African Cooking
African cooking, like Africa itself, is full of surprises, magical, with fantastic elements of several cultures - Arab, European, Asian and Black African, There is much to discover with this delicious, and amazing varied Cuisine.
It's diverse style is a reflection of local culinary traditions with the choice of ingredients, reflected in the style of preparation and cooking techniques. A multi-ethnic cuisine emerged covering the traditional cooking of hundreds of tribes, and social groups and one can only imagine the selections and aromas emanating from kitchens producing such exotic ingredients which are difficult to obtain elsewhere, including these meats: (zebra, camel, impala, crocodile, gazelle, snake, rhinoceros, buffalo even elephant and hippopotamus) as most of them now are protected species.
Eating and drinking habits, are significantly different dependant on the region: Central Africa, East Africa, the Horn of Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa and West Africa each have their own distinctive dishes, preparation techniques, and consumption.
Traditionally, the various cuisines of Africa use a combination of locally available fruits, cereal grains and vegetables, as well as milk and meat products. Red palm oil is widely used throughout Africa.
AFRICAN CUISINE
Central Africa
Mostly traditional with a little outside influence
North Africa
Influenced by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Berbers and the Ottomans
West Africa
Influenced by the Arabs and Europeans
East Africa and Horn of Africa
Influenced by the Persians and Indians
Southern Africa
Influenced by the Europeans and Asians
AFRICAN HERITAGE
The African Influence on Southern-Sahara Cuisine Throughout The Signares and The Gueloware
African Signares 15th century until the mid- 19th century in west Africa.
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Fashions and styles will always come and go, but high food quality will stand the test of time. The Signares And Guêlowares had provided great classical food recipes that still popular today, and since became the national dishes of many Countries of Southern-Sahara I>E Yassa, Djolof rice, Mafe, as well as many ground nuts stews, and a endless variety sauces. |
African nobility Gueloware and Djolof's Queen in west Africa
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Signares And Guelowares
Take a Step Back into the 15th century in west Africa with the African nobility (“Guêloware”), and the beautiful (“Signares”) ancient bourgeois women entrepreneurs, mostly African mix / Europeans or Arabs. They were characterized by public displays of elegance, refined entertainment and popular festivities.
The Signares and the Guêloware greedily create a unique cookery style The Mulattoes Cuisine a culinary magic and expertise in the preparation of African cookery. They also introduced exciting mixtures of pungent spices, herbs, and savory greens that has had a heady influence on traditional African cuisine.
The Mulattoes Cuisine
The Mulattoes cuisine art was the result of many generations of instruction and experience in the traditional methods of European - Arabic - African heritage. An outstanding multi-ethnic cookery emerged with a heroic use of aromatic locale flavorings, and a nuance of seductive spiciness. It was a true testament to their inspiring approach culinary capabilities still holds today the essential goodness of most of the African’s nobility dishes.
The cuisine of South of Sahara presents an array of exotic dishes like: Smoked grilled game, served with Fufu and sauce/Roasted African vegetables flavored with Spicy Couscous/white Akara beans Grilled or pan-fried with kosayi sauce/Moy-moy served with African green vegetables/ Crispy Duck Ras al-hanut with African vermicelli/Dakar fish Served on a bed of stir-fried Boab root and Boab leaves/Piri-piri pigeon with wild rosella sauce..etc...etc...
Red palm oil is widely used throughout Africa.
Fufu, Gari, Attieke, Moy-moy is widely eaten in Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Togo.
Traditional - Authentic African Cuisine - Food Ethnic Culture
Recipes Links and Blogs
http://www.lunchtruckparts.com/african_recipes.htm
http://www.congocookbook.com/
http://www.dmoz.org/Home/Cooking/World_Cuisines/African/
http://www.google.com/Top/Home/Cooking/World_Cuisines/African/
http://www.betumi.com/
Some terms:
Bird Pepper: |
Equivalent to cayenne pepper |
BOAB tree: |
Provides young plant roots, fruit, leaves (all used in African Cuisine) |
BOAB oil: |
From the seeds, it is rich and golden, and has a slightly nutty smell, extremely stable against rancidity. |
Cassava: |
Provides Tapioca, Gari, Attieke, Baton de Manioc and it can be cooked and eaten with coconut and used as accompaniment to soups and stews. |
Cola nut Seed: |
From a native tree in West Africa (flavoring for colas) |
Efo: |
Term use for edible green leaves. |
Egusi: |
Seeds of the African melon used in soups and sauces. |
Fufu: |
Mashed yam or cocoyam, corn, plantain |
Gombo: |
Okra |
Garden egg: |
Small eggplant with a green skin |
Kadaro: |
Boab leaves sauce |
Kenkey: |
From maize, or sweet corn |
Palm oil: |
Rather tasty, nutty thick and waxy rustic red oil extracted from palm nut fruits used in soups and stews for color and taste. |
Plantain: |
Banana variety |
Piri-piri: |
Hot sauce |
Tibati: |
Baob leaves sauce with beans |
Wild rosella: |
Provides drink, fruit, tea, leaves (all used in African cuisine) |
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Grandma’s Cooking Technique
Grandma’s cooking technique was her secret from the Ancient African Kingdom
Mussal |
1st step |
Dally Nocckoss |
2nd step |
Nocckoss |
3rd step |
Taye |
Steaming over boiling water or stock |
Dock |
Sauté a paste until the mixture separates |
Saffal |
Are mixed spices with herbs or a mixed herb salad |
Roff |
A unique technique, from West Africa to flavor a cut of meat |
Beggueg |
African mayonnaise (it is made form vegetables (free of dairy and oil), it is one of the component foods used to build muscle for traditional athletes and sports people in Africa)
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Mussal: Simmer meat gently with just enough water to tenderize and produce a flavorful concentrated reduced stock, with tender meat. Dally Nocckoss: Is a mix of spices and herbs pounded well in a mortar & pestle to produce a very fine paste. Nocckoss: Is a mix of spices and herbs pounded in the mortar & pestle simply to release the flavour. |
The triumph of my grandma was to create her own condiments. I like especially her smoked seafood sauce, for me it is one of the best condiments in the world, having a very unique flavor and colour with a special savory taste producing a magnificence of natural exotica!
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