Taste Africa: The Food

One of the most delightful things about Africa is the food! All over the Continent you will find delicious and delectable culinary treats. For now, we will focus on West Africa; specifically the English speaking countries of Ghana and Nigeria

Narrowing it down this far, doesn't limit us however, as the cusine from one country to the next is as varied as taking a foodie journey from Italy to Spain. Let us start with starch, the ubiquitous edible serving spoon found across many of the African nations bordering the Atlantic, also known as fufu. "Fufu is a thick paste usually made by boiling starchy root vegetables in water and pounding with a mortar and pestle until the desired consistency is reached." (Wiki)  Everyone has a favorite starch and mine happens to be pounded yam.

The importance of yam in Nigerian culture can not be underestimated. Hence this photo, which reflects the role that yams play in the local cuisine.

In most local and regional dishes, a starch is used to sop up the tantalizing drippings of the main meal.

A meal is not complete without some type of starch to compliment the sauces and stews.

Ghanaians are partial to kenkey and banku. Kenkey is made with fermented corn flour mixed with water; often steamed in banana leaf or corn husks like Mexican tamales!

Banku, however is made with a mixture of fermented cassava and plantain dough mashed into a sticky ball.

Northern Nigerians go for ground rice and the Southerners tend to prefer Eba.

A tangy fermented treat, Eba is made from gari meal or ground Cassava. This starchy tuber is, as you can see, related to the aformentioned yam.

Semovita is another specialty that abounds on West African plates. This more recent addition to the starch repertoire is made from wheat, and so it's not technically warranted a mention here. An age-old Yoruba specialty, however, is the distinctive Amala.

Amala is made from the flour of peeled and sun-dried yams ground and mixed with water. But the one starchy accompaniment loved by everyone is not a starch at all, it's plantain, a fruit!

 fried, boiled  or grilled like this Boli.

Thank goodness for the plantain tree which grows wild and abundantly all over the region, ready to satisfy the palates of all who are willing to taste Africa.

Love Good Tamales

 

While living in the tiny village of Pescadero about an hour south of Cabo San Lucas, I learned the secrets to a simple yet astounding dish. In search of a healthy and portable lunch to prepare for my daughter whose local Mexican school closed for a two hour mid-day lunch/siesta, I discovered Tamales. These are naturally gluten free, vegetarian friendly, soul-satisfying treats. We actually bought our first batch at a Bodega in San Diego just as we were about to cross the border into Baja. We loved them so much, that when we got halfway down the peninsula and stopped in a little town called Guerrero Negro, we bought our second batch from a kind woman in a white truck/cafe in the middle of that desert terrain. By the time we reached our destination in Baja Sur, my daughter had grown quite fond of Tamales and I knew that I would have to master them myself. The traditional Mexican way of preparing them involves a lot of lard, meat stock and  greasy stuffing. I decided that I would find a way to make them as authentic as possible while substituing for all the unhealthy ingredients. I went to the local library in Todos Santos and checked out a few cookbooks, asked for tips around the neighborhood and stocked up on Masa Harina, a lime treated corn flour. For my first homemade batch of Tamales, I only made a dozen mini-sized, which proved to be a big mistake. They turned out so good that we had to bid over the few delicious little gems. From then on, I made them almost daily and in large batches. Oh, what glorious days those were... I know, let's make some today! Firstly, a high quality Masa Harina is essential. 

I love to use the Bob’s Red Mill brand.

To this I add Napa Valley Organic Olive Oil in lieu of lard, 

some sea salt and pure water. As stuffing, Organic black beans are a great vegetarian option. 

And Raw Goat Milk Cheddar is a wonderful easily digestible option to regular cheese.

You can add it to the filling with the black beans or wait and slice some on top of the finished Tamale, like I do. 

The finished parcel is wrapped in corn husks and then steamed for an hour or so.

They are best eaten with Organic Salsa and chopped Cilantro.

The finished product was, again, so well liked that I could barely get in this picture before the last one was eaten!

With all due respect to the traditional recipe, there is really no need for all the unhealthy fat and meat to make good Tamales. The simple way is always the best in my book and most definitely, the most optimal for our health.