African Cuisine
Expect the unexpected and often exotic on your plate! The fruit is excellent; some of the world’s
best mangoes and papayas (pawpaws), custard apples, passion fruit, green oranges, pineapples
and bananas are just a few of the fruit you may eat (especially in East Africa). Wild game is
served at some of the reserves and restaurants. Poultry, beef and lamb are common and goat is
often served in rural areas. Coastal resorts have excellent fish. Due to the East Indian influence
you will find wonderful curries, sambusas (similar to a samosa) and ugali (similar to grits).
Health clinics and travel guides may give standard advice about not eating salads and seafood,
etc. Unless you know you have a sensitive stomach, our best advice is to follow the lead of your
local hosts. South Africa especially has some of the best fruit, vegetables and seafood in the
world. Dried meat (biltong), sausage (droerwors) and fruit are popular in Southern Africa – do try.
There are many regional ethnic oddities for the more adventurous.
Expect the unexpected and often exotic on your plate! The fruit is excellent; some of the world’s
best mangoes and papayas (pawpaws), custard apples, passion fruit, green oranges, pineapples
and bananas are just a few of the fruit you may eat (especially in East Africa). Wild game is
served at some of the reserves and restaurants. Poultry, beef and lamb are common and goat is
often served in rural areas. Coastal resorts have excellent fish. Due to the East Indian influence
you will find wonderful curries, sambusas (similar to a samosa) and ugali (similar to grits).
Health clinics and travel guides may give standard advice about not eating salads and seafood,
etc. Unless you know you have a sensitive stomach, our best advice is to follow the lead of your
local hosts. South Africa especially has some of the best fruit, vegetables and seafood in the
world. Dried meat (biltong), sausage (droerwors) and fruit are popular in Southern Africa – do try.
There are many regional ethnic oddities for the more adventurous.
Introduction: (by Terrie Wright Chrones)
African cuisine combines traditional fruits and vegetables, exotic game and fish from the oceans
that surrounds her, and a marinade of cultures, colonies, trade routes, and history. Africa is a
whole continent, from arid desert, to sub tropical wetlands, plains, and the oft- featured movie
"jungle." Films have given Westerners an exotic view of Africa, from the big game hunter movies
of the 1950's to recent movies showing colonization such as "Out of Africa." Woven within these
movies are scenes of colonial food traditions, from the British to the Dutch, glimpses of native
cuisine. Western views of Africa then, even if we have not traveled there, comprise a combination
of the exotic, environmental preservation, hunting, and local cultivation.
African cuisine, formerly not well known in the West, is growing in popularity as immigrants bring
the dishes of their country to small family restaurants in the West. To a traveler, it would be
impossible to categorize "African food" just as it would be impossible to state the cuisine of any
continent by one name. If you are intrepid, and take a safari tour from Kenya, your culinary
experience will be much different from eating at the French and British influenced restaurants of
Johannesburg, tasting Doro Wat of Ethiopia, Portuguese inspired spices of Angola and
Mozambique, or the coconut and fish stews of Nairobi. Yet, all are part of African cuisine.
Northern Muslim Africa, along the Mediterranean from Morocco to Egypt is part of the
Mediterranean culinary rim. Saharan Africa is for the most part subsistence. This article will cover
sub Saharan Africa. Certain regions are distinctive for the development of indigenous cuisine, or
incorporation of outside influences. These were distinctive by trade, colonization, or adaptation of
imported foods, such as the New World peppers, peanuts, and corn. They are: Ethiopia, Nigeria,
East and West Africa, the former Portuguese colonies of Angola and Mozambique, and South
Africa. You, the adventurous traveler, are encouraged to seek out local restaurants, outside of
the large tourist hotels, to savor African cuisine.
Ingredients
What are ingredients for the traveler? African American cooking, with ingredients carried from the
New World to Africa and back, gives us some clues. Mealie, the African name for corn, is used to
make the soft cornmeal mush and batters that are a characteristic of African and American
southern foods today. Fufu, brought to America by Nigerian slaves, is a stiff cornmeal or yam
mush, directly related to southern spoonbreads and cornmeal. Porridges and ground millet,
sorghum, teff, barley, and cassava flour make up the fritters, batters, flatbreads, griddle cakes,
and grits known not only in the American South, but is part of the homemaker's repertoire in
Africa.
