African Food Research Paper

African food is as varied as American food, every country is separated by regions and ethnicity, which brings their own flavors to the table. Coastal countries are influenced more by commerce and trade and it is apparent in their cuisine by their use of spices from other parts of the world. Traditional African foods incorporate items which are readily available to them. So what I have learned is, traditional African foods do not necessarily rely on one type of protein, but the recipes are adaptable and the proteins can be interchangeable; this is also applicable to vegetable and grain recipes. When looking in the Midwest for authentic African food, what I found was mostly Ethiopian food. I decided the best way to sample African food was to try my hand at making simple dishes and review them. I chose to research a variety of African dishes from all over the continent by using the internet, choosing recipes from a variety of countries with a variety of flavor profiles; based on my culinary skill

The recipe which caught my eye was a Moroccan lamb tagine. The problem was I did not have a tagine, which is a cooking vessel, but I did make it in a pot. Morocco is located at the northwestern edge of Africa. Again most of the ingredients were readily available at the local supermarket or the African market. The tagine needed seventeen separate ingredients including meat, oil, spices, vegetables, and fruits. Again this was a recipe which took more than one day to prepare, as the lamb was marinated overnight. It was an easy one pot meal. All of the ingredients were mixed together and allowed to stew for two to three hours before serving. I also made some saffron rice to serve with the tagine. Using the injera as an eating utensil, I tried my meal. The Moroccan lamb tagine was too sweet for my taste and I did not enjoy it. The injera, it did not taste any better with the