Since the opening of a bakery just a short walk from where we live, we have been enjoying fresh baguettes during the past year.

Now, living in the least developed country in the world has many perks – one of which is that it brings forth your creativity in areas you never expected… Bread spreads for instance are hard to come by. Not being a big fan of industrialized jams, my personal choice would be cheese and vegetables. Yellow cheese however can only be bought in the larger cities (in Niamey 900 km east of Zinder or in Kano, Nigeria 500 km south) and is quite expensive, so having yellow cheese at every serving would not be an option.

Being creative is a wonderful asset in life, and the fact that we don’t have access to many readily-made products only strenghtens the desire to make one’s own. Now that our goat milk production is up and running again, Anette and I are spoiled with fresh home-made goat cheese (for how to make it, click here). Another favourite is the garlic-tuna spread, which is made from a box of canned tuna, spoonfuls of French mayo, fresh basil and lots of garlic. You will find that garlic is often a theme in our house… Last but not least is a solar cooking tip I received from a blog reader: our own version of babaganoush, which is we make from mixing solar baked aubergines (they come out soft as butter) with cold-pressed peanut oil and sesame seeds. Not as photogenic as the rest, but very smooth in taste and a unique addition to our homemade bread spreads!

So if you are in the neighbouring and want to try some home-made bread spreads Ishtar style, drop by for a weekend brunch or a Scandinavian breakfast! Just make sure you don’t miss the morning ride first!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Esther & Co