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

level.
The first dish which caught my eye was plantains. Plantains are easy to come by and easy to prepare so they were a logical choice as a starting point for me. After finding an interesting recipe for Alloco, plantains were purchased at a local grocery and for the Pili Pili dipping sauce, some staples were used including onion, garlic, carrots, and peppers; for spicing I used paprika, cayenne, oregano, bay leaf, and vinegar. Alloco is a fried plantain recipe from the Ivory Coast which is situated near the west coast of Africa. This was a simple recipe that had a lot of flavor, and all ingredients are readily available in the Midwest.
The next dish I tried was injera, a traditional Ethiopian bread made with teff flour. Teff is a grain found primarily in Ethiopia, and I was able to find it at a local African market in Cedar Rapids. Injera is a flatbread which is used as an eating utensil, it is used to scoop up rice, meat, or stew dish. I found a recipe online which claimed to be authentic. The ingredients are simple; teff flour, water and salt. The less appetizing part was letting the dough sour. This is done by allowing the teff mixture set for three days at room temperature on the counter. It is then fried in a skillet similarly to a pancake. After I made some and tried it, I see why it is used as a vehicle for other foods, it was very bland and not appetizing served alone.
I needed a vehicle for the injera, and searched for a Moroccan stew recipe.

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

stew.
I chose to make my own African recipes so I could better experience the food and know more about the ingredients used to create the unique flavors of Africa. From my research I learned most African food utilizes the same spices as other cuisines, the difference is how they are combined. A lot of deep southern cooking is influenced by African food staples brought to the U.S. during the slave trade, including yams, peanuts, rice and okra. Everyone eats similar foods all over the world, it is how those foods are spiced that create a unique cuisine. As everything becomes more global with each passing year, even the most isolated cities and towns here in the U.S. will be able to experience foods from all over the world.