As a wealth of cosmopolitan dining options offer themselves to our palettes, traditional African food recipes can be forgotten among the sushi, pad thai, chorizo, and foie gras. But as the second largest landmass in the world, Africa is home to many different ethnic and cultural groups whose diversity is reflected in the different local food recipes.
African cuisine across the continent typically includes a combination of meat and milk products along with the vegetables, cereal grains and fruits that are locally available. Because of the diverse range of landscapes across Africa, the produce available (and thus the cuisine) differs from area to area.
The most traditional and most common sight in the African kitchen is a large black pot filled with simmering vegetables, meat and spices over a fire. The pot is usually placed in a triangle of three stones over the fire.
Here are some traditional African recipes for you to try at home:
Ostrich Neck Soup
If ostrich neck in not available, this meat can be replaces by any furred or feathered game meat on the bone.
You will need:
½ cup butter
2 1/2 kg meat of choice
½ cup oil
3 carrots
3 onions
3 parsnips
3 turnips
2 chopped celery sticks
Peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves, and salt
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup sherry
1 litres water
Method
- Peel the vegetables and cut into quarters
- Brown the meat in the oil and butter in a large pot
- Add the flavourants, veggies, sherry and water
- Cook and add more water if necessary
- Remove the meat
- Strain the soup and discard the solids
- Pick the meat off the bones and return it to the soup
- Heat and serve
Bobotie
This is a curry flavoured kind of meat loaf with a savory egg topping. This recipe will serve 6 or more portions.
You will need:
- 30 ml cooking oil
- 2 slices of stale white bread with the crusts removed
- 1 thinly sliced onion
- 5ml crushed garlic
- 2,5 ml ground cloves
- 3ml salt
- 5ml turmeric
- 10ml curry powder
- 500g beef mince
- 30ml hot water
- 2 eggs
- 20ml lemon juice
- 25ml sugar
For the topping
- 1 lightly beaten egg
- 150ml milk
Method:
- Preheat you oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
- Soak the bread in water for 10 minutes before squeezing out the excess water and crumbling it.
- In a large pan, heat the oil and braise the onion until golden
- Ass garlic, cloves, salt, turmeric and curry power
- Simmer for 5 minutes
- Beat the 2 eggs lightly
- Mix in the mince
- Add the mixture form the frying pan to the mince, along with lemon juice, hot water, sugar and bread.
- Mix and combine well
- Put the mixture unto an oven proof dish (well greased)
- Bake for 40 minutes or until a golden brown colour.
- Remove from the oven
For the topping, combine the egg and milk and beat well before pouring over the bobotie. Return the dish to the oven and bake until the topping is set; another 5-10 minutes.
Inyama Yegusha
This means mutton casserole.
You will need:
- 1kg mutton cut into pieces
- 60ml oil
- 500g slice carrots
- 4 medium onions which you have chopped
- 2 large chopped tomatoes
- 125ml flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- Heat the oil and brown the meat in a large pot.
- Add the carrots tomatoes, onions and seasoning.
- Add water to cover the meat and vegetables.
- Simmer on a gentle heat for 45 minutes or until the meat is tender and cooked through.
- Mix the flour with a little bit of water to form a past and add this mixture to the casserole.
- Stir well and continue to simmer until the casserole is thick.