food cultures of the world encyclopedia( 4 vols) (ken albala 2010)bbs

7/31/2019 Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia( 4 Vols) (Ken Albala 2010)BBS

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Food Cultures of the WorldEncyclopedia


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Food Cultures of the World

EncyclopediaAFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Volume 1

KEN ALBALA, EDITOR


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Coyright 2011 y Ken All

All rights reserve. No rt o this ulition y e reroue,store in retrievl syste, or trnsitte, in ny or or y ny ens,eletroni, ehnil, hotooying, reoring, or otherwise, exet orthe inlusion o rie quottions in review, without rior erissionin writing ro the ulisher.

Library o Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Foo ultures o the worl enyloei / Ken All, eitor.v. .

Inlues iliogrhil reerenes n inex.ISBN 978-0-313-37626-9 (hr oy : lk. er) ISBN 978-0-313-37627-6

(eook) 1. Foo hitsEnyloeis. 2. Foo reerenesEnyloeis. I. All, Ken, 1964

GT2850.F666 2011394.1'200322 2010042700

ISBN: 978-0-313-37626-9EISBN: 978-0-313-37627-6

15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5

This ook is lso ville on the Worl Wie We s n eBook.

Visit www.-lio.o or etils.GreenwooAn Irint o ABC-CLIO, LLC

ABC-CLIO, LLC130 Creon Drive, P.O. Box 1911Snt Brr, Cliorni 93116-1911

This ook is rinte on i-ree er

Mnuture in the Unite Sttes o Aeri

The ulisher hs one its est to ke sure the instrutions n/or reies in this ookre orret. However, users shoul ly jugent n exeriene when rering

reies, eseilly rents n tehers working with young eole. The ulisherets no resonsiility or the outoe o ny reie inlue in this volue.
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v

Contents

VOLUME 1: AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

List o Abbreviations, vii

Preace, ix

Sierr Leone, 161

Soli, 167

South Ari, 173

Sun, 183

Swhili City-Sttes, 189

Swziln, 197

Ugn, 203Ziwe, 209

Middle East

Arin Peninsul, 217

Berers n Turegs, 231

Irn, 239

Irq, 249

Isrel, 259Jorn, 267

Lenon, 277

Plestinin Territories, 285

Syri, 297

Turkey, 305

Yeen n On, 317

Africa

Algeri, 3

Angol, 11

Benin, 19

Burkin Fso, 23

Centrl Ari, 31

Cte Ivoire, 43Egyt, 49

Ethioi n Eritre, 59

Ghn, 71

Guine, 75

Keny, 81

Lieri, 91

Msi, 97

Mgsr, 105Muritni, 115

Moroo, 119

Mozique, 125

Nii, 135

Nigeri, 141

Senegl, 151

About the Editor and Contributors, 323Index, I-1


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vii

List of Abbreviations

c = cup

fl oz = fluid ounce

gal = gallon

in. = inch

lb = pound

mL = milliliter

oz = ounce

pt = pint

qt = quart

tbsp = tablespoon

tsp = teaspoon


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ix

Preface

This enyloei is the ulintion o nerly ees work on the Food Cul-ture around the Worldseries. As tht rojet exne to 20 volues, we relizetht ny eoles n les, sinting n iortnt in their own right, h

not een overe. Consiering tht the ulturl stuy o oo hs eoe oresohistite n orehensive over the st ee, tht oo hs eoe le-gitite ei toi in urriul t every level o eution, n tht we seeto eoe ore osesse with oo every y, we reognize tht we sily oulnot leve out uh o the lnet. The only wy to stisy this growing en isthe set you see eore you, whih inlues teril overe in the series lus newrtiles tht sn the gloe. We hve gthere oo sholrs ro roun theworleole whose ssion n exertise hve given the ee insight into theingreients, ooking ethos, n wys o eting n thinking out oo intheir resetive ountries.

A nuer o questions regring reth n eth nturlly rose in ln-ning this work, rtiulrly out the level o nlysis or eh rtile. Coul weo justie to the vst rry o istint uisines on erth? Coul we inlue regionloverge or well-reognize oo ultures? Tht is, rther thn the ntion-stte sthe riterion or inlusion, why not Alse, Provene, n Burguny withFrne, or Sihun, Hunn, n Cnton with Chin? It ee rent tht wewoul nee nother 20 volues or risk very risk, suerfiil overge n tht sritrry s the onstrution o ntion-sttes hs een historilly, in rtiulr thewy inority ultures hve tene to e osure, the est wy to orgnize thisenyloei ws y ntion. Regionl vritions n inority grous n, o

ourse, e isusse within the rework o ntion-se rtiles. On the otherhn, soe grous rnkly ene serte entriesthose who stoo out sunique n istint ro the jority ulture in whih they hen olitilly toe inlue, or in soe ses those eole who either trnsen ntionl oun-ries or even those very sll les, whose gret iversity ene serteoverge s truly iferent ro the ulture roun the. Thus we inlue theBsques serte ro Sin n Frne, n the Hong. We hve not, however,inlue every single eole erely on the sis o ntionl sttus. This shoulnot e tken to suggest tht these ultures re uniortnt ut erely tht nyles shre oon ulture with those roun the, though ivie y

ntionl orers. In suh ses we hve rovie ross-reerenes. This seee reerle solution to sufering reetitiveness or unngele size.


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Preface | xi

reing these rtiles you fin, like e, tht the worl is rvelously iverse len wht eole et tells us out the in suh n ieite n lle wytht in ertin sense you eel you know the eole t soe level. This, o ourse,is the first ste towr unerstning, reiting, n living with eh other

eeully on this sll lu o tur we ll erth.Ken Albala

University o the Pacific


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Africa


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Overview

The Peoles Deorti Reuli o Algeri is sit-

ute etween the North Arin ountries o Mo-roo n Tunisi. It is the lrgest ountry oreringthe Meiterrnen Se n the seon-lrgest Ari-n ountry, with totl lnss s lrge s thewhole o Western Euroe. Algeri is ivie into48 wilayas, or rovines. More thn 90 erent othe oultion lives in the ost ertile n sllestregion, lle the Tell, whih runs the entire lengtho Algeris Meiterrnen ostline. The rein-er o the ountry n e ivie into three rllel

geogrhi ns tht run estwest. South o theTell is the Tell Atls ountin rnge, ollowe y theShrn Atls ountin rnge, n finlly the S-hr esert. Algeris Shr orises ore thn90 erent o the ountry n is orere y WesternShr, Muritni, Mli, Niger, n Liy.

Most Algerins re o Ar-Berer heritge; ien-tifition with either or oth n een on ulturlties or olitil elies. Ari hs een the o ilntionl lnguge sine ineenene ro Frenh

olonil rule, s written in the onstitution o Al-geri in 1963. Tamazight (the Berer lnguge) wsreognize s ntionl lnguge in 2002 y on-stitutionl enent. Although Frenh is wielyuse in governent, ei, n eution, it hs noo il sttus. In reent yers, there hs een o-ulr oveent to ehsize ntionl Algerinientity, rther thn regionl ones.

Isl is the o il religion o Algeri. The vstjority o Algerins re Sunni Muslis; Chris-

tins n Jews orise less thn 1 erent o theoultion. Pork n ny oo routs erive

Algeria

ro ork re orien ro the iet in or-ne with Isli ietry lws.

Algerin uisine reresents historilly uniqueix o Meiterrnen n Arin eoles. Thou-sns o yers o iigrtion n onquest y,n tre with, Phoeniins, Ars, Jews, Rons,Moriscos (Muslis ro Sin), Ottons, Itl-ins, Frenh, n Snish hve let their rk onthe si Berer ountion o Algerin uisine.However, like Moroo n Tunisi, the single lrg-est influene ws eievl Isli ooking. Algeri,Tunisi, n Moroo re olletively known s Al-Maghrib (the West in Ari) to geogrhillyn ulturlly istinguish the region ro theMile Estern rt o the Ar worl, lle Al-Mashriq (the Est).

Food Culture Snapshot

Geographic location and social class play key roles indetermining what Algerians eat. Lyesse and ChaimaChenna live in a middle-class neighborhood in Algiers,

the capital of Algeria. Lyesse, originally from the Kabylie,is an architect; his wife, Chaima, originally from Tlemcennear the Moroccan border, is an attorney. Their life-style and diet are representative of educated urbanitesliving in a large cosmopolitan city, whose diet includesdishes from different parts of Algeria, France, Spain,Italy, and the Middle East.

Lyesse and Chaima begin their day at 7 A.M. withhomemade baghrir(semolina pancakes) served withhoney, or baguette bread, purchased from a bakery,

served with jam and coffee. The Chennas eat lunch withcoworkers at a diner that serves simple dishes such


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4 | Algeria

as composed salads, karantika (chickpea pie), or lentilsoup. Later in the afternoon, around four oclock, theChennas go to a tearoom to have traditional Algerianpastries or Ottoman-influenced baklava with mint teaor coffee. Dinner is around 8 P.M. and is the largest mealof the day. The main dish is roasted or grilled lamb orchicken (served with bread) or a tagine, a braised stewof lamb or chicken with vegetables served with cous-

cous. Side dishes include salad, pan-sauted or stewedvegetables, and lentil or chickpea dips. Dessert is typi-cally fresh fruit.

Urbanization and globalization have brought rapidchanges to Algeria. City dwellers tend to live in smallerfamily units away from large extended families, andurban women are more likely to work outside thehome than their rural counterparts. The growing num-ber of supermarkets in big cities not only has madeshopping for meals more convenient but also provides

access to a range of prepared and packaged foods thatconsiderably reduce meal-preparation times. However,shopping in souks (outdoor markets) and small shopsis still very much a part of daily life in Algeria. Chickendrumsticks purchased at a supermarket are seasonedwith spice blends purchased at a small shop and servedwith vegetables purchased from a sidewalk stall.

Lyesse and Chaima have an increasing variety of res-taurants to choose from when they dine out. Besidesenjoying traditional Algerian dishes at small restau-

rants, street-food bazaars, and fast-food outlets, theygo to French-style cafs for simple bistro fare and

Italian restaurants for pasta or pizza. When entertain-ing foreign clients for business, they go to hotel res-taurants where a range of international dishes areavailable, even Chinese specialties.

