Peculiar Things You Need To Know When Preparing African Dishes
The diversity in African cuisines is a replica of the continent itself.
Africa is one country where people live in the same community but have sub-tribes with extreme cultural affiliations.
That is also seen in the dishes. A visit to Africa is a visit to a home of diversity and culture.
Food preparation displays a touch of modernity and tradition in equal measure.
Being a country that people still think they are “evolving,”; you can’t miss getting a vegetable dish purely from herbs.
What you think is a weed in the western continents is a delicacy in the African content.
What makes African dishes Unique?
- Rice and cereal grains form part of the diet
- Most fruits and vegetable are eaten raw
- Traditional foods are common in the remote parts
- Smoked dishes are the most rampant and loved meals
- Seeds are used to make a thick paste
- Nuts can be prepared in many forms to get a unique and sweet taste
A beverage like coffee and tea are taken first thing in the morning. Rice is prepared with ingredients
Contract to what westerners know; rice is a staple food in most African communities. It is only in Africa that you get friend rice as part of the menu.
It is one meal that is cooked with ingredients like tomatoes, onions, pepper, eggplant, and coriander all in one cooking pot.
You also can’t forget the herbs that accompany it. In West Africa, its called Jollof rice; in East Africa, it’s called Pilau.
The difference is the name, but the mode of preparation is the same.
- African dishes are prepared using local herbs and ingredients
Did you know there is the version of every element in an international recipe in an Africa way?
The ash from bean leaves is a form of baking soda and used to prepare traditional vegetables.
The ingredients are mainly for medicinal value as much as it’s also a way of adding flavor.
African dishes’ pride lies in the ingredients and herbs additive that dictates the sweet taste typical among these foods.
- The traditional cooking methods bring out the taste of African dishes
If you haven’t eaten seafood prepared in a pot using wood fuel over a long time, you are consuming a cracked African meal version.
African dishes are best prepared using smoking or boiling foods over low heat for the alone period.
If you are looking for grilling options, then try smoking as the food preparation method. You might be tempted to ditch your automatic grills.
That also applies to beverages. The espresso machine is an everyday thing in the African setup.
However, we can’t leave the digital cooking options. Have a look espresso coffee machines in emergingpictures.com/coffee/best-espresso-machines-under-100
- Milk is like an ingredient in an African Dish
If you want to have a taste of well-cooked traditional herbs, then visit an African home.
When they ditch the frying process and boil the vegetables, add milk or other milk products like the key to add flavor to the meal.
What can’t miss is salt, but the rest is a luxury for an African who wants to maintain their roots.
- Ghee replaces commercial cooking oils
We are talking about traditional African dishes. The commercial cooking oils are misery in an African environment s far as culinary skill is concerned.
Ghee is the primary oil used in the dishes. Unlike the plant oils, the ghee is pre-cooked dairy products from milk, which you only add to the boiling herbs for flavor and sweetness.
- Seafood has a unique preparation style based on region
The culinary culture, when it comes to plates of seafood, depends on places. In South Africa, communities living around the shores of Lake Malawi, Chambo is their African heritage.
The Luo community on the shore of Lake Victoria is known for Obambo; the coastal cities, on the other hand, also take pride in unique seafood.
The general way of preparing these meals, despite the disparity in making, is that they are first dried and smoked to add more flavor.
Note the modern cooking styles come in place to add value.
- Parts of the chicken have special significance in an African setup
Did you know that gizzards and the back piece of a chicken are left to the men and not women in the East African community?
If you are in a restaurant business and you tend to focus on African dishes, better arm yourself with such beliefs, you have to maintain your customers.
If there is something you can’t fight is the culture
Try African dishes and understand the influence of culture in food preparation, handling, and service.