Find, prepare and enjoy delicious African foods.
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Featured right now on the African Stories section is a review of the book The Eighth Wonder of the World: Made in Nigeria / Made in Naiga by Olaboludele O. Simoyan.
What do you miss the most about your home country? I grew up in Nigeria, and one of the things I miss most is the food. The scent and taste of a dish can trigger memories from long ago that we barely even knew were there. One of my favorite passages is in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. The main character buys a buttered yam from a street vendor, and then "I took a bite, finding it as sweet and hot as any I'd ever had, and was overcome with such a surge of homesickness that I turned away to keep my control."
The good thing is that in today's global economy it is becoming easier to buy exotic foods no matter where you live. If you can't find a market close to you, there are many online stores now that will ship it to your door. If you don't want to do the cooking yourself, chances are there is a restaurant somewhere close where they are making authentic African food.
Find a restaurant or market near you. Learn about tropical ingredients and how to prepare them in the kitchen. If you are wondering how crack a coconut, slice a mango or make Ethiopian spiced ghee, this is the place to go. You can find descriptions of many pantry items such as gari, egusi, cizakis or daddawa. If you are not quite sure how to prepare a dish or use an ingredients, check the ever-growing list of recipes.