Major Foodstuffs

Desite hving n iressive shre o the Meiter-rnen ostline, fishing in Algeri is n unerevel-oe inustry. Srines, nhovies, squi, shri,n ussels re the ost oonly ville se-oo. Algeri hs very little ertile ln; only 3.17erent o the totl ln re is rle. Cro ulti-

vtion is hevily onentrte in the northernostrt o the ountry in the Tell region ner the ostn in ountinous res with high lteus suhs Seti n Constntine in northestern Algeri.Mjor ros re whet, rley, n ottoes. Thereiner o the ountry is ri or seiri nlrgely unsuitle or ring. The exetions reosis towns where tes thrive. Vst trts o tels in the esert rete irolites where ri-ot, ornge, n olive trees lso grow n sller

lnt oos suh s onions, totoes, n gesthrive.The Algerin Shr isnt entirely rren outsie

o oses; it is rih in etroleu n nturl gs re-serves. For the st severl ees, the ountryseonoi growth hs een hevily eenent onhigh gsoline ries, king it one o the welthiestArin ountries. Investent in the gs inustryws t the etrient o other inustries inluinggriulture, livestok, n fishing. The orer re-

sket o nient Roe hs eoe one o theworls lrgest grin iorters. By 2008, ore thn60 erent o ll oos were iorte to eet e-n. With lling gsoline ries, the Algeringovernent hs reently tken esures to oostgriulturl routivity.

Dietry stles re whet in the or o ousous,re, or st n hikes or lentils in is orsous. Alost ll Algerins et ointion ogrins n legues ily. Coon vegetles in-

lue zuhini, rrots, egglnt, roons, rti-hokes, okr, turnis, ge, sinh, totoes,

Algeria, city and the main marketplace. (Corel)


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Algeria | 5

n eers. Its i ult to igine onteorryAlgerin ooking without ingreients ro theAeris suh s totoes, eers, n ottoes.Totoes were roly introue to Algeri in

two stges: first y the Snish, who ture Al-gerin orts shortly ter setting sil or the Aeri-s in 1492, n then y the Itlin iigrnts whoe lost 350 yers lter with Frenh olonilrule. Eviene suggests three ossile oints o entryor hili eers into Algeri: through the Meiter-rnen ost vi the Snish, through West Arivi Portuguese Atlnti tre, or through esternMeiterrnen ln tre routes. Snish or Itlinsettlers ossily introue ottoes into Algeri.

Wterelon n other elons re vlue or theirhigh wter ontent. Fresh gres, riots, les,ornges, tngerines, leons, kuquts, quine, nnns re ville sesonlly. Fruit is rie orreserve in sugr or storge. Citrus ruits, leonsin rtiulr, re reserve in slt n use to flvortgines n sues. Olives re rine or oil ure.

Algeris growing iry inustry hs ile to eetthe even ore rily inresing en; in 2008,out 17 erent o ll oo iorts were iry

routs. The en or owere ilk is ese-illy high. Powere ilk is use y nutur-ers in vrious routs or reonstitute with wteror rinking. Fresh ilk is runk lin, hurneinto utter, erente into kefir or yogurt, or einto sot heese. Gruyre, Presn, ozzrell,n srele roesse heeses re urhse instores.

L is the reerre et. Bee is inresinglyville euse o gloliztion n growing

iry inustry. Chiken n eggs re reltively inex-ensive soures o rotein; Algerins hve n ston-ishing rry o hiken n egg ishes.

Sine utter is highly erishle, it is oten lri-fie or erente to exten its shel lie. Clrifieutter is use or ooking, n erente utter isuse s flvoring gent. Mrgrine is inresinglyoulr s reltively inexensive lterntive to ut-ter. Olive oil is the ost reerre ooking eiun is lso highly vlue or its urorte eiinl

roerties. It is lso use to flvor rines, ress-ings, n is.

Wter is serve with els. Syru-flvore wtern ronte everges re runk with lightsnks. Cofee n te re serve t rekst, withternoon stries, n ter inner. Mint te is the

ntionl rink o Algeri.

Cooking

Algerin kithens re sile y North Aerinstnrs. Most ooking is one on stovetos orrone-uele urners using just ew ots nns. Pressure ookers were introue into Algeriin the 1970s n re use requently or their tie-

n energy-sving enefits. Tgines tht one tookhours to ook in ly vessels now tke out n hourin ressure ooker. However, even in urn res,tgines re still soeties ooke in ly taginesthe ish n the ooking vessel re oth lle tag-ineoutoors over rziers.

Tgines re sily stews or sous o et, oul-try, or seoo with vegetles. There re no oifierules s to how they shoul e rere. Cookingtehniques n ingreients vry ro region to

region n ily to ily within regions. Soeooks ingreients in lyers: lyer o slie on-ions t the otto, ollowe y l srinkle withsies, n then vegetles suh s elery, rrots,n zuhini. Other ooks le everything into theot t one. Tgines with thik sues re oten etenwith re, whih is use to soo u oo. Souytgines re usully serve with ousous. Every Al-gerin househol owns couscoussier ( lrge otwith steer insert) or steing ousous over

ot o siering sou or stew o et, hiken, orseoo with vegetles.Fltres n warka stry sheets re e t

hoe using flt, roun grile lle arrah. Sineny househols o not hve ovens, roun lev-ene res known s khobz eddar (house re) reooke in ee ns on the stoveto or urhsero kery. Levene res re lso ke in taboun ( lrge outoor oven). In rurl res, tounsre oten ounity owne. Sll keries in ities

hrge king ee to trons who ring hoeeough.


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Men re tyilly in hrge o outoor grilling.Grills or kes n susges re sile etlgrtes le on to o etl ox or ly rzierfille with urning hrol or woo. Rosting

whole l is it ore olite: The l isrue with sies n ooke on rotisserie sitover lrge fire. The l is requently ste withlrifie utter or olive oil to kee the et oistn to rete risy skin. The sit is turne every20 inutes to ensure even ooking.

Prering Algerin oo n e lor-intensive.Mile-lss to uent ilies oten hve ooks,lle dadas. In rurl res, where severl gener-tions o ily live in one househol olex, the

oler woen suervise oo rertion while theirughters n ughters-in-lw o ost o the -tul ooking. Nuler ilies living in ities otenuse kge oo routs n onveniene itesto reue ooking ties n kithen lor nees.

Sies re urhse groun or whole ro sievenors who lso sell rorietry lens lle ras elhanout (to o the sho) onsisting o ozen orore sies. Whole sies re groun t hoe using ortr n estle or n eletri griner. The ost

wiely use everyy sies re uin, rik, ntureri. The use o other sies suh s oriner,innon, ennel, nise sees, ro, n ni-gell sees tens to hve ny regionl vritions.Exensive sies, or exle, sfron, re usullyreserve or seil-osion ishes.

Algerin ooks rrely ry-rost sies. Sies reusully e to sous n stews in severl stgesthroughout the ooking roess to rete eth oflvor. Leon juie or vinegr is soeties e

to finishe sous n stews or iity. Sie stesn rines re e with ixture o sies,oune grli, grte onion, olive oil, hoehers, n itrus juie or vinegr. In welthier kith-ens sfron is use or olor; sugr, honey, n rieruits or sweetness; resh itrus n vinegr or i-ity; n nuts s thikening gents.

Totoes ee wiely use in Algerin ook-ing euse they rovie the ulinry untionso quite ew ingreients, eseilly ny tht

re eyon the ugets o huler househols:Choe resh totoes, resh toto juie, sun-

rie totoes, sweet toto j, toto uree,n toto sues re use to olor, sweetness,n iity n to thiken sues. Sweet ell e-ers re use lost s uh s totoes. However,

the use o hot eers tens to e ore lolize.Harissa, hot hili sue, is ore oonly usein estern Algeri ner Tunisi thn in other regionso the ountry. Overll, Algerin oos re not hotn siy.

Totoes n eers re lso stewe, grille,or stufe, s re ost other vegetles. Algerinshve onness or vegetles stufe with grounl or rie. A rnge o vegetles suh s ge,zuhini, roons, rtihokes, n egglnt re

rere siilrly. Stufe vegetles re lle yAri n Turkish nes, mashi or dolmas, re-setively.

Pottoes re uiquitous in Algerin ooking.They re reily ville n inexensive strhtht hels oenste or grin n erel short-ges. Frenh ries re stufe into guette rewith siy l susges (sandwich aux merguez);sute otto weges re use to grnish tgines;rw ottoes re hollowe out n stufe with

groun l; uree ottoes re serve s n -onient to roste ets; n letover sheottoes re she n rie into roquettes.

Dee-rie oos suh s eignets, kin ooughnut, n stries re usully urhse ro

Tagine, a braised stew of lamb or chicken with vegetables,served with couscous. (Laurent Renault | Dreamstime.com)


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Algeria | 7

street venors or t resturnts s snks. Piklingn nning is still one t hoe in rurl res.Totoes re nne or sun-rie; itrus is re-serve in slt or sugr; et is reserve in t or

rie or jerky; ruits re reserve whole in sugrsyru, ooke into j, rie, or ote with sugr;n eers, turnis, n ges re ikle invinegr.

Typical Meals

Algerin els vry eening on region, soioeo-noi sttus, n urn or rurl lotion. Ntionl

eonoi growth uring the st ew ees hsresulte in growing ile lss. However, Alge-rin soiety still tens to e eonoilly strtifieinto two grous: the rih n the oor. Mile-lssto welthy Algerins oten et our ties y:three light els o rekst, lunh, n lte -ternoon snk with te, ollowe y in innerel. Poor Algerins, rtiulrly in rurl res,susist on orse grins n erels suleentewith sll ortions o legues n tes.

Cousous is the stf o lie n the ioni ish orll Algerins. Cousous is oten reerre to silys taam (Ari or oo). Cousous is the tri-tionl el ter salaat-ul-jumuah, ongregtionlryer hel t osques every Friy ieitelyter noon. There is no seil osion or holiywithout ousous.

Tritionlly, Algerins sit on the floor or els,soeties on ret or ushions. Most ishes reserve t roo teerture; tgines, sous, n et

ishes re serve hot. A sll seletion o mezze,or etizers, is serve or guests or on seil o-sions. Min ishes y e serve ll t one orin ourses. Foo is eten only with the right hnin orne with Isli trition. The let hnis use or ersonl hygiene n thus onsiereunlen or eting. Cousous is eten with the firstthree fingers o the right hn or soon, never with ork.

The ollowing re exles o tyil els in

ile-lss ilies in three regions o Algeri.The oo o Seti in the ountins o northestern

Algeri is sile n rusti. Sies re use sr-ingly, i t ll. The region hs long history s en-ter o grin roution n tre going k tonient Roe. Fring is one on the rin-inuing

lteus, n livestok grze in hilly stures. Theiet is se on whole grins suh s rley, ulgur,n illet, whih re ll stee or ousous. Ln hiken ten to e ore unnt here thn inny other regions.

Agrrin ilies rise t wn to rekst okesra (Berer fltre e with seolin flour)n utterilk. Fresh or rie ruit is ke orsnking while working in the fiels. Lunh onsistso ousous with utterilk or kesr with sll

iee o grille et n sl o resh hers nwil greens. Mint te is serve lte in the ternoonwith seolin utter ookies or isuits.