The prime characteristic of native African meals is the use of starch as a focus; accompanied by
a stew containing meat or vegetables, or both. Starch filler foods, similar to the rice cuisines of
Asia, are a hallmark. Cassava and yams are main root vegetables. Steamed greens, mixtures of
hot spices with root vegetables, stew with and without meat, particularly chicken, all are African
inspired. Peanuts, called groundnuts in Africa, feature heavily in many dishes from a garnish to
peanut soups. Melons, particularly watermelon, are popular.
Nigeria and the coastal parts of West Africa are fond of chilies in food. Coastal recipes include
fish marinated in ginger, tomatoes, and cayenne, cooked in peanut oil. French cooking influence
in Senegal uses touches of lime juice, chopped vegetables including scallions, garlic, and
marinades. Peanut oil, palm oil, and often coconut oils are common. The black eyed pea is a
staple of West Africa. Okra, known also in the American South, is native to Africa; used in many
dishes to thicken soups and stews. Tropical fruits, particularly the banana and coconut are
important ingredients.
Outside of Muslim Africa, alcoholic beverages are part of the diet. South Africa is known for the
production of good quality white and red wines. South Africa also produces a tangerine based
liqueur called Van Der Hum. Tusker, the famous Kenyan beer, is exported for those who want to
recreate a meal. Beer goes well with most African cuisine.
The most famous alcoholic drink in the interior is the Ethiopian honey wine, Tej, which has been
made for centuries. Bees are the earliest domesticated animals. Wine made from their honey is a
slightly acquired taste, similar to the mead of Old England. Ethiopia lays claim to another first, the
cultivation of coffee. The Ethiopian coffee ceremony includes lighting of incense, passing around
the beans for guest's approval, and roasting on the spot. From Ethiopia, coffee spread to Yemen,
and on through the Arabic world to Europe.
Let's start with Ethiopia, with the most isolated of the African cuisines. Removed geographically
from the rest of Africa, it is one of the purest indigenous cuisines. Its high interior plains, cool
nights and long growing season provide an abundant variety of food. It is a meat based diet.
Ethiopians are very particular about the freshness of their meat. It is typical at traditional
Ethiopian weddings for the bride and groom to serve fresh slices of just slaughtered raw beef to
guests. A popular dish remains a version of steak tartare; raw ground beef served with assorted
condiments. Accompanying many dishes is the fiery Berbere, a spicy hot pepper paste. Doro
Wat, a stewed chicken, is the national dish. Doro Wat is composed of meat, onions, tomato,
stock, and hard cooked eggs. Teff, the smallest form of millet, is ground into flour, used in a thin
fermented batter to make Injera. Injera batter is poured upon a griddle in a large spiral, where it
blends into a large 24" circular flatbread. Cooked in minutes, the spongy sourdough like bread
becomes the plate for the Wat, and replaces a spoon.
South Africa has emerged as a polyglot cuisine. European colonization, the adaptation of the
native Bantu cooking, and large scale immigration of foreigners and workers have all contributed.
Dutch settlers brought their forms of agriculture, and the British merchants imported the "mixed
grills" that now include African game meats. French cultivated the vineyards, known worldwide
today. Malay workers contributed curries, adding spice to a traditional plain English-Dutch
influence. British empire Indians who came to build the railroads forever influenced cuisine with
dals, lentil soups, and curries. Game, and lamb, the famous South African lobster, and a vast
repertoire of fish add to a truly cosmopolitan cuisine. Still, in the bush and smaller towns with
mostly native Africans, the main meals remain starch and stew based. South Africa's most
unusual meat is called Biltong. It is a spicy form of jerky, wind-dried, used in traveling, snacks,
and can be found not only country wide, but throughout Africa.
In the bush, one may find the most traditional African foods. The African village diet is often milk,
curds and whey, (Ethiopia is justly known in the Bible as the land of milk and honey) and dishes
of steamed or boiled green vegetables, peas, beans, and cereals. Starchy cassava, yams, and
sweet potatoes round out a daily diet. The most unusual use is the local Baobab tree. This thick
trunked tree looks somewhat in silhouette like an upside down carrot, growing wider at the base.
