Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 August 11

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Today's featured article
Malagasy cuisine encompasses the diverse culinary traditions of the island of Madagascar. Foods eaten in Madagascar reflect the influence of Southeast Asian, African, Indian, Chinese and European migrants that have settled on the island. Rice, the cornerstone of the Malagasy diet, was cultivated alongside tubers and other Southeast Asian staples by the island's earliest settlers from Borneo. Their diet was supplemented by scavenging and hunting wild game, which contributed to the extinction of the island's megafauna. These food sources were later complemented by beef in the form of zebu. Commerce with Arab and Indian merchants and European transatlantic traders further enriched the island's culinary traditions by introducing a wealth of new fruits, vegetables and seasonings. Throughout almost the entire island, the contemporary cuisine of Madagascar consists of a base of rice typically served with an accompaniment termed laoka. In addition, a wide variety of sweet and savory fritters as well as other street foods are available across the island, as are diverse tropical and temperate-climate fruits. Locally produced beverages include fruit juices, coffee, herbal and black teas, and alcoholic drinks such as rum, wine and beer. (more...) Recently featured: Numerical weather prediction – Section 116 of the Constitution of Australia – Oort cloud Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that the portraits of his parents (father's portrait pictured) that Albrecht Dürer painted when he was 19 are renowned for their depiction of the effects of ageing? ... that pink fairy lilies usually produce flowers only after heavy rains? ... that the Indianapolis Museum of Art's outdoor sculpture The Three Graces is based on a c. 1797 painting by noted Italian artist Antonio Canova, but its sculptor is unknown? ... that the 1 May 1951 U.S. Navy raid on the Hwacheon Dam during the Korean War was the last use of aerial torpedoes against a surface target? ... that during production tapis is warped and couched? ... that the Jug Tavern, possibly the oldest building in Ossining, New York, may not have been a tavern at all, or if it was did not serve liquor legally? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Riot police in London Rioting, initially sparked by a fatal police shooting in London, spreads across parts of England (riot police pictured). Manuel Pinto da Costa is elected President of São Tomé and Príncipe. The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, the longest guided busway in the world, opens in England. Standard & Poor's downgrades the credit rating of the United States government to AA+ for the first time. Juno, the first solar-powered spacecraft on a mission to Jupiter, is launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Horn of Africa famine Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
August 11: Independence Day in Chad (1960) 2492 BC – According to legend, Armenian culture hero Hayk slew the giant king Bel with a shot from a longbow near Lake Van (in modern Turkey). 1786 – Captain Francis Light founded the British colony of Penang, beginning more than a century of British involvement in Malaya. 1828 – William Corder was hanged at Bury St Edmunds, England, for the murder of Maria Marten at the Red Barn. 1929 – The first Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic, the oldest and largest African American parade in the United States, was held in Chicago. 1942 – Actress Hedy Lamarr (pictured) and composer George Antheil received a patent for their "Secret Communications System", an early technique of frequency-hopping spread spectrum that later became the basis for many forms of today's wireless communication systems. More anniversaries: August 10 – August 11 – August 12 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now August 11, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The Salar de Talar salt flat, located in the Central Andean dry puna region of the Chilean Andes with Cerros de Incahuasi in the distance. The salt flat covers an area of about 46 km² (18 sq mi) and is one of many salt lakes and salt flats located at the foothills of a chain of volcanoes stretching along the eastern side of the much greater Salar de Atacama.

Photo: Luca Galuzzi

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