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Caribbean Food Emporium |
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Regional Differences, and external influences on African Cuisine East Africa East Africa is huge. Kenya is larger than France; Uganda is the size of the Midwest U.S., they are huge countries with immense plains. The European influence is less, as this side of Africa was last changed by the trade ships. The diet of the East African is again starch based, with millet, sorghum, bananas and milk mostly found as curds and whey. Cornmeal is now such a basic part of African cuisine is hard to believe that it was a new World import. Home to some of the greatest game preserves, East African cuisine is distinctive for the almost total absence of meat. Cattle, sheep and goats are regarded as more a form of currency, and status, and so are not eaten. The Masai, live almost entirely upon the milk and blood, but not the meat, of their cattle. Settlers influenced East Africa by importing their cuisine almost in its entirety. The first settlers, were the Arabs, settling in the coastal areas. The many pilaf dishes, rice cooked in the Persian steamed and spiced manner remain. Pomegranate juice, saffron, cloves, cinnamon, all spice East African food; showing the Arabic origins. Eventually, and many centuries later, the British, and their imported workers from India conspired to forever influence the East African diet, including boiled vegetable, and curries. Angola and Mozambique The Portuguese influence upon Angola and Mozambique is pervasive and subtle. They were the first Europeans to move to Africa south of the Sahara in the 15th century. Settling so long, this relatively inconspicuous European country influenced African life more than the more direct and intrusive British, French, and Dutch. Just as in their Indian colony of Goa, the Portuguese brought the European sense of flavoring with spices, and techniques of roasting and marinating to African foods. These influences blended with local cuisines and ingredients to produce subtle and aromatic recipes. Separated across the tip of the continent, Mozambique is more fish based and Atlantic. Angola is reflective of the west side, with drier climate, and corresponding change in ingredients. Catholicism also introduced to the Portuguese African cuisine the sense of feast and fast days, meatless Fridays, changing the native African cuisine. The Portuguese brought from their Asian colonies, the orange, lemon, and lime. From Brazil, another colony, they brought the foods of the new world; chilies, peppers, corn, tomato, pineapples, banana, and the domestic pig. The Portuguese gardeners, farmers, fishermen profoundly influenced native stews. In addition to growing cashews, Mozambique is most known for its piripiri, or hot pepper dishes. Using the small tremendously hot peppers of that country, sieved lemon juice is warmed, adding red freshly picked chilies, simmered exactly five minutes, then salted and pounded to a paste. This pulp is returned to heat with more lemon juice and eaten over meats, fish, and shellfish...and hot! In a way, this simple condiment of blended techniques and imported ingredients is a perfect exam example of African food sensibilities. Ethiopia The most famous alcoholic drink in the interior is the Ethiopian honey wine, Tej, which has been made for centuries. Bees are the earliest domesticated animals. Wine made from their honey is a slightly acquired taste, similar to the mead of Old England. Ethiopia lays claim to another first, the cultivation of coffee. The Ethiopian coffee ceremony includes lighting of incense, passing around the beans for guest's approval, and roasting on the spot. From Ethiopia, coffee spread to Yemen, and on through the Arabic world to Europe. Ethiopia, is the most isolated of the African cuisines. Removed geographically from the rest of Africa, it is one of the purest indigenous cuisines. Its high interior plains, cool nights and long growing season provide an abundant variety of food. It is a meat based diet. Ethiopians are very particular about the freshness of their meat. It is typical at traditional Ethiopian weddings for the bride and groom to serve fresh slices of just slaughtered raw beef to guests. A popular dish remains a version of steak tartare; raw ground beef served with assorted condiments. Accompanying many dishes is the fiery Berbere, a spicy hot pepper paste. Doro Wat, a stewed chicken, is the national dish. Doro Wat is composed of meat, onions, tomato, stock, and hard cooked eggs. Teff, the smallest form of millet, is ground into flour, used in a thin fermented batter to make Injera. Injera batter is poured upon a griddle in a large spiral, where it blends into a large 24" circular flatbread. Cooked in minutes, the spongy sourdough like bread becomes the plate for the Wat, and replaces a spoon. South Africa South Africa has emerged as a polyglot cuisine. European colonization, the adaptation of the native Bantu cooking, and large scale immigration of foreigners and workers have all contributed. Dutch settlers brought their forms of agriculture, and the British merchants imported the "mixed grills" that now include African game meats. French cultivated the vineyards, known worldwide today. Malay workers contributed curries, adding spice to a traditional plain English-Dutch influence. British empire Indians who came to build the railroads forever influenced cuisine with dals, lentil soups, and curries. Game, and lamb, the famous South African lobster, and a vast repertoire of fish add to a truly cosmopolitan cuisine. Still, in the bush and smaller towns with mostly native Africans, the main meals remain starch and stew based. South Africa's most unusual meat is called Biltong. It is a spicy form of jerky, wind-dried, used in traveling, snacks, and can be found not only country wide, but throughout Africa. At their fingertips is a land blessed with abundant seafood; plentiful, wild game; extraordinary wines; and a bountiful harvest of orchard and sub-tropical fruits and vegetables. South Africa grows virtually everything it needs. The Western Cape has an abundance of fruits, grains, and grapes. The Eastern Transvaal supplies tea and subtropical fruits -- lush mangoes, bananas, and papayas. Natal produces sugarcane and avocado. Excellent lamb comes from the Karoo along with low-cholesterol game meats such as venison, ostrich, and impala, come from wild herds or from farming. Seafood is regional, ultra-fresh, and plentiful -- crayfish, prawns, tuna, mussels, oysters, mackerel, and snock are caught in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Rock lobsters populate the bays near Cape Town, although poaching is decreasing the surplus. Most Western Cape restaurants of note feature French or international dishes prepared from local ingredients. Yet, the diverse, European food traditions have bestowed a vast range of cooking styles and they borrow spices and seasonings from other lands. Among the Malay, a renowned dish is bobotie, a custard-topped minced meat pie seasoned with onion, curry, and fruit chutney. Other dishes include pickled fish; sosaties, curry-marinated pork or lamb kebabs; and bredie, a meat or fish stew with vegetables and chilies. The Indians introduced their curries. The Afrikaaners have their succulent potjies, or stews of maize with tomato and onion sauce or rice, and braais of grilled seafood and meat. The Dutch contributed their fried cruller, or koek sister, and milk pies. These classic ethnic dishes are often intertwined in a continental-style menu.
West Africa Cooking techniques of West Africa often combine fish and meat. Flaked and dried fish is browned in oil and combined with chicken, yam, onions, chili oil and water to make a highly flavored stew. Beef and mutton are not common in West Africa, used mostly as a condiment; as it is very tough. Nigeria and the coastal parts of West Africa are fond of chilies in food. Coastal recipes include fish marinated in ginger, tomatoes, and cayenne, cooked in peanut oil. French cooking influence in Senegal uses touches of lime juice, chopped vegetables including scallions, garlic, and marinades. Peanut oil, palm oil, and often coconut oils are common. The black eyed pea is a staple of West Africa. Okra, known also in the American South, is native to Africa; used in many dishes to thicken soups and stews. Tropical fruits, particularly the banana and coconut are important ingredients. Africa
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