Baobab seeds are dried, crushed and ground, and the flesh of the fruit is used in powder form to
thicken sauces. In each locality there are numerous wild fruits and greens that are used in all
manners of cooking. Yam feast days are common, often accompanied with eggs. West African
cuisine makes croquettes of yams, fried in peanut oil. Along with the banana and plantain, the
starchy vegetable form of banana, these comprise important elements of the diet. Yams are often
served with eggs.
Cooking techniques of West Africa often combine fish and meat. Flaked and dried fish is browned
in oil and combined with chicken, yam, onions, chili oil and water to make a highly flavored stew.
Beef and mutton are not common in West Africa, used mostly as a condiment; as it is very tough.
East Africa is huge. Kenya is larger than France; Uganda is the size of the Midwest, they are
huge countries with immense plains. The European influence is less, as this side of Africa was
last changed by the trade ships. The diet of the East African is again starch based, with millet,
sorghum, bananas and milk mostly found as curds and whey. Cornmeal is now such a basic part
of African cuisine is hard to believe that it was a new World import.
Home to some of the greatest game preserves, East African cuisine is distinctive for the almost
total absence of meat. Cattle, sheep and goats are regarded as more a form of currency, and
status, and so are not eaten. The Masai, live almost entirely upon the milk and blood, but not the
meat, of their cattle.
Settlers influenced East Africa by importing their cuisine almost in its entirety. The first settlers,
were the Arabs, settling in the coastal areas. The many pilaf dishes, rice cooked in the Persian
steamed and spiced manner remain. Pomegranate juice, saffron, cloves, cinnamon, all spice East
African food; showing the Arabic origins. Eventually, and many centuries later, the British, and
their imported workers from India conspired to forever influence the East African diet, including
boiled vegetable, and curries.
The Portuguese influence upon Angola and Mozambique is pervasive and subtle. They were the
first Europeans to move to Africa south of the Sahara in the 15th century. Settling so long, this
relatively inconspicuous European country influenced African life more than the more direct and
intrusive British, French, and Dutch. Just as in their Indian colony of Goa, the Portuguese
brought the European sense of flavoring with spices, and techniques of roasting and marinating
to African foods. These influences blended with local cuisines and ingredients to produce subtle
and aromatic recipes. Separated across the tip of the continent, Mozambique is more fish based
and Atlantic. Angola is reflective of the west side, with drier climate, and corresponding change in
ingredients. Catholicism also introduced to the Portuguese African cuisine the sense of feast and
fast days, meatless Fridays, changing the native African cuisine. The Portuguese brought from
their Asian colonies, the orange, lemon, and lime. From Brazil, another colony, they brought the
foods of the new world; chilies, peppers, corn, tomato, pineapples, banana, and the domestic pig.
The Portuguese gardeners, farmers, fishermen profoundly influenced native stews.
In addition to growing cashews, Mozambique is most known for its piripiri, or hot pepper dishes.
Using the small tremendously hot peppers of that country, sieved lemon juice is warmed, adding
red freshly picked chilies, simmered exactly five minutes, then salted and pounded to a paste.
This pulp is returned to heat with more lemon juice and eaten over meats, fish, and shellfish...and
hot! In a way, this simple condiment of blended techniques and imported ingredients is a perfect
exam example of African food sensibilities.
A quick tour...and exotic. To plan an African meal, consider a starch base, emphasize yams,
cornmeal, and variety of greens. If palm and coconut oil do not appeal in heart healthy menus,
use corn oil, but not olive oil. There are many African books around, and most of the ingredients
are easily available. Natural food stores now commonly stock millet, teff, stone ground white corn
grits, and varieties of greens. African cuisine is and remains, a melange of native ingredients
simply prepared. Add to the tubers and starch the food greats of the new World, the peanut, chili,
tomato, and pepper, overlaid with the spices and sauces of colonial countries, Indian and
Malaysian spices, and local drinks. Hospitable, generous and filling, African dinners will be a
welcome addition to a festive meal.
