Sunday, January 23, 2011

Traditional African Food

Although porridge,  in whatever form, are the staple food of Africa, there are still hundreds of other foodstuff that are eaten on just as regular bases and which may seem for the average Westerner as primitive or uneatable. Let's be honest, eating prawns, crayfish, mussels and many other delicatessen is not that different from eating Mopane worms or Scarab larvae, or is it?
 
This small fish are caught in rivers and pools with nets and then dried in the sun, can be mixed with maize or any other type of porridge. Very interesting taste.
This Caterpillar is the larval stage of the Mopane moth ( Gonimbrasia belina)  and are caught , cooked and dried for further use and are a relish of southern Africa. There are three tastes available (of which I know) Regular (cooked and dried) , curry marinated and deep-fried in oil and a deep-fried chili variety. It is a acquired taste, and I had problems acquiring it..
Eenyandi ( Diospyros mespiliformis) Jackal berry. The fruit are eaten when ripe or dried for later use, a beer brew are also made of this berry. Sometimes the berries are grounded and used as porridge. The Jackal-berry tree are also used to make Wato's (Canoe), medicine and many other uses.
Embe, very nice little berry tasteful, eaten as a relish or mixed with water to make a very pleasant tasting brew.
Wituintjies ( Moraea edulis), harvested in shallow pools , riverbeds and omarumbas. Taste nice with a bit of a frankish taste. Also sometimes boiled in milk and taste like sweet potato's.
Jugo bean (Vigna subterranea) very nice smelling and tasting when cooked in water, and very filling also.
Sorghum meal (Sorghum bicolor) very important food, used to make porridge and beer.
 Fine grounded Pearl millet or Mahango ( Pennisetum glaucum) One of the most important food crops of Africa and in many place it is the stable and only food of the people.

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