Nigeria’s culinary tradition is vast and diverse, a nod to the various peoples that live there. In many ways, it exemplifies West African food — with corn, peanuts, beans, squash, and leafy greens at the heart of many meals. Unlike some its is neighbours, though, Nigeria…
Tag: african food
Assignment 136: Zambia
The weather in Ontario was as un-Zambian as it gets when Eric started planning his menu at the end of February. Two meters of snow were on the ground and both of us were exhausted from shovelling and being constantly snowed in. This assignment provided a little brightness in…
Assignment 130: South Africa
South Africa is known for braai, a style of barbecue. Because I’m a pescatarian, Eric considered how he might make braai accessible to our table, but didn’t find any options that felt close enough to the traditional boerewors (a kind of sausage) or biltong…
Assignment 124: Gabon
Eric didn’t know what to expect with Gabonese cuisine, though he expected to find some similarities to neighbouring Cameroon, once also a French colony. There weren’t many English resources online, but by looking for recipes in French, and relying on some cookbooks we have…
Assignment 121: South Sudan
South Sudan is the newest country in the world, at just 12 years old. It’s no wonder, then, that recipes, cookbooks, and food blogs with a South Sudanese focus are few and far between. I happened across a blog called Taste of South Sudan, and from there…
Assignment 115: Benin
At first, finding Beninese recipes was challenging, until I remembered to consult the wonderful Africa Cookbook, which has provided countless recipes. The author has friends in Benin, so despite the country’s small size and limited culinary reputation, several recipes were featured. I created my menu…
Assignment 113: Burundi
It seems to have become a tradition of the Wooden Spoon Wanderer blog that every so often, I’m apologizing again for a long break between assignments. The blog is a wonderful, time consuming, labour-intensive journey, and sometimes a break is called for. During this last pause…
Assignment 108: Libya
Compared with its North African neighbours Tunisia, Egypt, and nearby Morocco, Libyan cuisine was more of a mystery for Eric when he headed into this assignment. One of the first things he learned was the prevalence of mutton in the region. He was thrilled, since…
Assignment 107: Comoros
If you have ever experienced seafood-induced anxiety, then you will know how I felt as I compiled my Comorian menu. Comoros, sandwiched between the east coast of Africa and western side of Madagascar, is a country with a lot of seafood on the menu. Eric and I live…
Assignment 103: Ethiopia
I was SO EXCITED to take on this assignment. Eric and I both got to reserve one country each that we would get to do no matter what. Eric chose Italy. I chose Ethiopia. Ethiopian food is my absolute favourite; I love the smells, flavours, textures, and colours…
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