Terms
Baobab
tree, fruit, juice, leaves, and seeds used
Berbere
red pepper spice paste used in Ethiopia
Cassava
a tuber which is the source for manioc and tapioca
Cola nut
flat seed from a West Africa native tree, flavoring for colas. Used in Africa to lessen thirst
Efo
multipurpose name for greens, including cassava, sorrel, mustard, collards, chard, and turnip
Elubo
yam flour
Foofoo
mashed yam, or yam, corn, and plantain pudding
Groundnuts
the African name for peanut, introduced by the Portuguese from Brazil
Gombo
the West African word for Okra, American derivative of any stew using okra is called a gumbo
Garden eggs
term for a small green skinned African eggplants
Gari
starch from the cassava. Used in Ghana, in porridge breads
Joloff rice
spicy chicken and rice
Mealie and Mealie meal
maize of American Indian corn, a drier type of field corn. Stone ground white cornmeal substitutes
Millet
grain bearing grass, a smaller version is called Teff
Niter Kibbeh
Ethiopian spiced butter oil. Clarified butter to which nutmeg, cinnamon, and cardamom seeds are
added with turmeric for color, browned, strained and uses as seasoning and cooking oil in
Ethiopia
Okra
native to Africa, pods are gelatinous, adding a thickening agent to soups and stews. available
frozen throughout the year, fresh seasonally
Palm nut oil and butter
from the palm nuts in Ghana. Almost impossible to find in the United States, highly saturated
Plantain
a starchy banana, cooked like a root vegetable
Sorghum
cane like grass with a small cereal grain (similar to millet)
Yam
all purpose term for yellow-orange tubers.
Recipes
Berbere / Ethiopia
Use a processor or electric blender. Traditionally, a mortar is used.
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 green onion white part only
1T red wine vinegar
1/2 C water
1/2 paprika
2 T ground cayenne
2 Tsp. salt
1/2 Tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/8 tsp. ground fenugreek seeds
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
pinch each of ground cloves, cinnamon, and allspice
1 T palm, peanut, or vegetable oil
Combine the garlic, onion, vinegar and water and puree. In a small skillet, combine all dry
ingredients EXCEPT oil. Stir over medium heat until mixture is warmed and aromatic but do not
scorch. Remove from heat, cool, then stir in the blended mixture. Return pan to heat and cool
over low heat, stir for 10 minutes. Transfer to a non metal container, pour oil over the surface to
cover it. To use, sautÈ the amount needed in oil or butter and add to sauces or stews.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Doro Wat / Ethiopia
2 T Niter Kibbeh
3 lb chicken, cut up
2 large onions
2 cloves garlic
1/2 inch fresh peeled chopped ginger
1/4 C berebere
1/4 tsp. each: ground fenugreek, ground cardamom, ground nutmeg
1 C chicken stock
2 T lime or lemon juice.
To garnish: 4 hard cooked eggs, sliced
Rinse and dry the chicken. Heat spiced butter in a heavy skillet. Brown chicken in oil. When all
pieces are browned, remove chicken and add onion to drippings in skillet. 30 minutes. Add broth
and lime juice, simmer 3-4 minutes until thickened. Return the chicken to the pan, cover, and
simmer slowly for 30 minutes, turning the chicken in the pot from time to time. Transfer the stew
to a platter, garnish with eggs, and serve with injira, or flatbread.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Coconut Bean Soup/ Tanzania
The use of coconut or bananas usually indicates a Swahili influence. (Use a 3 quart saucepan)
1/2 C chopped onions
1/2 C chopped green peppers
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper in 3 T butter.
add:
I C fresh seeded tomato cut into chunks
Simmer for two minutes.
add:
2 1/2 C kidney beans with liquid, or black eyed peas
2 C coconut milk
3 C water
Simmer for 10 minutes then add 1/2 C cooked rice
Correct seasonings, serve garnished with 1 tsp. coconut on top of each soup bowl.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Jollof Rice / West Africa
(cook in a 10 inch skillet)
2 Lb. cooked meat: chicken, shrimp, pork in:
1/2 C oil
In a separate soup kettle:
sautÈ in 1/4 C oil:
1/2 C each: chopped onions, green peppers
1/2 Tsp. grated ginger in
1/4 C oil until soft.
Add 1 16 oz can whole stewed tomatoes.
simmer for 5 minutes.
Add:
12 oz tomato paste
2 quarts water
1 T salt
1/2 tsp. each black pepper and thyme
1-2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes.
