Country Challenge: West Africa (Sub Saharan)

Benin

Ghana
Togo

Sierra Leone

For this week's Country Challenge, I had to combine about 10 Countries in Africa. I have found it very hard to find cookbooks on African cooking, as so much of it is passed thru generations orally. Many of the books are a compilation of regions of Africa. The book I found for this week was called South of the Sahara: Traditional Cooking from the Lands of West Africa.

The history of this area is very rich. One heavy influence on the cooking came from the slave trade in the 1500's. West Africa was a very popular port for slave ships. Many of the slaves were brought to Brazil and other areas of South America. When the slaves were finally freed in the 1800's, they brought back many Brazilian influces in their cuisine.

Some popular ingredients in West African dishes are: Tomatoes, Chilies, Root Vegetables, Black Eyed Peas, Plantains, Pineapple, Citrus Fruit, Chicken, Eggs and Grain Cereals.

This week's recipes are all taken from:

South of the Sahara: Traditional Cooking from the Lands of West Africa, Elizabeth A Jackson.
Fantail, New Hampshire: 1999.