The in el, inner, is eten roun sunset.Dinner onsists o ousous e ro ulgur. Thestee ulgur is serve on lrge ltter sur-roune y the et n vegetles ro the tgine;the tgine roth is strine n serve sertely in tureen or lrge owl. Other ishes re sou withhikes n rley, grille or rise l, n

severl vegetle rertions. Dessert is resh ruit,ollowe y seletion o rie sweets soke insyru.

In the Meiterrnen ort ity o Ann, nerthe Tunisin orer, the oos re hot n siy;hriss n hot eers re uiquitous. Brekstis eggs ohe in siy toto sue with hik-es. Itlin settlers e with the Frenh ou-tion o Algeri, n their ulinry influene isvery rent in Ann. Lunh is izz toe

with sie l or st in toto sue withseoo.Dinner, tyilly serve t 7 p.m., is the lrgest

el o the y. Cousous is serve with seoo intoto roth. The resenttion or ousous is si-ilr to Tunisin n Siilin ousous: The roth issoone over lrge ltter o ousous, n theseoo is le on to. Fruit is serve or es-sert, ollowe y seolin ke rizzle with honeysyru.

The ort ity o Orn hs iferent el stru-ture. Fro Orn, it tkes only nine hours y erry


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to reh Alinte, Sin. The ity rovie reugeor Morisos ter the Christin reonquest o An-lusi. In 1509 the Snish ture the ort oOrn. For the next 300 yers Orn woul hnge

hns k n orth etween the Snish, Brryirtes, n the Ottons. Orn ws lso whereSnish settlers e with the Frenh invsion oAlgeri. They rought with the rie ishes suh srroz on ollo (hiken n sfron rie) n -ell (rie with seoo, vegetles, n/or ets).Orn is still ous in Algeri or exetionl rierertions.

Brekst in Orn is srle egg ish lleshakshuka, n Otton-influene ish o sute

ell eers n onions with eggs stirre in. Lunhonsists o Snish-influene cocas (uf strystufe with sute vegetles) or rita, izz-like ke ish toe with olives, eers, n to-toes. Dinner is serve t 8 p.m. The in ish isrroz on ollo e with long-grin rie or s-ti rie, whih is new oreign ingreient solin suerrkets. Dessert is klv, flky strywith nuts, rizzle with Seville ornge syru, servewith ro-inuse ofee.

Eating Out

Algerin resturnts ten to e tegorize or-ing to seilties or tye o uisine. The itlity o Algiers, in rtiulr, ofers iners rngeo Meiterrnen ishes n uisines. Resturntsserving non-Meiterrnen oos re rre, lthoughAlgiers hs hnul o Inin, Vietnese, n

Chinese resturnts. Interntionl ishes eyonMeiterrnen uisines re usully ville inhotel resturnts.

Street oo is very oulr in Algeri. Venorsusully seilize in single ish. Frie onuts llesenjor beignets n briks (wrk stry stufe withegg) re oon rekst ites. Kes, erguezsusge snwihes stufe with Frenh ries (mer-

guez rites), n snwihes o thinly slie rotisserie-ooke l in guettes re oulr lunhtie

re. In the evening entire town squres re turneinto street-oo zrs with venors serving ore

extrvgnt ishes suh s ell n bastila ( ieo hiken, eggs, n lons in ny lyers oflky hyllo-like ough). Roving int te n o-ee venors wlk the streets throughout the y.

Fst-oo resturnts in Algeri re siilr tosul North Arin n Mile Estern lesoun in Euroe n Aeri. They serve verti-l rotisserie-grille ets (lle either Turkish-influene doner or Ar-influene shawerma);lels stufe into it re; n Frenh ries. Inreent yers, gloliztion hs rought in Belginst-oo hin, Quik. A MDonls oene inAlgiers in 2008.

Tritionl Algerin resturnts ten to ous on

sll grou o relte ishes suh s ousousserve with hoie o severl tgines or sous; ke-s n mechoui(roste or grille ishes); or se-oo rertions. The orer Euroen olonilresene is still very uh live in the resturntworl. Frenh-style s serve sile istro re likesteak rites (stek with sie o Frenh ries) nmoules ail et persil(ussels stee in grli nrsley). Itlin iners serve izzs n sts.

Sll Algerin keries n stry shos tyi-

lly seilize in only tritionl Algerin resn sweets. Lrger keries in ities integrte Frenhgoos. Bguettes re uiquitous in Algeri; rois-snts, lirs, n Euroen-style kes re lsoirly oon.

Harira, a hearty soup made with lamb, legumes, grains,and spices. (iStockPhoto)


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12 | Angola

Mozique, n the other Portuguese-sekingountries in Ari n Inonesi.


Sara and Jos Santos live in a middle-class neighbor-hood of Luanda, and they own their home. Jos is anotary for a local bank, and Sara is a housewife. Theirlifestyle and eating habits are typical of the middle class.They enjoy both traditional Angolan food and Portu-guese-influenced dishes. They begin their day with abreakfast of bread (soft white rolls similar to the Por-tuguese po)with butter, coffee, fruit, eggs, and cheese.Sometimes breakfast includes sausages or leftover fishor meat. The bread is purchased at a nearby bakery,

and fruit, eggs, butter, and cheese come from the localopen-air market or grocery store.

Lunch is usually the largest meal of the day and canconsist of grilled fish, boiled manioc root, rice, seafood,chicken, or pork. Some of the most popular dishes arerice with fish or other seafood, meat stew, and muambade galinha (Angolan-style chicken). Lunch usually endswith coffee and a dessert. Dessert can consist of cakes

made with grated coconut, pineapple, chocolate, sweetpotato, or bananas. Puddings are also common and aremade with egg yolks, coconut, or tapioca. The egg sweetsare a Portuguese influence. Coffee is prepared by plac-ing the grounds in a muslin bag and placing the bagover an enameled coffeepot. Freshly boiled water ispoured slowly into the strainer over the ground cof-fee. If the coffee is not strong enough, it can be pouredback through the muslin strainer once again. Fish is pur-chased at the local fish market or the open-air market.

Meat and poultry come from local farmers, small gro-cery stores, or supermarkets. Manioc flour and manioc

Fishing boats at sunset in Luanda, Angola. Luanda is the capital and largest port in Angola. (Corel)


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16 | Angola

to c palm oil, or half palm oil and halfvegetable oil

4 fresh chili peppers (jindungo), chopped andseeded

1 lb pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled andcubed

1 lb okra, trimmed and cut in half if large

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp salt

Cut the chicken thighs in half, and place them in alarge pot with the onions, vegetable oil, garlic, andbay leaf over medium heat. Stir to mix the ingredi-

ents well. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the chickenis tender and the vegetables have formed a sauce,adding a little water from time to time to keep thedish from drying out.

Add the palm oil, peppers, pumpkin, okra, lemonjuice, and salt. Cook over low heat for 15 minutesto allow seasonings to permeate the sauce. Servehot in a large serving dish accompanied by maniocpuree.

Funji (Manioc Puree)

Purees are served with stews, soups, or any meat,fish, or poultry dish that has a little sauce or liquidto make the puree.

Ingredients

4 c chicken broth

1 c finely ground manioc meal

Bring the broth to a boil. Slowly pour the maniocflour into the boiling broth, stirring with a whisk toavoid lumps. Continue stirring for 3 minutes, or untilthe puree is the consistency of cooked cereal. Servewith muamba.

Typical Meals

Angol, with its 18 rovines, hs ny regionl

flvors n ethni oo ultures. There re soeiferenes etween the uisine long the ost n

tht oun in the interior o the ountry. However,there re ny els tht re tyilly Angoln nenjoye throughout the ountry. The Portuguese in-fluene is evient in ishes suh s arroz de maris-

cos (rie with seoo), e with shri, loster,ls, or okles n re hili eers (jinungu or

jinungo); caldeirada de peixe (fish stew), rerewith thik fish steks, ottoes, onions, totoes,green eers, hili eers, n olive oil; guisado debacalhau (slt o stew), e with slt o, okr,

jinungo, onion, toto, n l oil; n rissisAngolanos (rey shri turnovers), whose filling isrere with shri, onions, toto, grli, n hotsue in white sue. Most o the stews re serve

with white rie.Dishes tht re tyil o Angoln uisine inlue

muzongue com piro (hngover sou with uree),e with resh fish, rie fish, sinh, n sweetottoes n serve with nio-lour uree;couves cozidas com oleo-de-palma e amendoim (ol-lrs ooke in l oil n groun enut sue);mariscos cozidos com jindungo (shellish in hotsue), inluing ls, oysters, rwns, n lo-sters; u e eixe (fish rgout), e with fish,

ottoes, okr, n l oil; u e glinh(Angoln-style hiken), e with hiken thighs,onions, l oil, jinungo, ukin, n okr;caldeirada de cabrito (got-et stew), usully serve

Caldeirada de cabrito, a goat meat stew, is typical of theAngolan cuisine. (iStockPhoto)


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Angola | 17

on Ineenene Dy, whih inlues got et, on-ions, ottoes, ell eers, ort wine, n ogn;calulu de carne seca (rie ee stew);galinha de ca-bidela (hiken stew with loo sue); n, or es-

sert, cocada Angolana (Angoln oonut ny),bolo de maracuj (ssion ruit ke), n bananasassadas (ke nns). A uree e with n-io flour or orn flour onies ny els.

The et ishes in the Angoln uisine re vr-ie. The ost oon ets use re ee, ork,hiken, fish n other seoo, n, in soe rurlres, ge n got. Sous re very oon noten serve s the in ourse o el. They in-lue hiken or ee n re serve with rie or

unji (nio uree). Snks re usully eten inthe ternoon n n onsist o ruit, rie n-io, ritters, sugre nuts, or stry.

Eating Out

Eting out is luxury or ost Angolns. Mnyo the resturnts, inluing those in hotels, terinly to oreigners n serve ostly Continentlre ut lso inlue ew lol ishes. Brekst

in ost resturnts inlues erel, yogurt, sr-le eggs, on, toto weges, susges, tost,n exoti ruits. For lunh they will serve isheslike ge sou with white ens, rie with veg-etles, grille ets n ish, oile ottoes,Frenh ries, n slt o roquettes. For inner thehoies ight inlue seoo sou, grille groueror other fish, stewe hiken, ol shri n r,n grille loster. Usully one or two o the ollow-ing lol ishes will er on the enu eh y:

cabidela e galinha (hiken stew with loo sue),leir e rito (got-et stew), u eeixe (fish rgout), u e glinh (Angoln-style hiken), unji (nio uree),galinha com jin-

gub (hiken with hot sue), lulas guisada (squisute with ottoes), rroz e risos (rie withseoo), rissis Angolnos (rey shri turn-overs), uzongue o iro (hngover sou withuree), doce de amendoim com cocada (enut es-sert with oonut), doce de banana (nn essert),

o Angoln (Angoln oonut ny), nbanana rita (rie nns).