Add to this mix the cooked meat and simmer 20 minutes longer.
In a 2 quart saucepan cook:
2 C white rice in
5 C chicken stock
Combine the sauce with the rice, pour the Jollof Rice in a deep platter, arranging the meat in the
center.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Ndizi/ East Africa steamed bananas or Plantains
(These are usually served as a vegetable, you may sweeten them with some cinnamon, but not
too much. If no banana leaves are available from specialty fruit shops, use aluminum foil, or
substitute with wet corn husks as used for tamales.)
Line a 4 quart pan with banana leaves.
Place 8 peeled whole plantains or rather green bananas, side by side in the pan.
Sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 C brown sugar. (optional)
Lay the banana leaves or corn husks over the fruit to form a tight seal, or cover with foil.
Pour 1 Cup of water at the side of the pan, to go under the leaves.
Cover tightly and simmer for one hour.
Remove leaves, arranging bananas on a platter, top with melted butter
African cuisine combines traditional fruits and vegetables, exotic game and fish from the oceans
that surrounds her, and a marinade of cultures, colonies, trade routes, and history. Africa is a
whole continent, from arid desert, to sub tropical wetlands, plains, and the oft- featured movie
"jungle." Films have given Westerners an exotic view of Africa, from the big game hunter movies
of the 1950's to recent movies showing colonization such as "Out of Africa." Woven within these
movies are scenes of colonial food traditions, from the British to the Dutch, glimpses of native
cuisine. Western views of Africa then, even if we have not traveled there, comprise a combination
of the exotic, environmental preservation, hunting, and local cultivation.
African cuisine, formerly not well known in the West, is growing in popularity as immigrants bring
the dishes of their country to small family restaurants in the West. To a traveler, it would be
impossible to categorize "African food" just as it would be impossible to state the cuisine of any
continent by one name. If you are intrepid, and take a safari tour from Kenya, your culinary
experience will be much different from eating at the French and British influenced restaurants of
Johannesburg, tasting Doro Wat of Ethiopia, Portuguese inspired spices of Angola and
Mozambique, or the coconut and fish stews of Nairobi. Yet, all are part of African cuisine.
Northern Muslim Africa, along the Mediterranean from Morocco to Egypt is part of the
Mediterranean culinary rim. Saharan Africa is for the most part subsistence. This article will cover
sub Saharan Africa. Certain regions are distinctive for the development of indigenous cuisine, or
incorporation of outside influences. These were distinctive by trade, colonization, or adaptation of
imported foods, such as the New World peppers, peanuts, and corn. They are: Ethiopia, Nigeria,
East and West Africa, the former Portuguese colonies of Angola and Mozambique, and South
Africa. You, the adventurous traveler, are encouraged to seek out local restaurants, outside of
the large tourist hotels, to savor African cuisine.
Ingredients
What are ingredients for the traveler? African American cooking, with ingredients carried from the
New World to Africa and back, gives us some clues. Mealie, the African name for corn, is used to
make the soft cornmeal mush and batters that are a characteristic of African and American
southern foods today. Fufu, brought to America by Nigerian slaves, is a stiff cornmeal or yam
mush, directly related to southern spoonbreads and cornmeal. Porridges and ground millet,
sorghum, teff, barley, and cassava flour make up the fritters, batters, flatbreads, griddle cakes,
and grits known not only in the American South, but is part of the homemaker's repertoire in
Africa.
The prime characteristic of native African meals is the use of starch as a focus; accompanied by
a stew containing meat or vegetables, or both. Starch filler foods, similar to the rice cuisines of
Asia, are a hallmark. Cassava and yams are main root vegetables. Steamed greens, mixtures of
hot spices with root vegetables, stew with and without meat, particularly chicken, all are African
inspired. Peanuts, called groundnuts in Africa, feature heavily in many dishes from a garnish to
peanut soups. Melons, particularly watermelon, are popular.
Nigeria and the coastal parts of West Africa are fond of chilies in food. Coastal recipes include
fish marinated in ginger, tomatoes, and cayenne, cooked in peanut oil. French cooking influence
in Senegal uses touches of lime juice, chopped vegetables including scallions, garlic, and
marinades. Peanut oil, palm oil, and often coconut oils are common. The black eyed pea is a
staple of West Africa. Okra, known also in the American South, is native to Africa; used in many
dishes to thicken soups and stews. Tropical fruits, particularly the banana and coconut are
important ingredients.
