West African cuisine

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The West African cuisine is the cuisine of the region West Africa . According to the UN Statistics Commission, the region comprises 16 states with a total (as of 2020) 380 million inhabitants, and the cuisine in this region is correspondingly diverse. Their main influences are, as in many formerly colonized areas of the world, those of the indigenous peoples of the region and the colonizing European powers; An additional specialty in West Africa is the historical influence of North African and Arabic cuisine.

Demarcation

The states of West Africa

The 16 countries summarized as "West Africa" ​​by the UN Statistics Commission are:

country Residents Colonial powers Typical dishes
Benin 10,872,300 France Akassa
Burkina Faso 20,107,509 France Tô
Ivory Coast 26,260,582 France Kédjénou
Gambia 2,051,363 United Kingdom Domoda
Ghana 28,834,000 United Kingdom Ampesi, Banku
Guinea 12,530,000 France
Guinea-Bissau 1,861,283 Portugal
Cape Verde 546,388 Portugal Cachupa
Liberia 4,809,768 United States
Mali 18,429,893 France
Mauritania 4,301,000 France
Niger 23,300,000 France Kilishi
Nigeria 214.028.302 United Kingdom Amala , Suya
Senegal 15,854,360 France Thieboudienne
Sierra Leone 7,075,641 United Kingdom Frejon
Togo 7,692,000 Germany, France

The affiliation of Mauritania to West Africa is not without controversy. The UN Statistics Commission includes the country. However, some institutions such as the West African Economic Community or the UN Economic Commission for Africa include the country in North Africa.

Influences

Couscous preparation in French West Africa (1890)

Today's West African cuisine is shaped by three main influences: the culinary cultures of the indigenous people, the Arab traders of the pre-colonial period and the colonizing European states.

Indigenous people

Many crops, which are one of the cornerstones of West African cuisine, were cultivated by the ethnic groups who originally settled in the region even before they were "discovered" by the Europeans . These include beans, millet , coconut palms , lentils , okra , oil palms , pepper, sesame , wild rice and yams . The diet at that time was low in sugar and salt; Salt was sometimes more valuable than gold. Nevertheless, beekeeping was already known and practiced. Oil production from palm fruits and nuts was also known.

Arab traders

As early as the 9th century, there were established trade routes through the Sahara as part of the Trans- Saharan trade . Arab traders bought gold and slaves in West Africa. The traders brought rice and spices common in the Arab world such as cinnamon to West Africa. Tea also found its way to West Africa and became the region's most popular drink.

The northern states of West Africa, as neighboring Sahara, have a cultural connection to the Arab-influenced states of North Africa and have similarities with the North African cuisine and the cuisine of the nomadic Tuareg . The cuisine of the Mauritanian Moors , for example, is shaped by Moroccan cuisine , while in the south of the country the influences of Senegalese cuisine are more prevalent.

Europeans

West Africa was the first sub-Saharan region in Africa to be visited by Europeans because of its easy accessibility by sea. In the 15th century European states, especially France, Great Britain and Portugal, but also the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Brandenburg-Prussia , established branches in the form of forts and factories along the West African cuisine. The first settlement was a Portuguese fort built in 1448 on the island of Arguin off the coast of today's Mauritania; Arab traders were already represented there at that time. European traders, especially slave traders, brought with them plants from the American colonies that thrived in the West African climate and are now some of the important ingredients in local cuisine: pineapples, chilies, peanuts, cocoa, plantains , corn, cassava and tomatoes. The British, inspired by their experiences in British India , introduced curry into their West African colonies.

The European colonial rulers indirectly ensured that individual regional cuisines in West Africa are difficult to define and instead the cuisine of the metaregion West Africa is spoken of: self-contained cultural spaces have been divided up by the arbitrary demarcation of the colonial powers. Colonies emerged whose cultural influences were diverse and from those of the neighboring states could hardly be distinguished.

