Madagascar

This fourth largest island in the world is up next and so is the national dish romazava over rice. Depending on how the rice cooking goes I may also have Ranonapango (burnt rice drink).

Some French family friends went to Madagascar in 2009 and loved it. Since then I've had a secret crush on the island country.

 Ranonapango Rating: 3 out of 10.
"This takes some getting used to."--Tony. I, however, actually enjoyed the idea of this drink. It's resourceful and you get a flavored drinkable water . (This is very important due to the water concerns on the island and the need to boil just about any liquid you put in your mouth.)

Romazava Rating 8 out of 10.
Looked awful, smelled reasonably acceptable but tasted wonderful.

For an interesting read of most things Malagasy, check out the great blog called, Don't Feed the Lemurs.

Ranonapango 

• 1.5 cup of rice
• 3 cups of water

Rinse the rice and set aside. Bring the water to a boil and throw in the rice. Simmer for 20 minutes until the rice is cooked through. Scrape out about 1 cup of rice and leave the rest untouched. Continue to cook the rice and do not touch it until you have a smelly black mess. (The smoke detector may go off and you may need to open a window due to the burnt smell). Pour 2 cups of water on the burnt rice and bring to a boil.  Continue boiling for 1 minute. Pour the water through a strainer into a drinking glass. Let the dark liquid cool slightly and serve warm.
**The nasty mess left in the pot after making this is resilient. The effort to clean outweighs the benefits of the drink. I will not be making it again...unless I find myself thirsty in Antananarivo.