Outside of Muslim Africa, alcoholic beverages are part of the diet. South Africa is known for the
production of good quality white and red wines. South Africa also produces a tangerine based
liqueur called Van Der Hum. Tusker, the famous Kenyan beer, is exported for those who want to
recreate a meal. Beer goes well with most African cuisine.
The most famous alcoholic drink in the interior is the Ethiopian honey wine, Tej, which has been
made for centuries. Bees are the earliest domesticated animals. Wine made from their honey is a
slightly acquired taste, similar to the mead of Old England. Ethiopia lays claim to another first, the
cultivation of coffee. The Ethiopian coffee ceremony includes lighting of incense, passing around
the beans for guest's approval, and roasting on the spot. From Ethiopia, coffee spread to Yemen,
and on through the Arabic world to Europe.
Let's start with Ethiopia, with the most isolated of the African cuisines. Removed geographically
from the rest of Africa, it is one of the purest indigenous cuisines. Its high interior plains, cool
nights and long growing season provide an abundant variety of food. It is a meat based diet.
Ethiopians are very particular about the freshness of their meat. It is typical at traditional
Ethiopian weddings for the bride and groom to serve fresh slices of just slaughtered raw beef to
guests. A popular dish remains a version of steak tartare; raw ground beef served with assorted
condiments. Accompanying many dishes is the fiery Berbere, a spicy hot pepper paste. Doro
Wat, a stewed chicken, is the national dish. Doro Wat is composed of meat, onions, tomato,
stock, and hard cooked eggs. Teff, the smallest form of millet, is ground into flour, used in a thin
fermented batter to make Injera. Injera batter is poured upon a griddle in a large spiral, where it
blends into a large 24" circular flatbread. Cooked in minutes, the spongy sourdough like bread
becomes the plate for the Wat, and replaces a spoon.
South Africa has emerged as a polyglot cuisine. European colonization, the adaptation of the
native Bantu cooking, and large scale immigration of foreigners and workers have all contributed.
Dutch settlers brought their forms of agriculture, and the British merchants imported the "mixed
grills" that now include African game meats. French cultivated the vineyards, known worldwide
today. Malay workers contributed curries, adding spice to a traditional plain English-Dutch
influence. British empire Indians who came to build the railroads forever influenced cuisine with
dals, lentil soups, and curries. Game, and lamb, the famous South African lobster, and a vast
repertoire of fish add to a truly cosmopolitan cuisine. Still, in the bush and smaller towns with
mostly native Africans, the main meals remain starch and stew based. South Africa's most
unusual meat is called Biltong. It is a spicy form of jerky, wind-dried, used in traveling, snacks,
and can be found not only country wide, but throughout Africa.
In the bush, one may find the most traditional African foods. The African village diet is often milk,
curds and whey, (Ethiopia is justly known in the Bible as the land of milk and honey) and dishes
of steamed or boiled green vegetables, peas, beans, and cereals. Starchy cassava, yams, and
sweet potatoes round out a daily diet. The most unusual use is the local Baobab tree. This thick
trunked tree looks somewhat in silhouette like an upside down carrot, growing wider at the base.
Baobab seeds are dried, crushed and ground, and the flesh of the fruit is used in powder form to
thicken sauces. In each locality there are numerous wild fruits and greens that are used in all
manners of cooking. Yam feast days are common, often accompanied with eggs. West African
cuisine makes croquettes of yams, fried in peanut oil. Along with the banana and plantain, the
starchy vegetable form of banana, these comprise important elements of the diet. Yams are often
served with eggs.
Cooking techniques of West Africa often combine fish and meat. Flaked and dried fish is browned
in oil and combined with chicken, yam, onions, chili oil and water to make a highly flavored stew.
Beef and mutton are not common in West Africa, used mostly as a condiment; as it is very tough.
East Africa is huge. Kenya is larger than France; Uganda is the size of the Midwest, they are
huge countries with immense plains. The European influence is less, as this side of Africa was
last changed by the trade ships. The diet of the East African is again starch based, with millet,
sorghum, bananas and milk mostly found as curds and whey. Cornmeal is now such a basic part
of African cuisine is hard to believe that it was a new World import.