Mny sll resturnts, street stlls (barracas),n s where the oo is reltively inexensive rerequente y workers uring rekst n lunh.For rekst these les ight serve rolls, ofee,

heese, or ruit. For lunh they usully serve lolre inluing rie fish, grille et n hiken,Frenh ries, hurgers, et tties, n otherites suh s ie re, other esserts, n stries.The rrs on the ehes o lively usiness sell-ing snks n rinks to ehgoers. Drinks t llresturnts inlue ol, lol eer, other loholirinks, n lol ruit rinks with n without sr-kling wter. The ost oulr resh ruit rinks ree with nn, inele, n trin. There

re lso rinks tht re erente. The roess usu-lly tkes out 80 hours eore the everge n eottle. Two oulr erente rinks re kisanguan kitoto. The orer is e with orn flour nsugr, n the ltter is e with orn. There relso eers e ro orn: quimbombo, quissngua,n quitoto, eh in iferent rovine o Angol.

Special Occasions

Angol gine its ineenene in 1975, n theountry then h ivil wr tht ene only in2002. Beuse the jority o the oultion livesin overty, ny o the estivls orerly elertethroughout the ountry hve isere, re helinrequently, or now our only in the lrger ities.The uli holiys re New Yers Dy (Jnu-ry 1), Ntionl Holy Dy (Ferury 4), VitoryDy (Mrh 27), Workers Dy (My 1), Ineen-ene Dy (Noveer 11), n MPLA (Peoles

Moveent or the Liertion o Angol) Foun-tion Dy n Fily Dy (Deeer 25).Other seil osions re the en-o-ter rties

or stuents, when rroz e risos (rie with se-oo) is neessity. Mrisos ozios o jinungo(shellfish in hot sue), rissis Angolns (Angoln-style rey shri turnovers), n o Ango-ln (Angoln oonut ny) re seilties servet weings, rties, holiys, n seil inners. Atthese osions lol everges suh s ize eer

n l wine re serve, long with sot rinks nother loholi everges.


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Angolns elerte Ineenene Dy with thetritionl ish o leir e rito (got-etstew). It is wonerul stew e with got et,onions, ottoes, totoes, n ell eers, en-

hne with ort n ogn. The stew is quite esyto rere, n eliious.

Caldeirado de Cabrito(Goat-Meat Stew)

Serves 1012

Ingredients

8 lb goat meat, cubed

Boiling water to cover goat meat

c vegetable oil2 lb onions, thinly sliced

6 lb white potatoes, peeled and sliced

4 lb tomatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

6 green bell peppers, seeded and sliced into strips

Salt and black pepper to taste

2 tbsp red pepper flakes

c chopped fresh parsley leaves

c chopped fresh cilantro leaves2 bay leaves

2 c port or sweet red wine

1 c cognac

Wash the pieces of goat meat well, and place in alarge pot of boiling water. Return the pot to a boiland remove the goat meat. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil and first saut the on-ions, then the potatoes, goat meat, tomatoes, and

bell peppers. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the redpepper flakes.

Sprinkle the parsley and cilantro over the ingredi-ents. Add the bay leaves and cover with the portor red wine, 2 cups water, and the cognac. Covertightly and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes,or until the goat meat is tender. Do not remove thecover and do not stir. Just shake the pan occasion-ally to prevent sticking. This will keep the potatoesfrom breaking up. Serve hot with white rice.

Note: If you cannot find goat, most butchers willbone a shoulder or leg of lamb for this dish.

Diet and Health

The oos tht re the instys o the tritionlAngoln iet re nio rere in ny wys

(inluing the leves o the lnt), l oil, e-nuts, ens, rie, okr, hot hili eers, sweet o-ttoes, nns, orn, shews, oonut, rie orresh fish, rie or resh ee, ork, n hiken. Ajority o the Angoln oultion is onsiereto e unere. So it is rre to fin oesity. Giventht 70 erent o the oultion lives in overtyn over hl re uneloye, hunger is seriousrole. Peole living in the ostl res et loto seoo, in the southwest herers live ririly

on iry routs n et, n rers onsuetheir roue o ize, sorghu, ssv, n otherros. Gthering firewoo n wter in soe rurlres requires gret el o energy.

Meil re is not ville everywhere esitegovernent eforts. In rurl res linis lk stfn si equient, n thus ost eole rely ontritionl helers whose rtie eens lrgelyon herl reeies. In the lrger ities Angolnshve etter ess to uli helth re t hositls

n linis. There re lso hositls seifilly totret woens n hilrens illnesses. Angol re-ently ointe regionl iretor to the WorlHelth Orgniztion to oversee the fight ginstHIV/AIDS n other inetious iseses. The ire-tor will lso work to rovie etter-qulity helthre to ll itizens n to ensure etter oorintiono trking iseses. Dotors o tritionl ei-ine re lso working with governent rovl toroen their reh to eole in the interior nintroue the use o eiinl lnts s ures orsoe siknesses.

Cherie Y. Hamilton

Further Reading

Hilton, Cherie Y. Cuisines o Portuguese En-counters. New York: Hiorene Books, 2008.

Hilton, Russell G., n Cherie Y. Hilton.Cruru n Clulu, Etyologilly n Soio-

gstronoilly. Callaloo: A Journal o Ari-can Diaspora Arts and Letters 30, No. 1 (2007):33842.


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19

Overview

Forerly known s Dhoey, the Reuli o Benin

is lote on the southern ost o the West Arinulge. It shres orers with Togo to the west, Ni-geri to the est, n Burkin Fso n Niger tothe north. Its southern ostline les to the Bighto Benin. The ountry overs 112,622 squre ki-loeters (44,484 squre iles) n n e ivieinto our istint geogrhi res etween southn north: rshy ostl lin, the Guinen s-vnn, fltlns n roky hills, n the Atorrnge o ountins in the northwest long the Togo-

lese orer. The lite is hot n hui with tworiny sesons n two ry sesons yer. Therere 42 iferent ethni grous in the ountry, in-luing the Yoru, the Fule (or Fulni), n theBri in the northest, the Deni in the north-entrl re, the So in the ountinous north-west, the Fon in the south-entrl re n rounAoey, n the Min n Aj on the ost. In thesouth there is lso sizle reolize Aro-Brzilinounity esene ro Arins, Euroens,

n orer slves returne ro Brzil. The i-tl is in the Yoru ity o Porto Novo, ut the seto governent is lote in the Fon ity o Cotonou.Costl Benin h erly ontt with Euroens,whih le to it eing one o the sets o the slvetre or ore thn 300 yers; uring this tie, itws lso known s the Slve Cost.

The jority o the oultion o 6.5 illionlives in the south o the ountry, whih, like nyother ountries on the West Arin ulge, exeri-

enes istintion etween the ore westernizesouthern segents o the ountry n those to the

Benin

north. In the 2002 ensus 42.8 erent o the o-ultion were Christin, 22.4 erent were Musli,n 17.3 erent rtie the inigenous religiono Voun or Oris worshi. The reining eolertie other religions or li no religious li-tion. More thn hl o the oultion seks Fon,ut Frenh is the ntionl lnguge, n English istught in seonry shools.


Thodora and Thophile Grimaud are retirees. His ca-reer was in the airline industry, and she was a teacherand housewife. His career postings took them to vari-ous areas of western Africa and the world, and theyare members of the westernized elite. Their diet com-bines Western dishes with traditional Beninese spe-cialties, especially dishes from their Fon ethnicity. Theymay dine with friends either in their homes or in localrestaurants. On special occasions or when guests arein town, they may dine in one of the larger restaurantsin town. The family eats three meals a day. Breakfast isusually in the European mode a Continental breakfast

of some sort with French bread, coffee or tea, and fruitjuice or fresh fruit. Thodora does the shopping, goingto local and neighborhood markets where she knowsthe vendors based on ethnic identity or the quality oftheir goods. She also shops in the local French-stylesupermarkets and often at the larger city market inCotonou known as the Dan Topka. Foods may be sup-plemented by specialties like agouti (bush rat) or landcrabs that are sometimes sold on the side of the roadsby young children. Local delicacies are purchased from

special purveyors at local street stalls.


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Benin | 21

Typical Meals

Brekst y e letovers ro the revious ysels or soething urhse ro street venor.

Alterntely, in urn res, it y e Frenh-influene sll el o hot everge n oro re. The si in els onsist o souystew serve with strh tht is then ie intothe stew. There is no jor istintion etweenlunh n inner. Alterntely, the in el ye grille hiken or grille fish sesone withhili or serve in sue o totoes n onions.The Aro-Brzilin segent o the oultion etsishes tht hrk k to Brzil, suh s their own

or oeijoada, stew o ens n et. In urnres where en hve trvele in serh o eloy-ent, the el y e tken t sll outoor

resturnt or in lol rket. There re lso nightrkets lle march de nuit tht ofer tritionloos tht n e serve in owl n tken or on-sution elsewhere.

Eating Out

Cotonou n Porto Novo hve nuer o sllestlishents in the style o the maquis ( slllol resturnt o the Cte Ivoire). They reowne y woen n seilize in serving pois-son brais npoulet brais (grille fish n grillehiken) onie y lol strh or Frenh

ries. There re lso resturnts in lrge n sllhotels serving Beninese n Euroen re s wells ew Frenh-style resturnts run y Frenh

Chickens are wheeled around on the back of a bike in an open market in Cotonou, Benin. (AFP | Getty Images)


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22 | Benin

olonils who hve reine in the ountry. Aer-in n West Arin st-oo hins re oun inthe jor ities s well s rhs e nuit tht selllol oos or tkeout.

Special Occasions

Like ny in western Ari, the Beninese hve well-eveloe sense o ereony, n religious hol-iys re elerte with esting y Christins nMuslis like. Religious ereonies in oth Vounn Oris worshi ll or their own ritul els swell. Weings, n eseilly unerls, lwys in-volve est o soe sort. Tritionl unerls y

require severl ys o esting.

Diet and Health

During the Soilist erio (19721991) the govern-ent enourge rurl eveloent n voregriulturl inititives, n the ountry is sel-

su ient in oo roution. Alost hl o theoultion is involve in soe or o griulture.An internl syste o tre still untions n hsthe ility to ensure oo istriution ro one re

to nother. However, the lk o rurl inrstrutureens tht interittent oo shortges re e yout 900,000 eole, ostly in the hr-to-rehnorthern rts o the ountry.

Jessica B. Harris

Further Reading

By, En G. Wives o the Leopard: Gender, Poli-tics, and Culture in the Kingdom o Dahomey.

Chrlottesville: University o Virgini Press,1998.

Benin. htt://www.everyulture.o/A-Bo/Benin.htl.

