African Food. So Much More Than Bone Soup

In African food there are traditional fruits and vegetables, along with exotic game and fish which are all cooked in traditional ways to produce some truly amazing dishes.

There are some essential staples in African foods however, and these include yams, plantains, green bananas and cassava which can be found all over the continent and are mixed together with meats, fish, poultry etc, to produce some wonderful and unique flavors in the many African food dishes.

Africa really is a huge continent and although it does have some common, staple foods, it's really an area of distinctive regional differences. African food is a mixture of indigenous dishes and the import of food from colonizing countries and immigrants. It's a country that has seen much movement and the influences are everywhere. In the West, we're probably most familiar with Northern African cooking, especially thru Moroccan restaurants. Africans also introduced many ways of cooking to the American South that are familiar today in grits, flatbreads and fritters etc.

In general, Africans do like to eat fresh fruit and vegetables, game and fish. The chief root vegetables are yams and cassava as mentioned above. They like to steam their vegetables and they use hot spices and marinades. Meat stews are usually based on chicken. Peanuts, known as groundnuts in Africa, are popular in garnishes and soups. Melons and in particular watermelons are common African food. African villages tend to use a lot of whey, curd and milk. They also like vegetables, cereals and sweet potatoes.

The coastal regions use chilies a lot and fish marinated in ginger and cayenne pepper is very popular. West Africans like to eat black eyed peas and use okra in soups and stews. They mix fish and meat together in their stews. The French brought their cuisine to Senegal, particularly garlic, scallions, lime juice and the method of marinating. Bananas and coconuts are another popular African food here. Ethiopian dishes usually contain meat and they also eat raw meat. They like flatbreads, hot peppers and hard cooked eggs.

South African food is a combination of indigenous Bantu traditions and the influence of the British and Dutch settlers. The French also played a part, starting up many vineyards, and immigrant workers from Malaysia brought curries. The Indians sent by the British to work on the railway construction also brought their cuisine.

East African food does not involve much meat as livestock is used for trading purposes and not for food. The only strong influence here from outside is the legacy of the Arab settlers who brought cloves, saffron and rice pilafs.

Angola and Mozambique were both colonized by the Portuguese, who brought limes, lemons and oranges. The Portuguese from Brazil took pineapples, bananas and pigs. Most dishes in Mozambique are based on fish and they have a lot of hot pepper dishes.

African dishes are very often accompanied by alcoholic drinks, except for the Muslim North. South Africa of course, is world famous for its first class red and white wines. Kenya has a local beer called Tusker which is exported. There are many bee keepers in Ethiopia and they make a drink called Tej from the honey which is similar in taste to mead. Ethiopian coffee is also well known in the West. The Tusker goes particularly well with African food.