Enjoying African Cuisine

African cuisine can be a nutrious, well balanced meal.  African food is as diverse as the people and culture. The average meal is made up of a protein that is the meat, a vegetable and a starch. This food uses a variety of spices ranging from bland to mild and hot in various combinations. African is best enjoyed when eating with your hands.

• Meat dishes can be marinated, then grilled and served with a sauce on the side. Fish is typically cooked together with beef, chicken or goat. Water and vegetables are usually added to the mixture for stew.


• Vegetables includes okra, yams, black-eyed peas, known as cowpeas and sweet potatoes.  Yams and sweet potatoes are sometimes eaten with eggs. Leafy greens such as bitterleaf, pumpkin leaves and spinach are common vegetables.


• Starch dish can be a plain steamed rice or made from cornmeal like ugali, or a starchy root vegetable like cassava or yams, or teff flour like injera. Grits, porridges and fried breads are eaten.


• Fruits like watermelon, apricots, guava, papaya, pineapples and coconuts are eaten. Bananas, both green and ripe are eaten, as well as plantains.


• African food is often flavored with curry powder, garlic, nutmeg, turmeric and cloves.  Peanuts are known as groundnuts.  They are used to make peanut oil, eaten whole and ground to thicken soups and sauces and used as garnish on soups and meat dishes.


• Cup your fingertips into a spoon and scoop the food.  Once your fingertips are on your lips, use your thumb to push the food off the finger spoon into your mouth. Take a portion of the starch and dip it into the sauce.