Regions

The West Africa region encompasses very different climates and lifestyles. The natural food supply in the countries bordering the Sahara differs significantly from that of the states on the Gulf of Guinea with their tropical climate. The regional cuisines within West Africa are correspondingly different, although there are similarities due to the influences mentioned above. West Africa is one of the most fertile regions within Africa, also taking into account the notorious drought of the Sahel and the Sahara. The fact that local famines still break out in the region is due to a lack of infrastructure, an export-oriented agricultural industry that hardly takes into account domestic demand, and in the northern regions the occasional drought. The contrasts between urban and rural ways of life are much more pronounced than in Europe, for example. The supply of electricity and drinking water cannot be taken for granted in rural areas.

The main influence on the culture of a region in West Africa are the dominant ethnic groups there. Due to the arbitrary drawing of borders by the colonial powers, ethnic groups were administratively separated, but retained their connecting cultural customs. The Akan , Bambara , Haussa , Tuareg , Wolof and Yoruba are among the largest West African ethnic groups, each with several million people .

Another factor in the development of a cross-border cuisine are different religions and their different influences and food taboos . West Africa has a colorful mix of religions. A very rough classification is possible according to the proximity to the sea: The coastal strips are more Christian in character due to the colonial past, the Sahel zone is Islamic due to the cultural connection to North Africa, and traditional African religions play an important role in the central forest areas in between .

Food and ingredients

Sorghum

In general, West African cuisine is kept rather simple, both in terms of the number of ingredients in a dish and the use of spices. The most commonly added ingredients include chillies, tomatoes, and onions. Millet is used as a grain; the most common varieties are sorghum , fonio millet and iburu . Starchy tubers and fruits such as plantains , cassava , sweet potatoes , taro or yams are important basic ingredients in West African cuisine. Rice is grown in river plains. An ingredient that is used far less frequently in the kitchens of other continents than in the West African one is the peanut. Chicken is by far the most common meat, followed by beef, goat and mutton. In West Africa, which is largely Muslim, pork does not play a significant role. Animals are rarely fattened for consumption , but are slaughtered after a life as a farm animal, which is why meat is often tougher in its raw state than in the western world. Bushmeat is a welcome addition to the menu in the woods and savannahs . In coastal regions, fish and seafood are not only common, they are also an important economic factor. Vegetables and legumes used in a variety of ways in the kitchen include eggplant , pumpkin , okra and black- eyed peas . A large number of plants and their leaves are used as leafy vegetables , for example baobabs (whose fruits and roots are also used), Bombax costatum , Corchorus and, above all, Vernonia amygdalina , a leafy vegetable from the Vernonieae family , which is used everywhere bitter spinach and is called "bitterleaf" in English-speaking West Africa. The cultivation of citrus fruits is common, often for export. Other fruits grown are avocados , bananas, coconuts, mangoes, melons and papayas . Ivory Coast is the largest producer of pineapples in Africa, but it is produced almost exclusively for export.

The oil most frequently used for cooking, frying and deep-frying is palm oil , with shea butter increasingly predominating in northern West Africa as it approaches the Sahel . peanut butter is very often used for stews there. Spices (with the exception of salt and chillies, especially the Scotch Bonnet variety ) are used in less abundance than in many other regions of the world; ginger , coriander and thyme are common . The food is generally much spicier than in the western world. Historically, until the establishment of European trade routes with India, grains of paradise were important and are still used today as a substitute for real pepper in West Africa. In West Africa, cocoa, coffee and tea are grown to a considerable extent, but these are primarily exported. Soumbala , balls based on fermented Néré seeds, are used as the basis for soups and stews, similar to the industrially produced stock cube .

Refrigeration systems are expensive and accordingly not widespread in cities either, so that food to be refrigerated is less widespread than in the western world. For example, dairy products are rarely available. Sugar is also uncommon, which is why desserts are comparatively less common. The areas with strong Arab influences, such as the regions bordering the Sahara, are an exception.

