that, if you’re making your own pastry, you can prepare it while the filling simmers and cools—or even make it a day in advance and keep it chilled. Totally up to you.

Why not finish things off with a dessert?

While looking up Australian recipes, I found something simple, nostalgic, and surprisingly fun: Fairy Bread.

Basically, the ultimate kids party snack… but honestly, adults can enjoy it too. I definitely did.

I don’t know if I lose credibility by saying this every week… but damn, it was good 🤣

And if I’m being completely honest, I was even more surprised by my homemade crust.

The filling definitely took its time, but it was very easy to prepare. The combination of wine, beef stock, and Worcestershire sauce gave the meat such a deep, rich flavor. And it’s absolutely key to let it simmer for at least 1 hour 40 minutes—otherwise the meat won’t get that tender, fall-apart texture you’re looking for.

I’ve heard chefs say that the secret to a great dish is a great sauce… and this one proved them right once again.

As for the pastry—like I mentioned before—I made it myself, and wow. It turned out way better than I expected. It was buttery, firm enough to hold its shape like a proper pie base, but still soft enough to not feel dry or heavy. Honestly, it hit that perfect balance.

Putting everything together was incredibly satisfying. I decided to make small individual pies, and ended up with 17 of them—more than enough for me and my guests that day.

Now, about the fairy bread… that was more for fun than anything else. When I first served it, my guests looked at it like “that’s it?”

But that’s kind of the whole point.

Yeah, it’s just bread with butter and sprinkles—but it looks fun, it’s sweet, and let’s be real… who doesn’t enjoy a simple piece of bread with something sweet/sugary on top?

I’ll definitely be bringing fairy bread back for random fun moments.

My favorite part of every post.

First of all, I’m starting to understand why flour has been such a fundamental ingredient in human history—and why it still is today.

By now, I’ve made several recipes that use all-purpose flour, and every single one has turned out completely different. That’s what makes it so fascinating. As long as flour is the base, it can become almost anything depending on what you mix it with—cakes, tortillas, pie crusts, sourdough bread… the possibilities are endless.

I used to think things like pie crust required some special kind of flour because I always bought them pre-made. But nope—turns out regular flour can do way more than I gave it credit for.

Another thing I learned is just how many tools exist to make cooking easier. For example, I discovered pie weights—used to keep the dough from puffing up or forming air bubbles while baking so the base stays flat.

And apparently, there’s a whole variety of them… even ceramic ones.

Moments like this make me realize how many kitchen tools I’m still missing. Luckily, there are workarounds—like using rice or dried beans instead.

But still… getting actual pie weights wouldn’t be a bad idea 👀

Enough being upside down—time to flip things back up and head to another European country.

We’re getting close to finishing the countries with the letter A!

Next stop: Austria 🇦🇹

Oh… and I didn’t forget! Here are the pastry instructions:

I’m really enjoying this weekly challenge. I know I’ve done only seven countries so far, but I’ve trying new techniques and some great food. And it’s a good thing I still have a long way to go, because I don’t want to stop anytime soon.

So let’s get started with this week’s journey and a couple of new dishes from Armenia!

Officially known as the Republic of Armenia, Armenia is a state located in Eurasia’s South Caucasus region.

Geographically, Armenia is in a confusing spot. The South Caucasus region, where Armenia lies, sits between the continents of Europe and Asia. But going by the strict geographical demarcations of the world, Europe ends at the Bosporus in Turkey and at the border with Georgia in the Caucasus Mountain range. Based on that, Armenia is geographically part of Asia. 

Politically, Armenia has good relations with almost every nation in the world, regardless of continent, except for its immediate neighbors, Turkey and Azerbaijan. Since the collapse of the USSR, political ties between Armenia and Europe have intensified. As it stands, Armenia is a member of several international organizations, such as the Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization, the European Broadcasting Union, and others.

Currently, Armenia is a representative parliamentary democratic republic. The Armenian Constitution followed the model of a semi-presidential republic until April 2018.

According to the current Constitution of Armenia, the President is the head of state and holds largely representative functions, while the Prime Minister is the head of government and exercises executive power.

Armenian cuisine is one of those ancient food traditions that brings together flavors from the Caucasus, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East all at once. It’s built around fresh herbs, grilled meats, and hearty grains.

A lot of Armenian cooking involves stuffing, puréeing, or frothing. Lamb, eggplant, and lavash (an iconic flatbread) are widely used. Fresh herbs are a big deal—used frequently in dishes or served on the side—and during winter, dried herbs are used instead.

Wheat is the backbone of the cuisine, showing up in all kinds of forms like bulgur, semolina, whole wheat, and flour. Fruits also play a big role. They’re not just eaten fresh or dried, but also used to add sourness and depth—for example: pomegranate, sour cherries, sumac, plums, and even apricots.