Hrris, Jessi B. The Arica Cookbook: Tastes oa Continent. New York: Sion n Shuster,1998.
http://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Benin.htmlhttp://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Benin.htmlhttp://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Benin.htmlhttp://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Benin.html


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24 | Burkina Faso

amount prepared, also share it with other people inthe compound.

Major Foodstuffs

Burkin Fso is reoinntly rurl, n uh othe oo is roue lolly. Most els re ero srth, s there is little roesse oo. Theonly roesse oos use on ily sis re to-to onentrte n stok ues, uiquitous in-greient in every Burkine ish.

In the north n northest o Burkin Fso, where ry, lost esert-like lite ointes, oo is

less vrie thn in the southern n southwesternrts o the ountry, where the lite is sutroi-l n the rih soil roues wie vriety o vege-tles. Foos onsue lso vry gretly oringto the seson, there eing istint riny n ry se-sons. Ater the riny seson, the rkets ofer gretvriety o vegetles. Burkin Fso hs lrge ro-ution o green ens, whih re grown through-out the yer n re inly exorte to Euroe, utthe in hrvest is in the winter onths, when the

rie is lso forle or the lol oultion.The in grins re illet, sorghu, ize,onio(Digitaria genus), n rie. Millet, ize, n rie rethe ingreients eten y ost Burkine on ilysis, with rie eing ore town olks oo e-use o its ost. Rie is grown lolly, ut generllyeole reer the iorte vrieties o Thi n In-onesin rie. Sweet ottoes, ys, n ottoesre lso grown lolly n use s everyy oo,ut o these, ottoes re the ost exensive n

thereore re not eten on n everyy sis.Grounnuts (enuts), whih were introue toWest Ari s sh ro in the olonil erio, relso n iortnt ingreient. The Biss eole rertiulrly well known or their tste or enuts.Vrious ulses, suh s ens, hikes, lentils, nr grounnut (Vigna subterranea), re lsort o the everyy iet. The Mossi eole reknown s gret eters o ens (benga). Bens reeten oile n serve with slt n oil.

Vegetles tht re grown lolly re totoes,zuhini, rrots, leeks, onions, eets, okr, ukins,

uuers, n vrious tyes o lettue. They reostly use in sues, rt ro lettue, whih is

n exensive ingreient n is eten only t estiveels or in welthier ilies. Greenssinh,sorrel, n ge, ong othersre iortntvegetles tht re use in sues tht onythe in stle oo o illet or ize orrige.

Foos re sesone using slt, stok ues, n/orsumbala (Arin loust en tree seesParkia bi-

globosa). Hot eers re e to sues, ut oois only illy hot. A ste e o hot eers ne e to the el, eseilly when eting rie

oos or et. Tritionl ooking ts suh s sheutter n l nut oil hve lrgely een reley grounnut oil. Sunflower oil is use only in uer-lss ilies.

Fruits re onsue s snks n re soetiesuse or king juies. Their vilility eens onthe sesonsngo seson is ro Mrh to Myor June. Wter is serve with els. Milk is rinktht is oulr ong the Fule (Fulni) nos,who lso sell it t the rkets. Lolly roue

juies e o hiisus flowers, ginger, leon, no ruit (whih looks like oonut n ontins

An African woman selling groundnuts (peanuts) by theroadside. (iStockPhoto)


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Burkina Faso | 25

sour owery white ul) re lso oulr, rti-ulrly t rties. Chinese te rere over severlhours on sll hrol stoves, with lrge quntitieso sugr, is very oulr with en, ny o who

elong to regulr te grou tht eets on ilyor weekly sis.

Cooking

Foo rertion in Burkin Fso is rther lor-intensive, in oth rurl n urn res, lthough intowns n ities, the tsk is e esier y the ttht ost oouns hve ess to wter through wter t or nery uli well. While woen

in the ountrysie oten hve to wlk r into theush to eth firewoo or ooking oo n het-ing wter, in urn environents this n e oughtro ulnt sellers. Beuse o the hot lite,oos or ooking nee to e ought on ily sis(very ew ilies hve rerigertors, n those whoo ostly use the to store ol wter n ie), whihens tht the woen in urn res hve to go tothe rket to uy ingreients or the ily el everyy. In rurl res, the rket tkes le every five

ys. Most Burkine ilies re lrge n inlueseverl genertions living within one ooun,whih kes the tsk o ooking ening one;it is usully overseen y the elest won in the -ily, who is ie y her ughters, niees, ughters-in-lw, n/or live-in i. While hil is reoon in Burkin Fso, they re oten not en-truste with ooking the in ily el ut reinste ssigne the ore enil tsks o wshingthe ishes, sweeing the kithen floors s well s the

ooun, n oing the lunry.As Burkin Fso hs hot lite, ooking isoten one outoors in the yr, exet when thewether (rin, ust, win) revents this. The kithenis sll roo with wlls lkene ro soke. Iths no urnishings other thn sll stool or theook, stove oose o three stones use or l-ning the ot (in town this woul e etl stovewith hole on one sie or firewoo), n soetiesots n ns ile u in the orner. Uer-ile-

lss ilies will hve kithen insie the house,with sink n stove with two or ore urners

uele y ottle gs. However, gs is exensive nthus lwys use ruglly. When ooking or lrgenuers o eole, woo reins the reerre uel.

When ooking lunh, woen usully use two ots,

one or the stle oo n one or the sue. One othe stle oos, the illet or ize orrige knownlolly s t, requires rtiulr skill n strengthon the rt o the ook, s the flour requires vigor-ous stirring while eing hete over the stove nthe ook nees to sit lose to the fire to revent theot ro oving. The irrittion ro the soke,whih gets into the eyes, is soething the woen getuse to over the yers o eroring this en-ing tsk.

Prertion o rie s stle ish is less en-ing, ut the rie ust e reully lene eoreooking. Dust, stones, n other irt ust e re-ove n the rie reully wshe. The Burkinelike their oo well ooke, so the rie will ook orwell over n hour. Siilrly, when st is rereit ust e totlly tener to e onsiere eile. TheWestern style o ooking rie or st l ente is notreite y the Burkine.

The sue or the in el is ooke in the ol-

lowing wy: First, oil is hete in the n, n thenone the oil is very hot, et or fish is e n riewell. Ater tht the ook s the onions n thenthe rest o the vegetles; wter is e, n thenthe sue hs to sier until ll the ingreients rewell ooke. In se oris gras or spaghetti gras, rieor st is e to the sue n then ooke untilll the wter hs evorte n the rie or st iswell ooke. Frying is oon or fish n et es-eilly when these re urhse outsie the house

or serve s sie ish; otherwise, it is first rie nthen ooke in sue.The lol seilties o onio ousous n at-

tiek (erente nio ousous, whih origintesro Cte Ivoire ut is very oulr in BurkinFso) re rere y steing, n so re soeother erel-se ulings n nkes. Othernkes n oughnuts re either ee-rie orrie with sll ount o t (oil or she utter,eening on the region n the tye o flour use).

As oil is n exensive oostuf, it is oten use sev-erl ties, s there is no elie or knowlege tht


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woul ori reheting use oil ong the vergeBurkine. Oil tht ws use or rying et nlter lso e use or sesoning sls.

Typical Meals

Brekst is not n iortnt el or the jorityo the oultion, n it is ostly eten y those

who n for it. Brekst n onsist o eitherletover oo ro the y eore or seilly re-re or urhse oos, suh s re n ofeeor te, illet gruel, or rie eggs.

For the verge Burkine, lunh is the in eln is se on stle oo suh s illet or izeorrige or rie, lwys serve with sue. Metis vore oo ite, n ielly ll sues shoulontin t lest sll quntity o et or fish.However, ue to overty ny eole nnot -

or to uy et or fish on ily sis, so sllounts o rie fish re use to give ety tsteto the el. In the ost hr-of ilies, this wille rele y et stok ue. Welthier urnilies y osionlly rere roni withsue s the in ish, or y rgout, ut rien orrige (e o illet in the rurl n izein the urn res) rein the oinnt stleoos. Soe o the ore oulr sues re sauceoseille (sorrel sue), sauce euilles de baobab (sue

e with o leves), sauce claire ( lightsue e with grte onion n zuhini), sauce

arachide (grounnut sue), n sauce gombo (stikysue e with resh okr), whih is usully etentogether with la soupe ( et-se sue).

Lunh is eten etween 12:30 n 1:30 p.m. In

rurl settings, the trition o woen n en et-ing ro serte ishes, using the right hn, isintine, with woen oten eting ter en. Inurn res, eole oten et ro iniviul ltes,using soon or ork. A ull set o utlery is useonly in uer-lss ilies. Peole in lower- nile-lss ilies ont et sitting together t thetle, nor o eole in the villges. They either sit onthe floor roun the ish, eting together s grou,or on stools, holing their own lte. Dinner n e

either sertely ooke el or, s is oten these, the se ish s lunh, hete u on hr-ol or gs stove. It is eten t 8 p.m. or lter.

Eating Out

Street oo is tyil o the urn res o the oun-try. Rey-to-et oos n e ought ieitelyoutsie ones house, s there re ny sll stnsselling oos in ront o eoles oouns. These

ostly sell rie oos. Ples roun town ter orevery tste. Foo is ville t virtully ny tie othe y, lthough ertin rts o town, eseillythe entrl re roun the rkets, ter only tolunh ustoers.

Erly in the orning keshit rekst leser on the sie streets o urn Burkin Fso.These re e u o oule o enhes n tle.On sll woo or hrol stove the venor oilswter or ofee n te, n lrge ror ox

serves s re in. The ore roserous sre uilt like sll r with roo n r stoolsroun the r. These n e loke u t night night even hve rige n gs stove insie. As rule, they re run y en serving ofee or te long-sie uttere re. The ore enterrising venorswill lso rere rie eggs or oelets, n i theyosses n ieox, or even rerigertor, they ightlso serve yogurt n/or ol rinks. Custoers relost exlusively le; woen rrely venture into

one o these les. It woul e inrorite orn unonie won to e sitting in the street

Cooking doughnuts over a wood fire in Africa. (iStock-Photo)


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in the ony o unknown en. Men, in ontrst,re ree to sit t the n ht with the venorn other ustoers. Brekst les oten oen inthe wee hours o the y, t out 4 or 5 a.m. Soe

o the oen t usk n sty oen until the erlyorning hours.

As rekst is not one o the els rovie ythe he o the ily, the en who go out to workoten llow theselves the luxury o eting rekstt inste o just hving sll owl o labouillie (illet or rie gruel) ought ro neighor,s ost o their ily eers o. Most eolewill hve soe gruel or u o ofee or rekstt hoe. Soe ilies rere l ouillie the-

selves, or they y uy it ro neighor who re-res it or sle every orning. This is the heestrekst oo ville. It is ostly rere withillet flour, whih is slightly sour n thereore re-quires sweetening, so tht ost eole en u sen-ing ore oney on the sugr thn on the gruelitsel.

