Bucket List Foods: Africa
Updated: Jul 5, 2020
Bucket Lists don't always have to be for places, so here is another food bucket list. This one is specifically for African Countries.
Peri-Peri Chicken from Mozambique
Peri-peri is a cultivar of Capsicum frutescens that was originally produced by Portuguese explorers in Mozambique from the malagueta pepper and then spread to other Portuguese territories.
Piri-piri chicken is a spicy dish with roots in both Africa and Portugal. The dish was created in Angola and Mozambique when Portuguese settlers arrived with chile peppers (known as piri-piri in Swahili). Timing note: The chicken needs to marinate for at least four hours before being grilled.
Bunny Chow from South Africa
Bunny chow, often referred to simply as a bunny, is a South African fast food dish consisting of a hollowed-out loaf of white bread filled with curry. It ultimately originated among Indian South Africans of Durban.
Jollof Rice from West Africa
Jollof rice, or jollof, also known as benachin in Wolof, is a one-pot rice dish popular in many West African countries such as Ghana, Gambia, Senegal, Cameroon, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Togo and Mali. It is also called 'reddish one-pot dish' and varies in these countries.
Jollof rice traditionally consists of rice, cooking oil, vegetables such as tomato, onion, red pepper, garlic, ginger and scotch bonnet. To enhance the colour of the dish,tomato paste(purée) is added. As seasoning spices, salt, seasoning/stock cubes(a blend of flavour enhancers, salt,nutmeg and herbs),curry powder and dried thyme are used. To complement the dish, red and white meats (I.e. chicken, turkey, beef), and fish are often served with the dish.
Muamba de Galinha from Central Africa
Poulet à la moambé or simply poulet moambe is a savoury chicken dish popular in Central Africa and considered the national dish of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The dish itself is made by combining chicken, spices and palm butter to create a stew-like consistency.
Poulet moambe (French for "chicken in palm butter sauce")[1]is prepared by cooking chicken in moambe(palm butter) and spinach,then seasoned with spices like peri-peri or red pepper. It is typically served with sweet potatoes, brown onions, hard boiled eggs and a sauce made from crushed palm nuts. Moambe chicken can also be accompanied by rice or manioc (cassava) paste.The chicken can be substituted with duck or fish.
Tagine from North Africa
Algerian and Moroccan tajine dishes are slow-cooked savory stews, typically made with sliced meat, poultry or fish together with vegetables or fruit. Spices, nuts, and dried fruits are also used. Common spices include ginger, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and saffron. Paprika and chili are used in vegetable tajines. The sweet and sour combination is common in tajine dishes like lamb with dates and spices. Tajines are generally served with bread. Because the domed or cone-shaped lid of the tajine pot traps steam and returns the condensed liquid to the pot, a minimal amount of water is needed to cook meats and vegetables. This method of cooking is important in areas where water supplies are limited or where public water is not yet available. What Tunisians refer to as a "tajine" is very different from the Moroccan dish. Tunisian tajine is more like an Italian frittata or an eggah. First, a simple ragout is prepared, of meat cut into very small pieces, cooked with onions and spices, such as a blend of dried rosebuds and ground cinnamon known as baharat or a robust combination of ground coriander and caraway seeds; this is called tabil. Then something starchy is added to thicken the juices. Common thickeners include cannellini beans, chickpeas, breadcrumbs or cubed potatoes. When the meat is tender, it is combined with the ingredients which have been chosen to be the dominant flavouring. Examples include fresh parsley, dried mint, saffron, sun-dried tomatoes, cooked vegetables and stewed calves' brains. Next, the stew is enriched with cheese and eggs. Finally, this egg and stew are baked in a deep pie dish, either on the stove or in the oven until top and bottom are crisply cooked and the eggs are just set. When the tajine is ready, it is turned out onto a plate and sliced into squares, accompanied by wedges of lemon. Tunisian tajines can also be made with seafood or as a completely vegetarian dish. In rural parts of Tunisia, home cooks place a shallow earthenware dish over olive-wood coals, fill it, cover it with a flat earthenware pan, and then pile hot coals on top. The resulting tajine is crusty on top and bottom, moist within and is infused with a subtle smoky fragrance.
Wat from Ethiopia and Eritrea
Several properties distinguish wats from stews of other cultures. Perhaps the most obvious is an unusual cooking technique: the preparation of a wat begins with chopped onions slow cooked, without any fat or oil, in a dry skillet or pot until much of their moisture has been driven away. Fat (usually niter kibbeh) is then added, and the onions and other aromatics are sautéed before the addition of other ingredients. This method causes the onions to break down and thicken the stew.
Wat is traditionally eaten with injera, a spongy flat bread made from the millet-like grain known as teff. There are many types of wats. The popular ones are doro wat and siga wat, made with beef.
Hope you enjoyed today's post. Remember sometimes you can find recipes for these dishes online and try them out at home :)