Food culture

Maafe

Eating is a social event in West Africa, especially in rural areas. Households and families are also larger on average than in German-speaking countries, for example, so that larger quantities of food are usually cooked. The role model is still comparatively traditional; At least in the country, food preparation is a woman's business. It is common to eat with your fingers instead of using cutlery. Washing hands before a meal is therefore very important. Eating with the left hand is unusual because of the spread of Islam. In the dry areas in particular, water has a special ritual role. It is usually the first thing that the guest is offered.

Breakfast in the western sense is limited to urban space; often it consists of sweetened porridge and white bread. In Senegambia and Guinea, the baguette-like tapalapa is a common breakfast bread. In rural areas, many people work in agriculture or subsistence farming ; leftovers from the previous day are usually eaten here in the mornings. The main meal of the day is then dinner. Starters are uncommon in traditional West African cuisine and are limited to the high-priced urban cuisine. On the other hand, snacks distributed throughout the day are common. In the country these are often fruits, in the cities, where street food sellers are part of everyday life, this can also be freshly grilled meat skewers or fried plantains.

A common element of all West African country kitchens is the preference for soups and stews. The transition between soup and stew is fluid and depends on the ingredients available. Many of the soups and stews contain ingredients with a high starch content, such as plantains, cassava or yams . As a side dish, there is solid porridge made of ground grains or tubers, which is known by various names depending on the region and material and is usually placed in the middle of the table, from where the eater can tear balls from the dough with their right hand and they dip in soup or stew. In West African cuisine, meat traditionally plays a smaller role than, for example, in European or North American cuisine, but this is primarily due to availability; Carnal components are common for festive occasions or entertainment. In the course of the worldwide harmonization of diets in the course of globalization, the use of meat in everyday life and the proportion of fat and salt in the diet are slowly increasing.

In West African metropolises like Lagos , Abidjan or Dakar, there is a restaurant scene for the upper class that prepares traditional West African cuisine in a modern way. The vast majority of gastronomy consists of snack bars, food stalls and street stalls. The western fast food culture is also present in West Africa. The fast-food restaurant chain Mr. Bigg’s, active in Nigeria and Ghana, has existed since 1973 .

In West Africa, an independent tea culture has developed over the centuries. Mint and green tea are primarily used , and a common preparation ceremony, while the tea is tossed back and forth between two glasses, is known as Ataya or under various other regionally used names. The center of this tea culture are Gambia and Senegal, but it is also lived in Guinea and Mauritania and in a similar form in Mali.

courts

Due to the fragmentation of the West Africa region into different language zones during the colonial period, different names exist for dishes that exist (possibly with modifications) in different countries.

Soups and stews

Jollof rice with dodo (plantain chips)

Jollof rice (known as benachin in French-speaking countries) is a rice dish colored with tomato paste with various vegetables and often with meat or fish. Domoda is a one- pot dish based on peanut butter that is particularly widespread in the Senegambia region, cooked with various vegetables and spices and supplemented with beef, chicken or fish. Egusi , also known as egwansi or agushi and numerous other names, is a soup made from melon seeds, leafy greens and vegetables. Frejon is a soup that comes from Brazil and is particularly widespread in Nigeria and Sierra Leone. It is sweet and has a pudding-like consistency and is made from black beans to which coconut milk is added after thorough cooking. The soup is associated with Holy Week and served at weddings. Maafe , also known by numerous other names depending on the region, is a peanut-based stew that usually contains meat, which is also used as a sauce depending on the degree of smoothness. Ndolé is a stew with bitterleaf as the main ingredient, a leafy vegetable reminiscent of bitter spinach. The Ogbono soup comes from Nigeria, is also known under various names in other parts of West Africa and consists of ground seeds of the bush mango tree , leafy vegetables, tomatoes, okra and often a meat or fish insert. Like the draw soup , which is also popular in Nigeria , it has a slimy consistency, which is due to the abundant use of okra. Palaver sauce , also known by names like kontonmire or pla'sas in non-English-speaking areas , is a stew made with meat, fish and vegetables, including green leaves like spinach or taro, despite the name.

