THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT AFRICAN CUISINE

LUTHO PASIYA

What is African cuisine?

African cuisine is a mix of ingredients such as cereal grains, vegetables, meat products, and locally available fruits.

The traditional preparation features mostly milk, curd, and whey products in some parts of the continent.

What are examples of typical African cuisine?

Though West African cuisine may remain an enigma to many, historically speaking it is one of the world’s most influential food cultures.

For anyone looking to explore the wider world of West African food, we recommend first trying kenkey, jollof rice, fufu, chicken Yassa, and egusi.

It’s all about what’s grown locally

In his television series Africa on a Plate, celebrity chef Lentswe Bhengu said: “The different African cuisines are directly related to the produce grown specifically in those regions. If you go to central, East, and West Africa, they use lots of cassava, they have certain types of ingredients that only grow in that area.”

Food and travel blogger Maria Kennedy also highlights the below:

Great for veggies

In a lot of African cuisines, you will notice that there is significantly less meat used in dishes than is common in the Western world. If you are a vegetarian, you won’t struggle to find something tasty wherever you go. Popular vegetables include okra, yams, black-eyed peas, and sweet potatoes as these grow in the high heat of Africa.

Starch is the base

A lot of traditional African meals are centred around various starches with other ingredients added to create the dishes. Starches are usually something like porridge, grits, cornmeal, or fried bread. The tastes and flavours are then changed depending on whatever ingredients are added.