Home to some of the greatest game preserves, East African cuisine is distinctive for the almost
total absence of meat. Cattle, sheep and goats are regarded as more a form of currency, and
status, and so are not eaten. The Masai, live almost entirely upon the milk and blood, but not the
meat, of their cattle.
Settlers influenced East Africa by importing their cuisine almost in its entirety. The first settlers,
were the Arabs, settling in the coastal areas. The many pilaf dishes, rice cooked in the Persian
steamed and spiced manner remain. Pomegranate juice, saffron, cloves, cinnamon, all spice East
African food; showing the Arabic origins. Eventually, and many centuries later, the British, and
their imported workers from India conspired to forever influence the East African diet, including
boiled vegetable, and curries.
The Portuguese influence upon Angola and Mozambique is pervasive and subtle. They were the
first Europeans to move to Africa south of the Sahara in the 15th century. Settling so long, this
relatively inconspicuous European country influenced African life more than the more direct and
intrusive British, French, and Dutch. Just as in their Indian colony of Goa, the Portuguese
brought the European sense of flavoring with spices, and techniques of roasting and marinating
to African foods. These influences blended with local cuisines and ingredients to produce subtle
and aromatic recipes. Separated across the tip of the continent, Mozambique is more fish based
and Atlantic. Angola is reflective of the west side, with drier climate, and corresponding change in
ingredients. Catholicism also introduced to the Portuguese African cuisine the sense of feast and
fast days, meatless Fridays, changing the native African cuisine. The Portuguese brought from
their Asian colonies, the orange, lemon, and lime. From Brazil, another colony, they brought the
foods of the new world; chilies, peppers, corn, tomato, pineapples, banana, and the domestic pig.
The Portuguese gardeners, farmers, fishermen profoundly influenced native stews.
In addition to growing cashews, Mozambique is most known for its piripiri, or hot pepper dishes.
Using the small tremendously hot peppers of that country, sieved lemon juice is warmed, adding
red freshly picked chilies, simmered exactly five minutes, then salted and pounded to a paste.
This pulp is returned to heat with more lemon juice and eaten over meats, fish, and shellfish...and
hot! In a way, this simple condiment of blended techniques and imported ingredients is a perfect
exam example of African food sensibilities.
A quick tour...and exotic. To plan an African meal, consider a starch base, emphasize yams,
cornmeal, and variety of greens. If palm and coconut oil do not appeal in heart healthy menus,
use corn oil, but not olive oil. There are many African books around, and most of the ingredients
are easily available. Natural food stores now commonly stock millet, teff, stone ground white corn
grits, and varieties of greens. African cuisine is and remains, a melange of native ingredients
simply prepared. Add to the tubers and starch the food greats of the new World, the peanut, chili,
tomato, and pepper, overlaid with the spices and sauces of colonial countries, Indian and
Malaysian spices, and local drinks. Hospitable, generous and filling, African dinners will be a
welcome addition to a festive meal.
Terms
Baobab
tree, fruit, juice, leaves, and seeds used
Berbere
red pepper spice paste used in Ethiopia
Cassava
a tuber which is the source for manioc and tapioca
Cola nut
flat seed from a West Africa native tree, flavoring for colas. Used in Africa to lessen thirst
Efo
multipurpose name for greens, including cassava, sorrel, mustard, collards, chard, and turnip
Elubo
yam flour
Foofoo
mashed yam, or yam, corn, and plantain pudding
Groundnuts
the African name for peanut, introduced by the Portuguese from Brazil
Gombo
the West African word for Okra, American derivative of any stew using okra is called a gumbo
Garden eggs
term for a small green skinned African eggplants
Gari
starch from the cassava. Used in Ghana, in porridge breads
Joloff rice
spicy chicken and rice
Mealie and Mealie meal
maize of American Indian corn, a drier type of field corn. Stone ground white cornmeal substitutes
Millet
grain bearing grass, a smaller version is called Teff
Niter Kibbeh
Ethiopian spiced butter oil. Clarified butter to which nutmeg, cinnamon, and cardamom seeds are
added with turmeric for color, browned, strained and uses as seasoning and cooking oil in
Ethiopia
Okra
native to Africa, pods are gelatinous, adding a thickening agent to soups and stews. available
frozen throughout the year, fresh seasonally
Palm nut oil and butter
from the palm nuts in Ghana. Almost impossible to find in the United States, highly saturated
Plantain
a starchy banana, cooked like a root vegetable
Sorghum
cane like grass with a small cereal grain (similar to millet)
Yam
all purpose term for yellow-orange tubers.