In Ougougou n Boo Dioulsso, the i-tl n the seon-lrgest ity resetively, there relso tisseries n keries tht serve rekst.

Art ro re, ofee, n oelets, they lso hveroissnts n other stries, yogurt, juies, nsos, n they serve the te n ofee in ots nus. These les re not within the reh o theverge Burkine, n ost ustoers re usi-nessen, tourists, n higher-rnking ivil servntsro nother rt o the ountry who re in townon n o il ission.

Most rekst les strt king u etween10 n 11 a.m. Tht is the tie when stns selling

lunh will strt ering. They ofer the usul hoere n sell it y the lte to regulr ustoers nssersy. As the lunhtie el is soething oneshoul norlly get ro ones ily, these lesre ost oten requente y eole who re visi-tors or ssersy n hve no ily in town wht-soever. I eole re visiting town where istntreltives live, ones with who their own ieiteily is on goo ters, they will e e one yt lest or ew ys, unless the reltives live in ex-

tree overty n hve troule roviing even ortheselves. The ny eole who work or one o

the nuerous lol n regionl trnsort o-nies n trvel k n orth on uses n truksusully et t one o the lunh les roun thetrin sttion. Also, with the itl Ougougou

growing signifintly in size, eole y work long wy wy ro their house n thereore hveno hoie ut to et outsie, to sve the oney orthe trnsort hoe n k to work gin ter thetwo-n--hl-hour esignte lunh rek.

In the eyes o n verge Burkine, lunh shoulonsist o one o the stle ishes, suh s ize orillet orrige or rie onie y sue, thevlue o whih is eterine y the ount o etit ontins. The tyes o oos tht re ofere t

street stlls uring lunh hours reflet this lolonet o roer el. Sine the tyes o oossol re uh like the in el rere y everyBoolese housewie, it is the woen who reren sell lunhtie oo in the streets. The woenwho sell these els, soeties lone, soeties inirs, rere the oo erly every orning in theirkithens t hoe n then, with either onkeyrt or txi, trnsort the lrge ots to their ven-ing sot. Soe woen hve set u roer sll res-

turnts, oten linke to their own kyr, with etl roo over soe wooen tles n enhesor ustoers to sit on n enjoy their el. Moststreet stlls onsist o tle on whih the oo isle in lrge ukets, n there re ew enhesor ustoers to sit own on while eting. A nwill sit on sll wooen enh n et ro hislsti lte, usully using ork. Woen et lunhin les like these only i they re onie ytheir husn or i they re lerly visiting ro n-

other town or villge n o not hve reltives whooul rovie or the.Siilrly to rekst, lunh n lso e eten in

resturnts tht ter to welthier lientele. Thereis gret vriety o resturnts roun, ro thoseserving the lower-rnking ivil servnts to thosetht re requente only y the extrite oul-tion n welthy lol usinessen n -woen.The heer resturnts serve oth Burkine nWestern ishes, while the urket ones usully

seilize in rtiulr uisine. In the itl sev-erl resturnts serve Itlin, Frenh, Lenese, or


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nother oreign uisine. These les re oen orlunh n inner.

I the lunhtie oos re ostly the se s onewoul get t hoe, the evenings n nights on the

streets o Boo rovie one with true ulinry ex-eriene. Fro the lte ternoon, little street stllsselling rey-to-et oos egin to er. Mostoo stlls ieitely outsie oouns sell rieoos. These n inlue y, sweet otto, nlntin his; en n sweet nn ritters; noughnuts e ro illet, orn, or whet flour.For those who o not hve the tie or inlintion tosto n sit own, the oo is wre in ges ool newser or iees o lrge er flour gs.

Those with ore tie to sre y eie to sitown on enh next to the venor n et oo of lte n erhs engge in soe sll tlk withthe venor.

Sine in the evening ny single, n lso rrieBurkine en, go out to rs with their girlriens,or ore rrely with their wives, the veents out-sie these rs n lus re ke with little oostns. At night the venors ten to e en, ut theynever sell the tyes o oos ssoite with wo-

ens ooking. While woen, soe o who lsohve stns in the street t night, sell ostly rie nsue, t n sue, st, ttiek, or snwihes,en seilize in reue et n oultry nin oelets or rie egg snwihes. The tyil lo-tion or the stns is outsie oulr nightlus, sotht ustoers n get ite to et.

Soeties eole leve their oouns nrive to rtiulr rt o town in orer to uy ish tht will stisy their rving. Others wlk onto

the street outsie their ooun n uy slllte o ens or rie with sue i they hve runout o oo t hoe. Eting in resturnts is not oon rtie or ost Burkine, who nnotfor the exense, n even i they oul, nyo the reer hoe ooking. Peole re generllyvery reul out where they uy the oo they etn o not trust tht the resturnt oo is reres reully s hoe-ooke el. However, withwesterniztion, one n now see ore Burkine

oules n ilies eting in resturnts thn e-e go.

Special Occasions

Festing in Burkin Fso is ostly linke to reli-gious holiys or elertionsRn, Tski

(Ei l-Ah), n Moulou or the Muslis;Christs n Ester or the Christins; ys osrifie ong the niistsn elertions olie-yle ilestones (hristenings n ning er-eonies, weings, n unerls). As there re ewseifi estive ishes, on suh events wht ttersis the quntity o oo n the qulity o the ingre-ients, ut the reies inly sty the se. In rurlres the ish serve woul still e t, ut or estthe le he o the ily usully slughters n

nil (i not shee or l, then hiken), sineet is regre s rtiulrly iortnt ingre-ient o estive el.

In urn res ish tht is serve t every estn elertion is malo zaamen (Jul), moui nado(Moore), or riz grs, rie-se ish now syn-onyous with rties in urn Burkin Fso. Itsorigins y e tre k to the Seneglese rie-se ish tiebou djen, whih is rere with oi-ous ounts o et n fish. While the Burkine

version is less elorte thn its Seneglese oun-terrt, it still ontins lrge ounts o et nvegetles (inste o fish) n is onsiere rihns ish. Goo riz grs is e ro to-qulityingreients n nuerous stok ues. The etn vegetles re serve on e o rie tht hseen ooke in the et n vegetle stok.

Riz Gras

4 c rice1 large onion, chopped

Parsley

Garlic

18 oz lamb or beef

1goyo,cubed (African eggplant)

18 oz ripe tomatoes (or a16-oz can of tomatoes)

1 green bell pepper, chopped and seeded

2 carrots, halved

Half a cabbage, cut into large pieces


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2 Maggi meat or vegetable stock cubes

1 tbsp tomato concentrate

Salt

OilHeat the oil, and add the meat, cut in small pieces.While frying the meat, add salt, and as the meatturns brown, add the chopped onion, tomatoes, andpepper and stir well. Then add tomato concentrate,chopped garlic, and parsley and stir again. After sau-ting the ingredients for about 10 minutes, fill up thepot with water. Add the cabbage, carrots, eggplant,and stock cubes. Allow to simmer until the vegeta-bles are tender and cooked. Once the meat and veg-

etables are well cooked, use a spoon to take themout. Keep them warm. Pour the rice into the saucein which the meat and vegetables were cooked andcheck for salt. If needed, add some salt and stir therice. Continue cooking over a low fire and stir oc-casionally. Once all the water has evaporated, therice should be cooked. Serve it with the meat andvegetables piled on top.

No est woul e olete without rinks.Aong the Christin n niist oultions theestive rink o hoie is eer, tritionlly eo illet or sorghu, n in the southwest o theountry lso l wine. In towns ottle eer is therink o hoie or ults n so or hilren, l-though ong the Boo ethni grou, hilren regiven illet eer t n erly ge. Muslis rink sotrinks, oth hoee juies ro the hiisusflower, ginger, or leons n ottle sos. Soe

less ious Musli en rink lohol ut never in-sie their hoe.With Western influenes rtiulrly in the urn

res, soe new oos re fining their wy ontothe estive enus o the Burkine. These oos reoten reerre to s white ns oo n re servet ivil weing reetions n in sller quntitiesto selet ew seil guests t tritionl ests.White ns oos n e lolly grown, ut whenrere in n untritionl nner, they eoe

oreign. Sls o rw vegetles or crudits, o-orn, Chinese r rkers, n verielli st

re soe o the oos serve on suh osions.These oos re not ent to ee ut to e seen, sthey re exensive n will e serve only in sllquntities.

During the holy onth o Rn, when Mus-lis st ro wn till usk, seil oos re re-re or reking the st. The st is usully rokeny first tking soe liqui, wter, or seilly re-re herl te. Then one rinks illet or riegruel, ollowe y illet oughnuts, lle les gal-lettes du mil in Frenh. The oo onsue terreking the st is usully riher version o theily stle. There re two in els ter rek-ing the st, one roun 8 or 9 in the evening n

one t out 3:30 a.m. eore eginning the st. Onthe y tht elertes the en o Rn, Ei l-Fitr, itionl estive oos, suh s riz grs, rerere in quntities lrge enough to e shrewith reltives, neighors, n riens. A shee wille slughtere y the he o the ily, n theet is use or the estive el n istriute toreltives n riens. The se hens on notherjor Isli holiy Ei l-Ah, lolly lle leTski. Sening gits o oo to reltives, neigh-

ors, n riens is n iortnt rt o everyysoility in Burkin Fso n hels eole in-tin iortnt suort networks.

Diet and Health

Arin ies o helthy eting re very iferentro Western ones. Possily ue to oo shortgesin the st, eole et s uh s they n. Ftnessequls goo helth, lie ore, n welth n is n

reite eture. Peole who eoe rih willinitilly strt eting lrger quntities o tteningoos. They will extr oos to the ounlel n go or rtiulrly rih reksts nseverl ytie snks. With tie, the se eoleight eoe ore helth onsious n strt uy-ing etter-qulity ingreients inste o sily ou-ling the quntity o their intke. In urn reseole re eoing ore weight onsious, nsoe woen tlk out reuing t in their oo

intke. However, sine oil is herishe ingreientn ounl ooking oes not onsier seil


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nees, those who wish to ollow seil iet neeto rere their oo theselves. This requires othtie n oney n is thus oten not n otion orny eole. When eole re unwell, et sou

n t re onsiere s strength-giving oos. Tis elieve to e ore esily igeste thn rie nthus ore suitle or soeone who is ril niling.

Liza Debevec

Further Reading

Deeve, Liz. Fily Mels, Shring n Hier-rhy in West-Arin Town. In Nurture: The

Proceedings o Symposium on Food and Cookery,eite y Rihr Hosking, 6677. Bristol, UK:Footwork Press, 2003.

Deeve, Liz. The Mening o Arin nWhite Mns Foo t Musli n Civil

Weing Celertions in Urn Burkin Fso.Anthropology o Food, S3| (Deeer 2007),htt://o.revues.org/inex2572.htl.

