About African Foods

There are many misconceptions about African food. Africa is viewed as a place with nothing to offer but misery, starvation and strife. Nothing could be further from the truth. The many nations of Africa have a vibrant culture rich in tradition. African food is healthy and full of nutrients.

Key Wet and Doro Wat: Ethiopia

Key wet is a thick beef stew made with onions, tomato paste, sherry, a clarified butter called niter kibbeh and a chili paste called berbere. Duro wat is chicken stew with onions and fresh, grated ginger. Both stews are served on injera, which is a flat, spongy Ethiopian bread made from teff flour.

Do-do (Fried Plantain), Joloff Rice, and Tilapia Stew Fish: Nigeria

Try Nigerian do-do, joloff rice and tilapia stew fish. Do-do is fried plantain. Slice the plantain diagonally about a half-inch thick. Pour about an inch of oil into a skillet and heat it until it pops. Slide the plantain slices off a spatula into the oil to keep it from spattering. Fry your plantain for three to five minutes, then turn each slice once. Remove from oil using a slotted metal spoon. Place on a plate covered with two or three layers of paper towel to drain.
For the joloff rice, mix a 28-ounce can of crushed or diced tomatoes with a 6-ounce can of tomato paste, one whole sliced onion, a bunch of chopped green onions, one diced red bell pepper and a handful of diced Chinese five-color hot peppers. Pour half of the mixture into a 4-quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Add one cup of white rice and boil 10 minutes. Lower your heat and simmer until rice is tender. Cover the joloff rice and set aside.
To make tilapia stew fish, heat 2 Tbsp. of oil in a large skillet. Toss in a handful of sliced onions. Sweat the onions for two to three minutes until they just barely begin to brown. Pour the other half of the tomato sauce mixture you reserved from the joloff rice over the onions and bring to a boil. Clean one whole tilapia fish for every two people you will serve. Cut off the heads and keep for a fish soup later. Scale your fish, then cut into two to three thick chunks, diagonally across the body of the fish. Keep the tail as it can be used for a nice presentation on the plate. Stew the fish in the sauce for 20 minutes, then arrange on top of a serving of joloff rice. Place several slices of plantain around the edge of one half of the plate with the fish and rice in the middle. Arrange a salad along the front edge of the plate.

Biltong, Mieliebrood and Tamatie Bredie: South Africa

South African biltong is a form of beef jerky. It is made with London Broil, rock salt, coarse ground black pepper, coarse ground coriander and apple cider vinegar. Cut the beef into strips and coat with rock salt. Scrape away the excess salt after an hour and dip each strip in apple cider vinegar. Sprinkle the meat with pepper and coriander, then hang the meat in a biltong box, a six-sided wooden or cardboard chamber drilled with holes, with a 60-watt electric lamp inside. The light bulb heats the air in the box and dries the meat.
Mieliebrood is a steamed cornbread made with green corn, flour, sugar and baking powder. Mix all the ingredients together to make a stiff dough. Place the mielie dough in a clean, oiled vegetable tin set in a water bath.
Tamatie Bredie is a tomato and mutton stew with potatoes, onions, garlic and fresh herbs. Cut the mutton, tomatoes, potatoes and onions into chunks. Stir-fry the mutton in butter. Saute the onions and garlic. Add tomatoes, chicken stock, spices and potatoes and bring to a boil. Add the meat last. Use flour to thicken the sauce to make gravy.

Nkatekwan (Groundnut Soup) and Fu-fu: Ghana

Nkatekwan is a peanut soup made with chicken, ginger, onion, tomatoes, okra and eggplant. Boil the chicken, ginger and half an onion. Stir-fry the tomato paste then add chopped tomatoes and onions. Put the chicken pieces and half the broth into the tomato mixture. Stir in the peanut butter then add the eggplant and okra. Add the remaining broth to make a thick soup.
Fu-fu is a dish made from mashed yams and plantains. Boil whole yams and peeled plantains until they are soft. Peel and mash the yams with the plantains, then shape the mixture into balls. Serve with Nkatekwan.

Lesson Plans

Present some African food and African culture lesson plans that are available at Teacherlink.edu. Learn the names and histories of all the nations that make up the African sub-continent. Create a display of traditional foods from each country. Hold an African heritage festival to showcase what you've learned.

Resources

• Africa Lesson Plans
• The Africa Guide: African Cooking
• Video: Try African Cooking with Ngozika: Nigerian Foods