Going On A Food Safari
Delicious dishes of Africa
North Africa
Algeria
Rechta is a traditional Algerian dish. It is prepared with thin, flat noodles and chicken sauce. The noodles are made with flour, salt, water, and ghee. The chicken sauce is a mix of chicken pieces, onions, garlic, oil, chickpeas, turnips, potatoes, and zucchini. For more flavor ras el hanout (a mix of over a dozen different spices) is added to the sauce.
After cooking the rechta noodles are placed on a large dish and topped with the sauce.
Morocco
Stenj is a popular Moroccan doughnut that is made with sticky unleavened batter. The dough is shaped into rings and deep-fried until golden and crispy. The inside of the doughnut should be fluffy, tender, and chewy. These fritters are served hot when sold by street vendors. They can be eaten plain or dusted with icing sugar.
Zaalouk is a traditional Moroccan salad. It consists of eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, and flavorings like cumin, paprika, coriander and parsley. It can be served on its own or as a side dish or a spread for sandwiches or a dip when accompanied by crusty bread.
Taktouka is another Moroccan salad that is healthy and nutritious. It is prepared with cooked tomatoes and green peppers that have been made into a puree. It is often served as a side dish accompanied by grilled meat or fish. It can be served as a dip along with crusty bread.
Libya
Bazin is a popular Libyan unleavened bread that is made with boiled barley flour and salted water. Then it is beat with a stick called magraf until it becomes a dough which is then steamed or baked. The bread is usually served with a tomato-based stew, potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and mutton.
Tunisia
Kafteji is a traditional Tunisian dish. It is prepared with fried vegetables like eggplants, bell peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchinis, and pumpkins. The vegetables are chopped and then fried along with fried eggs and seasonings.
The dish is sprinkled with parsley or coriander and served accompanied by poultry or fish or it can be eaten as is. It has become a popular street food served in a baguette.
Fricassee is a traditional Tunisian sandwich. The bread is made with flour, eggs, oil, salt, water, and yeast and then shaped into round or elongated rolls that are fried in hot oil. It is filled with tuna, hummus, boiled eggs, capers, olives, harissa, and boiled potatoes.
Fricassee is popular at fast-food restaurants and sandwich shops.
West Africa
Mali
Maafe is a traditional stew that is also referred to as a soup or sauce. It is a favorite throughout West and Central Africa. There are many variations but each includes roasted peanuts ground into flour to make the basic sauce.
Ingredients usually used to make maafe include tomato paste, fish or meat like beef, lamb, goat, or chicken. It is spiced up with ginger, turmeric, coriander, and cinnamon. When served side dishes can include rice, couscous, or sweet potatoes.
Nigeria
Banga or ofe akwu is a tasty Nigerian soup. It is prepared with palm fruit, beef or dried fish, vegetables and seasonings like salt and chilli pepper.
Afang is another Nigerian soup from the southeastern parts of Nigeria. It is prepared with afang leaves, water leaves, dried fish, beef, onions, red palm oil, ground crayfish, and seasonings. The afang leaves are pounded or ground and the onions are chopped and then boiled with the beef.
Once the beef is done the dried fish is added along with palm oil, ground pepper, afang leaves, and water leaves. When the leaves are tender the liquid evaporates a bit and then the soup is simmered before serving.
The Gambia
Domoda is a Gambian peanut stew that can be made with or without meat and served over rice. The meat used is usually beef, bushmeat, or chicken. Available vegetables can be added like pumpkins and sweet potatoes.
The vegetarian version is more popular than the meat. The peanut sauce is rich and flavorable prepared with ground peanuts, tomato paste, and fresh tomatoes combined with onions or chilli peppers.
Central Africa
Cameroon
Poulet DG is a Cameroonian dish that is prepared with chicken and ripe plantains in a hearty tomato sauce. The dish is usually garnished with vegetables like green beans, bell peppers, and carrots.
Angola
Cabidela is a Portuguese dish made with poultry or game meat and rice cooked in animal's blood. The rice can be cooked with the meat or served on the side. To moderate the tartness red wine or vinegar can be added.
Even though it is considered to be a Portuguese specialty the dish has been integrated into traditional Angolan and Brazilian cuisine.
East Africa
Kenya
Githeri is a Kenyan dish prepared with beans and maize that are stewed with onions, tomatoes, and at times potatoes or meat chunks. Giving more flavor to the stew are spices like cumin, turmeric, or chilli powder. It is usually served on its own or with rice or crusty bread.
Githeri originates from the Kikuyu tribe living in Central Kenya.
Ethiopia
Shiro is an Ethiopian stew prepared with chickpeas or broad beans, garlic, onions, ginger, tomatoes, and chilli peppers. The dish is usually served with injera flatbread on the side.
Southern Africa
South Africa
Malva pudding is a traditional South African dish that consists of a pudding base covered by a creamy, sweet sauce. The sauce is prepared with water, cream, vanilla, butter, and sugar. The pudding is made with butter, sugar, eggs, apricot jam, milk, flour, and salt.
The dessert is served warm along with ice cream, whipped cream, or vanilla custard on the side.
Hoenderpastel is a South African dish that is prepared with a shortcrust pastry sheet filled with chicken pieces, vegetables like onions, carrots, celery and hard-boiled eggs and seasonings like pepper, lemon juice, salt, and bay leaves. It is a favorite street food in South Africa.
About the Creator
Rasma Raisters
My passions are writing and creating poetry. I write for several sites online and have four themed blogs on Wordpress. Please follow me on Twitter.
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.