Freierg, Susnne. Frenh Bens o the Msses:

A Moern Historil Geogrhy o Foo inBurkin Fso. Journal o Historical Geography29, No. 3 (2003): 44563.

Osseo-Asre, Frn. Food Culture in Sub-SaharanArica. Westort, CT: Greenwoo Press,2005.

Ourogo, Joshine. Les ees hes enge en zone rurle u Burkin Fso. InFemmes du Sud, ches de amille, eite y

Jenne Bisillit, 99107. Pris: Krthl,1996.

Roget-Petitjen, Myri. Soins et nutritiondes enants en mileu urbain aricain. Pris:LHrttn, 1997.
http://aof.revues.org/index2572.htmlhttp://aof.revues.org/index2572.html


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Central Africa

Overview

The ountries onsiere here s rt o Centrl

Ari re the Deorti Reuli o the Congo(DRC), the Reuli o the Congo, Gon, Equ-toril Guine, Ceroon, n the Centrl ArinReuli (CAR). They ll orer the equtoril rinorest, hoe to highly iversifie un n florn rissrosse y nuerous wterwys. The CongoRiver, the fith-longest river in the worl, ors withits ny triutries the worls seon-lrgest rin-ge sin. The nvigle rts o these rivers otenofer the est wy to ess the region. In the north

n south o Centrl Ari, the rin orest gives wyto grsslns, wheres in the est o the DRC theountins inite the trnsition to the Gret Lkesregion. In ontrst to the rin orest, these res resuitle or the ultivtion o erels n ttle rer-ing. The western orer o Centrl Ari is orey the Atlnti Oen. At the equtor there re tworiny sesons n two ry sesons, while urthernorth n south there is only one istintive rinyn one ry seson.

Centrl Ari is hoe to high nuer o ethnigrous, eh with its seifi oo hits n toos.The ntionl orers o not reflet ethni ounr-ies. Soe grous re resent in two or even oreountries, suh s the Fng, who live in Ceroon,Equtoril Guine, Gon, n the Reuli o theCongo. Most eole in Centrl Ari sek Bntuor Ungi lnguges, oth lnguge grous thtelong to the Niger-Congo lnguge ily. In thenorth o the region, other Niger-Congo, Nilo-Shrn,

n Aro-Asiti lnguges re soken s well. Eveni these lnguge grouings re soeties use s

ethni lels, this oes not reflet y ny ens ulturl, n ertinly not ril, relity. The hunter-

gtherers o the rin orest, or instne, known spygmies, erogtory ter, sek Bntu or Ungilnguges ut re onsiere ulturlly istint roeoles seking the se or losely relte ln-guges.

In the DRC the hunter-gtherers re soetieslle autochthons. They re onsiere to e the firsteoles resent in Centrl Ari. Bntu-sekingounities, who now onstitute y r the jorityin this region, let the Nigerin-Ceroonin orer-

ln only soe 4,000 to 5,000 yers go, ro wherethey sre towr estern n southern Ari.These Bntu-seking eoles eveloe n griul-turl syste oine with the roureent o wilresoures. Soe o the hunter-gtherers ote thelnguges o these newoers. The Ak o the CAR,or instne, re hunter-gtherers who sek Bntulnguge.

The first Euroens to rrive in the region werethe Portuguese, who were exloring the osts

o the Atlnti Oen t the en o the 15th entury.They introue soe lnts they h quire inthe Aeris, notly Brzil. The Coluin Ex-hnge (the exhnge o oostufs etween the Newn the Ol Worl) resulte or Centrl Ari in theotion o ssv, orn, sweet ottoes, the newooy, enuts, eers, totoes, ukins, nseverl ruits. During the olonil erio ore oo-stufs were introue n, ore iortnt, wholerry o Euroen oo ustos, suh s the three-

el y. The legy o the Frenh olonil st inthe CAR, Ceroon, Gon, n Congo involves,


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ong other things, the onsution o guettest rekst, wheres the Belgin ex-olonizer leteer reweries in the jor ities o the DRC. Glo-

liztion oine with strong urniztionteneny ensures tht the Western influene is onlygetting stronger. Other legies o the olonil e-rio re the ntionl ounries n the o illnguges, tht is, Frenh in ll ountries, Snishs the first o il lnguge in Equtoril Guine,n English s the seon lnguge in Ceroon.As onsequene, Frenh nes re use or sev-erl oo ites n ishes. Finlly, the Euroenslso rought new religion, Christinity. Even i

tritionl eleents hve oten een inororteinto the new ith, others hve een lost, n this

lso hs reerussions on oo ulture, suh s theloss o seifi oo toos.

Food Culture SnapshotMengue Mobiang Genevive lives with her husband,Ndong Essone Jean-Baptiste, in Libreville, the capital ofGabon. They have three children of their own and takecare of two children of Jean-Baptistes brother. WhenGenevive goes to the market, she must make sure toget the required starch foods, proteins, condiments, andvegetables. In the first category she purchases a packageof 10 cassava sticks (chikwangue, btons de manioc) or

two to three kilograms (4.48.8 pounds) of plantains,a quantity sufficient for a few days. Once a month she

Preparing beignets in Lieki, Orientale Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Courtesy of Birgit Ricquier)


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buys a bag of 50 kilograms (more than 100 pounds)of rice. The protein intake is ensured by approximatelytwo kilograms (4.4 pounds) of meat, such as chicken,and two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of smoked, salted, or

fresh fish. Sometimes she opts for bush meat, but thisis rare and quite expensive. As condiments she pur-chases peppers, onions, garlic, and Maggi bouillon cubesin various flavors. Genevive takes particular care withrespect to the vegetable choice since vegetables makethe difference between one dish or another. This timeshe chooses to prepare beans, of which she buys ap-proximately one kilogram, but she could as well havepurchased three or four bundles of greens. Occasion-ally she may add some seasonal fruit, such as mangoes

or safou plums. Genevive now has enough groceriesto prepare the main meal of the day, which is served atnoon. The leftovers will be served in the evening.

For breakfast the family has bread, the French-stylebaguette, with butter or condensed milk, coffee, andcocoa prepared with powdered milk and sugar. Thekids sometimes get cornflakes and occasionally ba-guette with chocolate spread, which is purchased aspain chocolat at the corner shop. All breakfast itemscan be found at the market or in small quantities at

the corner shop. However, middle-class families oftenprefer to get these groceries from the supermarket.

When Genevive, Jean-Baptiste, and the children visitthe family in the village, both the meals and the groceryshopping are quite different. Instead of three meals,theyll have only breakfast and dinner, with snacks ap-peasing their stomachs during the day. The fare is muchsimpler. Maggi cubes, for instance, are rarely used. In therural areas people grow foodstuffs in their fields andgather them in the forest. Hardly any food is purchased,

meat, fish, and rice being the main exceptions.

Major Foodstuffs

In lrge rts o Centrl Ari strhy oo on-sists inly o tuers n lntins. Without nyout the ost iortnt tuer is ssv (Manihotesculenta). There re sweet n itter vrieties,reerring to the ount o ynogeni glyosies.The itter vrieties require soking in wter or

ew ys to reove the toxins. Beore the Colu-in Exhnge true ys (Dioscorea) were the ost

iortnt root ros, n they still re onsue in lrge vriety. Soe re ultivte, suh s the erily (D. bulbiera) n the yellow y (D. cayenen-sis). Others re sily oun in the rin orest, or

exle, D. burkilliana. Soe o these ys ttin weight o severl kilogrs, D. mangenotiana eingone o the hions, with ossile weight o over200 kilogrs (441 ouns), ut it is no longer hr-veste when ore thn 5 kilogrs (11 ouns).Soe y vrieties re toxi n require soking likessv. Two tuers o Asin origin were introueirly erly into Centrl Ari: the wter or urley (D. alata) n tro (Colocasia esculenta). Otherroot ros re the new ooy (Xanthosoma), the

sweet otto (Ipomoea batatas), n severl seieso Arin origin tht toy hve only inor i-ortne, suh s the Hus otto (Solenostemonrotundiolius), the Livingstone otto (Plectranthusesculentus), n severl wil tuers. Another ior-tnt strh oo is tully ruit, tht is, the ln-tin (Musa paradisiaca) in the nn ily. Thisoriginlly Asin lnt ust hve een resent in there or soe illenni, ut sholrs isgree onthe tie n le o its introution. Plntins re

oten onsiere s the oo o the nestors nly n iortnt role in estivities.

Pulverizing and sieving soaked cassava tubers inpreparation of making Chikangue in the Matombi,

Kouilou Province, Republic of Congo. (Courtesy of BirgitRicquier)


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The lrgest rt o Centrl Ari is not vorleto the ultivtion o erels. Corn (Zea mays) orsthe exetion n is wiely grown. On the ringes othe orest, however, three erels o Arin origin

re oun: sorghu (Sorghum bicolor), erl illet(Pennisetum glaucum), n inger illet (Eleusinecoracana). Finlly, rie (Oryza sativa) is ultivtein soe res, ut it n e urhse t rkets llover the region. These tuers, lntins, n ere-ls re use to rere the strh onstituent o theel, snks, n loholi everges.

Peole in Centrl Ari grow n gther nzing vriety o greens, suh s vrious seies ornth (Amaranthus), the leves oGnetum ari-

canum, itterle (Vernonia amygdalina), the shootsn leves o vrious Dioscorea n Solanum se-ies, n so on. Also, the leves o lnts ririlygrown or their tuers or ruits re onsue, orexle, the shoots n/or leves o ssv, sweetottoes, tro, the new ooy, vrious legues,n gours. Soe o these greens require extensiveooking to reove toxins.

Other vegetles inlue vrious legues, uur-its, egglnt, n okr. Legues o Arin origins

re, or instne, the owe (Vigna unguiculata), ther grounnut (Vigna subterranea), n theyen (Sphenostylis stenocarpa), whih lso ro-vies eile tuers. The r grounnut hs eenlrgely rele y the enut (Arachis hypogea), thene or the first now eing use in ny lngugesor its Aerin suessor. A reently introuelegue is, or instne, the oon en (Phase-olus vulgaris). In ition, the ultivte uuritsinlue seies ro oth Arin n Aerin or-

igins. A ous Arin gour is the ottle gour orlsh (Lagenaria siceraria), use or soons nontiners. Another exle is the egusielon (Cit-rullus lanatus), whih is grown or its sees. The A-rin egglnt or gren egg (Solanum aethiopicumn relte seies) oes in ny right olors. Itis soewht sller thn its urle Asin ounter-rt, n its she reseles n egg ore losely.Soe seies n e eten rw, n s lrey en-tione, the leves re use s greens. Okr (Hibis-

cus esculentus) is one o the originlly Arin ooites tht took rt in the Coluin Exhngen is now lso vorite in New Orlens.

