Africa is such an immense and diverse continent with such a long history that its cooking traditions are not only native but include imports from the Muslim world, India and European colonists as well. To plan an African meal, you could follow a recipe characteristic of one culture, or you could incorporate a few major ingredients from one part of Africa, like couscous from North Africa, or an Ethiopian flatbread. In general, African food is spicier than Western food. Popular beverages are sweet teas, coffees, fruit juices, soft drinks and beer.
Basic ingredients
A handful of ingredients will help your meal stand out as authentically African. Plantains, or cooking bananas, okra, true yams (not the same thing as sweet potatoes or white potatoes), cassava flour and palm oil all are abundant in African cooking. (Rosamund Grant in "A Taste of Africa" warns that palm oil is definitely an acquired taste.) Hot chilies, sumptuous spice combinations such as the Indian garam masala, and unusual condiments--dried shrimp, for example--also show up frequently. Pineapples, bananas, coconuts, mangoes and dates serve as desserts, either as is, or chopped and lightly tossed with other fruits and a dressing of fruit juice.
Basic combinations
Many African dishes contain an unusual combination of meats or fish and vegetables. Lamb and pumpkin, shrimp and almonds, crab and eggplant, and beef with cinnamon and peanuts all have a place in African cookbooks. A main dish is commonly a stew or soup. Accompaniments are often deep fried, like black eyed pea fritters or fried yam dumplings. Simple, filling starches, not only yams but beans, lentils and rice, are served in many combinations and replace meat when meat is scarce or expensive. Salads don't necessarily include a lot of greens, but instead feature plantains, bell peppers, onions, avocados and cucumbers.
What's not used
A few things are generally missing from African cooking. Western style yeast-raised breads, white potatoes, eggs and cheese have little place in cookbooks. Because huge swaths of the continent are Muslim, pork is not as prominent in the diet as it is in the West. And sweet baked pastry desserts, cakes, cookies or pies usually don't end an African meal. Plentiful and cheap fresh fruits serve that purpose. One traditional cooked African dessert, Banana Mandazi, is a fritter batter of mashed bananas, milk and flour, deep fried rather than baked.
Learning more
There are a number of good cookbooks and websites to consult, to start learning to cook everything from tatale (plantain fritters) to Fu Fu (a side dish mix of yams, cassava, plantains and other staple ingredients), to succulent main dish stews and simple fresh fruit desserts. Try Rosamund Grant's "A Taste of Africa," "African Cooking" by Ola Olaore, "The Best of African Cooking" by Manjase Banda and "The African Cookbook" by Jessica B. Harris. Useful websites are Cafe Africana and The Africa Guide.
Tags: African Cooking, African cooking, African meal, deep fried, Grant Taste, Grant Taste Africa, main dish