Meat and fish dishes

Kédjénou is a meat ragout that is traditionally prepared in a clay pot over an open fire. Kilishi is air-dried, seasoned and finally roasted beef. Basis of kilishi is often the popular particularly in Nigeria Suya , skewers of red meat, rare chicken that are marinated before frying or grilling in a sauce based mashed peanuts and therefore similarities with Asian satay have -Spießen. Thieboudienne is a dish of marinated fish cooked with vegetables on rice, which is particularly popular in the Senegambia region. Yassa is also a dish originally from Senegambia, for which meat (mostly chicken or fish) is marinated in mustard and onions, then grilled or fried and finally cooked in the marinade.

Snack foods

Akara are deep-fried balls made from black- eyed peas that are sold as street food . Chin Chin are wheat flour-based, deep-fried lumps of dough that are often seasoned with nutmeg and are available packaged as a snack in supermarkets. Moi Moi are pies made from brown beans and vegetables that are consumed as a snack, in combination with rice, but also as breakfast. Omo Tuwe are rice dumplings that are served with a vegetable soup and are mainly popular in Ghana. Waakye is a dish of rice and beans primarily associated with Ghana ( waakye is the Hausa word for beans), which contains various other ingredients such as the spaghetti- like noodles talia and various sauces and is traditionally served on a banana leaf.

Side dishes and sauces

Fufu in sauce

The most common side dish in West African cuisine is fufu , a solid porridge made from cassava (or other starchy tubers) and plantains. Products related to Fufu are Garri , the kenkey made from fermented corn, and Tô , the latter made from millet or corn flour. In poorer regions, the dishes also serve as the main component of a meal and are served with a sauce made from vegetables or leafy vegetables. Bread can also serve as a side dish; The baguette-like tapalapa in Senegambia and Guinea and the flatbread Ngome in Mali experience greater regional distribution.

Another side dish that is common throughout West Africa is plantain in various forms. Dodo are fried plantain chips seasoned with salt and pepper. They are common as Kelawele in Ghana, where they are supplemented with other spices such as ginger or sweet notes (anise, cloves, cinnamon). They are called aloko when they are served with an onion and tomato sauce.

Banku are dumplings made from leavened corn flour that are popular in Ghana. Maafe, often eaten as a soup or stew, is also used in a less rich form as a sauce.

Pastries

Klouiklouis (also known in numerous phonetically similar spellings) are fried rings made from peanut butter, which are especially popular in Benin.

beverages

Water is drunk with meals. Tea is also common, especially in the regions bordering the Sahara. The tea market in all of West Africa had a volume of 1.6 billion US dollars in 2019, with green tea accounting for the majority. Hibiscus tea made from roselle calyxes is also widespread and is usually drunk cold and sweetened. Black tea and mint tea are also served, usually with a lot of sugar. Coffee and cocoa, which are grown on a large scale, do not play a role in everyday life and are produced for export.

An alcoholic drink that is widespread throughout the region is palm wine , which is produced by private individuals and consumed as an everyday drink as well as a standard drink at all kinds of festivities. Another popular home-made drink is millet beer , which is found throughout West Africa and is called Dolo in Burkina Faso . Corn beer is common under the names Ahai and Tuei .

Sodabi or Akpeteshi is a sugar cane liquor that is widely used in Benin, Ghana, and Togo.

literature

  • Jojo Cobbinah, Holger Ehling: Cooking West African: Dishes and their history . 3. Edition. Edition diá, Berlin 2018, ISBN 978-3-89533-215-9 .
  • Youssou N'Dour: My mother's kitchen: Senegal . Christian Verlag, Munich 2004, ISBN 978-3-88472-636-5 .