Fruits o ertin trees hve the se untion svegetles. This inlues the sou lu (Dacryodesedulis), reruit (Artocarpus communis), n theArin lk olive (Canarium schweinurthii). The

se hols or the newoers the voo (Perseaamericana), green ngo (Mangiera indica), niverse itruses. Mny o these n, however, lsoe eten rw. Another iortnt oostuf is ush-roos. A high nuer o eile seies re gth-ere, ny o whih re oun on trees.

There re two in tyes o onients in Cen-trl Ari: sees n l routs. With resetto the first, the use o severl uurit sees s wells enuts hs lrey een entione. Other sees

re, or instne, those o the wil ngo (Irvingiagabonensis) n sese (Sesamum indicum). Seesre usully oune into ste, whih is e tothe roth o vrious rertions. Two routs othe oil l (Elaeis guineensis) re oon oni-ents: l oil n l utter. Both re extrtero the oile l ruits, whih re oune in ortr, ixe with wter, n filtere to reove thekernels n ruit skins. The resulting sue is lutter, etter known s moambe, n ro this su-

stne the l oil n e strine. It is lso ossileto extrt l oil ro the kernels, ut the result-ing oil is rrely use in ooking (inste, it is use ineiine or osetis). It shoul e entione thtthe l tree lso rovies l wine.

A onient tht is resent in lost every re-rtion is slt. In Centrl Ari slt is tritionllyerive ro lnts. Hers or greens re rie nurnt to shes. These shes re ixe with wter nuse s suh, or oile until the wter evortes.

There is lso slt ro ines n se slt, oth vil-le in the rkets. Other onients re eers,totoes (oten nne), onions, n grli. In Cen-trl Arin ities it is oon to ook with Mggiues.

Met is ville ro oesti nils, suh sgots, shee, guine owl, hikens, n, to inorextent, ttle n igs. However, in the rurl res it isquite oon to hunt or tr ge: vrious -ls suh s nteloes n onkeys, irs suh s

igeons n herons, n retiles suh s rooilesn snkes. This ush et is sought-ter ro-ut or those who roure it t rkets t the sie o


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the in ros. The tre in ush et hs eoesuh lurtive usiness tht it thretens willie insoe res. Art ro the et, lso the entrilsn soeties the skins o these wil nils re

rere or oo, n or nteloes n uflo theontents o the seon stoh. Thnks to the nyrivers n the Atlnti Oen, there is lso lrgevriety o fish, s well s soe shellfish like r nrwns. Peole lso gther terillrs, eetles, nterites. The t n nutritious lrve o the lweevil (Rynchophorus s.) re rtiulrly oulr,n the ult eetles re lso eten. Diry routsre not oonly onsue. Eggs osionlly -er on the enu, ut the onsution o ilk ro-

uts is restrite to the grssln regions where ttlen e ket. It ust e oserve, however, tht ow-ere ilk is urrently ville ll over the region.A finl nil rout is honey. This highly vlueresoure is, ong others, use to rere hydromel, erente loholi rink like e.

Finlly, severl routs re eten rw s snk.Those inlue vrious wil ruits, or exle, theArin str le (Chrysophyllum s.), guvines(Landolphia s.; sour ruit out the size o n or-

nge with sees in stringy ul), onkey ornges(Strychnos s.), n jungleso (Anonidium mannii;n o light green ruit tht looks soething like segente rtihoke). Mny ultivte ruits hvelso een introue, or exle, the sweet or es-sert nn (Musa s.), inele (Ananas comosus),n y (Carica papaya). The stlks o severlerels n grsses, like sorghu, orn, sugrne(Saccharum), n elehnt grss (Pennisetum pur-pureum), re hewe or the sweet s, eseilly y

hilren. Col nuts re nother oulr snk, re-ute to hve stiulting n hroisi qulities.

Cooking

Wheres the lor to roure oo (ultivting, hunt-ing, tring, fishing, n gthering) is ivie e-tween en n woen, ooking is oreost eletivity. Soe oos, however, n e eten only y

en, n they oten rere these theselves on serte firele in serte ots. In ition, soerertory tivities like uthering re ens tsks,

ut the reining ooking tivities re erorey woen.

The orgniztion o the ooking re in CentrlAri is iferent ro one ethni grou to nother.

Soe kithens re serte uiling, or exle,ong the Yss n Mve o southern Ceroon.Others, suh s the Songol (entrl DRC), rereoo uner vern tht lso serves s the livingroo, wheres the kithen o the Shi (estern DRC)is situte in the hut, next to the e. In ll ses,the ooking re onsists o one or ew fireles, soking shel, n shelves to store oo n ook-ing utensils. The firele is e u o three stonesle in tringle with firewoo in etween. Cook-

ing equient onsists o wooen ortrs n es-tles in vrious sizes, wooen or or kneingssv, luinu ots (rther thn the tritionleris), long stirring stik or stul use inkinguu ( thik strhy orrige), knives, nso on. In ost villges ll over the region lrgenuer o rertory tivities re erore inthe ourtyr, where lrge rying shel is usullylso le. City wellers hve Western-style kith-ens, ut these oten ontin Centrl Arin eleents

s well, suh s wooen ortr, n urn ookseqully eror ertin ooking tivities out-sie, suh s rosting et on fire le uner thevern.

Chikwangue, or cassava sticks (btons de manioc), readyfor steaming in Malemba, Kouilou Province, Republic ofCongo. (Courtesy of Birgit Ricquier)


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Few oo ites re store. In the se o s-sv, lntins, n wil ys storge isnt nees-sry, sine these lnts n e hrveste yer-roun.Cultivte ys n tro, in ontrst, hve hrvest

seson n re soeties store in grnries. Metn fish re oten soke to e reserve. Otherites with long storge tie re the rie steso sees n vegetle slt. Most oo ites re si-ly roure sesonlly. Shorter-ter storge oesour ore oten, in orer to etter orgnize thework. Woen will, or instne, ke n ount ohikwngue or flour tht will su e or severl ys.These re then store in skets. O ourse, ity kith-ens usully hve rerigertor, thus exning stor-

ge ossiilities.In rurl res els re e ro srth. This

ilies tht ooking is tie-onsuing n lor-intensive tsk. Inste o sily urhsing ssvflour t the rket, woen in the ountrysie firstnee to hrvest the tuers, eel the n leve the inwter or severl ys, n then ut the soke tuerson shel to ry, ter whih these n e ouneinto flour n sieve. Only then n the flour e useto rere the stle oo o the region, lle uu.

Fuu, lso lle nshima, bidya, or bukari, is stikyorrige e y stirring flour into oiling wter with long stul or stirring stik. It is usully rerewith ssv or orn flour, ut flour ro lntins,rie, n illet n e use s well. This is the seish s the Est Arin ugalior Ziwen sadza.

Fufu

This version of fufu is made with cassava flour. Youcan replace it with another type of flour, but thenthe amount of water has to be modified. Somebrands give indications for the quantities on thepackage.

5 c water

5 c cassava flour

Bring 5 cups water to a boil. When large bubblesappear, take 1 cup of the boiling water and set aside.

Add the flour, and stir well with a long wooden spat-ula. To have better control of the kneading, remove

the pot from the fire, sit down, place the pot be-tween your feet, and stir with two hands. Add theremaining water as necessary. Scrape the sides andbottom of the pot while kneading. Keep on turning

the porridge until it gets sticky and translucent andno lumps remain.

Fuu n lso e e y shing oile ln-tins or tuers, suh s ys. Another elortestrh rertion e o ssv is hikwngueor ton e nio. In the south o Congo, it tkesone to two weeks to rere this stle. Ater severlys o soking, the tuers re ulverize y hnin wter, sse through sieve, n the fiers re-

ove with knie. Next, the wter is rine of,n the reining ssv ste is oure into gto ri or one or two ys. The ste is knee on wooen or, y hn n with wooen roller.It n e let to rest or nother y ut oten is i-eitely stee, knee or the seon tie,n she into stiks, whih re then wre inleves, n finlly these re stee gin. Chik-wngue n e store or severl ys n thuskes n iel trvel suly. Other, though less o-

ulr, strh oos tke little tie, or instne, oiletro or rie lntins.

The oostufs serve with uu or hikwngue,e they vegetles or nil routs, re usully

A libk of fish baking on the ashes in Kimbonga-

Louamba, Bouenza Province, Republic of Congo.(Courtesy of Birgit Ricquier)


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oile with iverse sesonings n in vrious o-intions, or exle, et with egglnt, slt, neers. The ost oulr sie ish, saka-saka,or ssv leves, is gin tie-onsuing re-

rtion, involving ouning n severl hours ooiling. Another rertion etho is to wr ixture, or instne, fish with slt n eers, innn or other leves n ste, oil, or rost thekge. The hoie o the leves use or wringis very iortnt euse o the flvor they tothe rertion. Other ethos inlue rying nseverl wys o rosting, or exle, on skewers oron the wr shes o the fire.

Typical Meals

As lrey entione, eole hve three els y, with Euroen-style rekst, in el tnoon, n letovers in the evening. In villges, eolehve sll rekst, snks uring the y, nthe in el in the evening, with rekst otenonsisting o the letovers o the el they h therevious y. Beignets lso ke oulr rek-st oo, eseilly ong hilren. The in elonsists o strh serve with stew or relish. Forsoe ethni grous, suh s the Gy (CAR), thereis no el without the flour-se uu. Elsewhere,the strh serve n lso e hikwngue, oile orroste lntins n root ros, or rie. With thestrh lrge vriety o stews or relishes y eserve. A oulr ish known in Congo n theDRC s moambe onsists o et, fish, n/or greensrere in sue e o oune l nuts.

Poulet la Moambe(Chicken with PalmButter)

Like all recipes, poulet la moambe exists in manyvariations. You can replace the cassava leaves withother greens, okra, eggplant, and so on, or thechicken with salted or smoked fish. The palm oil,canned moambe (palm butter), andsaka-saka canbe found in African stores. Of course, this is an ex-

patriate version. In Central Africa, the moambe andsaka-saka are made from scratch.

1 chicken, cut in bite-size pieces

Palm oil, for frying

2 onions, finely chopped

2 chili peppers (to taste), finely chopped5 ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 large can of moambe (approximately 28 oz)

1 can saka-saka (approximately 14 oz), drained

1 or 2 Maggi cubes, chicken flavor (or cubes ofanother brand)

Salt

Fry the chicken in some palm oil until brown but

not done. Heat some more palm oil in a large pot,add the onion, peppers, and tomatoes, and cook forabout 5 minutes. Add the meat and 1 cup of water.Then pour in the canned moambe and dilute thesauce with an equal amount (1 can) of water. Finally,stir in the drained saka-saka and season with saltand

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