This week, after voting took place, the results came back with two winners: one savory dish and one sweet one.

For the main course, I prepared Manti. These are thumb-sized dumplings stuffed with ground meat, accompanied by a spicy tomato or red pepper sauce. What makes these dumplings special and different is that they’re not boiled, but baked instead.

And for dessert—and actually the first dessert I’m preparing in this challenge—I chose Gata, a sweet, egg-rich bread. The magic of gata lies in its gooey center, a melt-in-your-mouth “custard” made of flour, butter, sugar, and sometimes walnuts, encased in a brioche-like dough. Perfect for tea after a good hearty meal 😌.

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For the manti filling, I decided to go with ground beef, but honestly, any type of ground meat works—even plant-based alternatives—and it can be seasoned to suit your taste. 

As for the gata, it’s a simple recipe, but it takes time because the dough needs a long rest. Different recipes vary, but the general consensus is that it should chill for at least 6 hours at minimum, and up to overnight.

The recipe I followed suggests letting it rest for at least 8 hours, but recommends overnight. So the move here is to prepare the dough the night before, then make the filling and bake the next day. In the directions, this happens at step 6—so watch out for that.

Technically, there are no prerequisites for this recipe—unless you decide to let the gata dough rest overnight.

If that’s the case, then follow gata steps 1 through 6 the night before. In my case, I prepared the dough at 7:30 pm, let it rest overnight, and even part of the next day.

I honestly don’t know what difference it makes letting it rest a couple of hours versus overnight, but if that’s the Armenian way, I’m not questioning it—I’m just doing it.

Well, my manti didn’t exactly look like the pictures on the internet… but my gata did. Either way, both dishes exceeded my expectations in terms of flavor.

Let’s start with the manti.

Looks weren’t exactly their strong point. I expected them to puff up a lot more, and the baking dish I used was too big. On top of that, I thought I’d be making more, but I ended up with way more filling than dough, so I couldn’t make a nice circular pattern or have them all neatly side by side.

But hey—looks aren’t everything. And thankfully so, because they were incredibly delicious and packed with flavor. Since they’re small, I could just keep eating them one after another like a snack. But don’t let their size fool you—because it’s meat and dough, they’re surprisingly filling.

I also expected them to be a bit complicated to prepare, but I was wrong again. They’re actually pretty easy to assemble. And since all the cooking happens in the oven, the most time-consuming part is just filling and folding each piece—which, honestly, doesn’t take that long.

And one more thing: don’t underestimate the sauce. It’s simple, but it really enhances the flavor of the meat and keeps the dish from feeling dry.

This one quickly climbed into the top spots for both me and my girlfriend.

As for the gata, it was also a really nice surprise. Before starting this challenge, I used to make more desserts and bake more than I cooked savory dishes, so I had a general idea of what to expect with dough… but I had never made something with a gooey center.

The process felt new—and honestly a bit weird. I even thought I was doing something wrong because it seemed too easy (😆), and I was preparing for the worst. But the center turned out exactly how it should: gooey and delicious.

What I really liked is that it’s sweet enough to clearly be a dessert, but not overly sugary. I’d describe it as discreetly sweet.

Also, quick tip if you decide to make it: the recipe I followed says to cut the butter into pieces and pinch it down to pea size, but other recipes recommend grating the butter instead—and it works great. If you look at my pictures, you’ll see I went with grated butter. Best move ever 😉

Will I get to a recipe where I don’t learn anything? Maybe. Time will tell. But this is not that one.

One of the biggest things I’m learning during this challenge is how important it is to stay organized—organizing my steps, ingredients, utensils, the kitchen before and after, and in this case, my timing. And honestly, it all comes down to reading the recipe carefully ahead of time… ideally a couple of days in advance.

Why do I say this? I knew the gata dough needed a long chill time, and I had already decided to go with the overnight option. So I was fully prepared to make the dough the day before.

But because I only skimmed the recipe, I completely missed that step 5 requires the dough to rest for about 2 hours before going into the fridge. So instead of being done by 9 pm, I ended up putting the dough in the fridge at 11 pm—tired and just waiting to finish that step.

So yeah… lesson learned. Read and understand the recipe beforehand so I know what I need to do, what I need to buy or prep, and how long everything will take. That way, no surprises.

With another country complete, it’s time to head down under and explore our fifth continent and ninth country: Australia!

One more week, and we’re staying in the same continent as last week, but we’re moving south into the first Latin American country. This week I’m cooking something from the land of beef: Argentina!

I know I’m still basically at the beginning of the list, but so far I’ve cooked dishes only from Europe and Africa. Well, that changes in this post because it is time to explore the first country in America (the continent, not the USA ಠ_ಠ). What better way to explore a new continent than with a Caribbean country: Antigua and Barbuda!