Web links

Commons : African Cuisine by Country  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ UN.org: Countries or areas / geographical regions. Retrieved October 10, 2020 .
  2. ↑ As of 2020, the actual census may be before the reference date.
  3. ↑ a b c Michael Nenes: International Cuisine . Wiley, Hoboken 2009, ISBN 978-0-470-05240-2 , pp. 507 .
  4. ^ Tadeusz Lewicki: West African Food in the Middle Ages . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1974, ISBN 978-0-521-08673-8 , pp. 11 .
  5. ↑ MondeDiplo.com: The impact of the slave trade on Africa. Retrieved October 10, 2020 .
  6. ↑ a b c d e HillmanWonders.com: Famous West African dishes. Retrieved October 10, 2020 .
  7. ^ Cobbinah and Ehling, p. 18
  8. ↑ TheGuardian.com: Mauritania: essential information. Retrieved October 12, 2020 .
  9. ^ Tadeusz Lewicki: West African Food in the Middle Ages . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1974, ISBN 978-0-521-08673-8 , pp. 11 .
  10. ^ Bertha Vining Montgomery, Constance Nabwire: Cooking the West African Way . Lerner, Minneapolis 2002, ISBN 978-0-7613-4396-7 , pp. 12 .
  11. ^ Cobbinah and Ehling, p. 8
  12. ^ Cobbinah and Ehling, p. 10
  13. ^ Cobbinah and Ehling, p. 11
  14. ^ Cobbinah and Ehling, p. 25
  15. ^ Cobbinah and Ehling, p. 27
  16. ^ A b Bertha Vining Montgomery, Constance Nabwire: Cooking the West African Way . Lerner, Minneapolis 2002, ISBN 978-0-7613-4396-7 , pp. 27 .
  17. ^ Cobbinah and Ehling, p. 23
  18. ^ Bertha Vining Montgomery, Constance Nabwire: Cooking the West African Way . Lerner, Minneapolis 2002, ISBN 978-0-7613-4396-7 , pp. 11 .
  19. ^ Cobbinah and Ehling, p. 25
  20. ^ Cobbinah and Ehling, p. 28
  21. ↑ TeaSquared.ca: The Traditional Method Of Making Or Brewing A Cup Of Tea Is To Place Loose Tea Leaves, Either Directly Or In A Tea Infuser, Into A Tea Pot Or Tea Cup. Retrieved November 5, 2020 .
  22. ↑ Matcha-Tea.com: West Africa's Tea Culture - a way of life. Retrieved November 5, 2020 .
  23. ↑ Zikoko.com: Drinks Across West Africa: A Guide Zikoko. Retrieved November 5, 2020 .
  24. ↑ a b TheCulturetrip.com: 14 Mouthwatering West African Dishes You Need to Try. Retrieved October 10, 2020 .
  25. ^ AnnArbor.com: Suya, the thin-sliced ​​spiced meat, unites Nigeria. Retrieved October 10, 2020 .
  26. ↑ TasteAtlas.com: Waakye. Retrieved October 10, 2020 .
  27. ↑ Genevieve Fliedel: Appraisal of sorghum quality for making tô . In: Agriculture et Développement . December 1995, p. 34 ( cirad.fr [PDF]).
  28. ↑ AlliedMarketResearch.com: West Africa Tea Market by Type (Green Tea, Black Tea, and Others) and Distribution Channel (Independent Grocery Stores, Specialty Stores, and Others): Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2027. Retrieved November 2, 2020 .
  29. ↑ Erich Lück: From Abalone to Sugar Root: Exotic for gourmets, amateur cooks and globetrotters . Springer-Verlag, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-540-67300-8 , p. 117 .
  30. ↑ BeerAndBrewing.com: Africa, traditional brewing in. Accessed October 10, 2020 .
  31. ↑ Péléi Tagba, Elolo Osseyi, Marie-Laure Fauconnier, Courdjo Lamboni: Aromatic Composition of “Sodabi”, a Traditional Liquor of Fermented Oil Palm Wine . In: Advance Journal of Food Science and Technology . No. January 14 , 2018, p. 15 .