Recipes
Berbere / Ethiopia
Use a processor or electric blender. Traditionally, a mortar is used.
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 green onion white part only
1T red wine vinegar
1/2 C water
1/2 paprika
2 T ground cayenne
2 Tsp. salt
1/2 Tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/8 tsp. ground fenugreek seeds
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
pinch each of ground cloves, cinnamon, and allspice
1 T palm, peanut, or vegetable oil
Combine the garlic, onion, vinegar and water and puree. In a small skillet, combine all dry
ingredients EXCEPT oil. Stir over medium heat until mixture is warmed and aromatic but do not
scorch. Remove from heat, cool, then stir in the blended mixture. Return pan to heat and cool
over low heat, stir for 10 minutes. Transfer to a non metal container, pour oil over the surface to
cover it. To use, sautÈ the amount needed in oil or butter and add to sauces or stews.
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Doro Wat / Ethiopia
2 T Niter Kibbeh
3 lb chicken, cut up
2 large onions
2 cloves garlic
1/2 inch fresh peeled chopped ginger
1/4 C berebere
1/4 tsp. each: ground fenugreek, ground cardamom, ground nutmeg
1 C chicken stock
2 T lime or lemon juice.
To garnish: 4 hard cooked eggs, sliced
Rinse and dry the chicken. Heat spiced butter in a heavy skillet. Brown chicken in oil. When all
pieces are browned, remove chicken and add onion to drippings in skillet. 30 minutes. Add broth
and lime juice, simmer 3-4 minutes until thickened. Return the chicken to the pan, cover, and
simmer slowly for 30 minutes, turning the chicken in the pot from time to time. Transfer the stew
to a platter, garnish with eggs, and serve with injira, or flatbread.
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Coconut Bean Soup/ Tanzania
The use of coconut or bananas usually indicates a Swahili influence. (Use a 3 quart saucepan)
1/2 C chopped onions
1/2 C chopped green peppers
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper in 3 T butter.
add:
I C fresh seeded tomato cut into chunks
Simmer for two minutes.
add:
2 1/2 C kidney beans with liquid, or black eyed peas
2 C coconut milk
3 C water
Simmer for 10 minutes then add 1/2 C cooked rice
Correct seasonings, serve garnished with 1 tsp. coconut on top of each soup bowl.
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Jollof Rice / West Africa
(cook in a 10 inch skillet)
2 Lb. cooked meat: chicken, shrimp, pork in:
1/2 C oil
In a separate soup kettle:
sautÈ in 1/4 C oil:
1/2 C each: chopped onions, green peppers
1/2 Tsp. grated ginger in
1/4 C oil until soft.
Add 1 16 oz can whole stewed tomatoes.
simmer for 5 minutes.
Add:
12 oz tomato paste
2 quarts water
1 T salt
1/2 tsp. each black pepper and thyme
1-2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes.
Add to this mix the cooked meat and simmer 20 minutes longer.
In a 2 quart saucepan cook:
2 C white rice in
5 C chicken stock
Combine the sauce with the rice, pour the Jollof Rice in a deep platter, arranging the meat in the
center.
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Ndizi/ East Africa steamed bananas or Plantains
(These are usually served as a vegetable, you may sweeten them with some cinnamon, but not
too much. If no banana leaves are available from specialty fruit shops, use aluminum foil, or
substitute with wet corn husks as used for tamales.)
Line a 4 quart pan with banana leaves.
Place 8 peeled whole plantains or rather green bananas, side by side in the pan.
Sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 C brown sugar. (optional)
Lay the banana leaves or corn husks over the fruit to form a tight seal, or cover with foil.
Pour 1 Cup of water at the side of the pan, to go under the leaves.
Cover tightly and simmer for one hour.
Remove leaves, arranging bananas on a platter, top with melted butter
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