Food glorious food!

I’ve been asked a few times about the food I’m eating, so I’ll try to describe some of the main dishes:

Tô: This is a staple to most diets and is an art to make. Tô can be made with yams, rice, corn…that has been pounded into flour. The flour is mixed with water and cooked over charcoal. It’s the stirring technique that makes the mixture turn into an elastic mush a little like plasticine. Tô has a very mild flavour so is eaten with different sauces. You pull a piece off and dip and scoop up the sauce.

Foutou: Foutou is made of yams or sometimes plantains. Basically you boil the yam or the plantain like you are making mashed potatoes until they are really mushy. Then you place it in a large wooden pestle and mortar and you pound, pound and pound. This is the step that takes a little strength! While pounding you add some water occasionally and keep pounding. Eventually the yam or plantain becomes very elastic, again a little like plasticine. Foutou is eaten like tô, to dip and scoop up the sauce. It really like to eat this!

Sauces:

(All sauces are boiled and boiled until well cooked and all the flavours are well blended)

Tomato: A tomato based sauce. To make it you grate tomatoes, onions, garlic and sometimes zucchini. Then you let is boil a long time with oil, and chicken stock. You can add cabbage, eggplant, beef or sheep meat if you want.

Tiguè (peanut): This is a peanut paste based sauce that is a little thick. I’m not really sure what it is in it other than peanuts.

Grains: This is a rich yellow coloured sauce. The grains used come from the palm tree and the flavour is a little sweet. Often they put a little beef in it as well.

Leaves: There are many sauces made from different leaves, so many that I don’t know. I have to admit I don’t know how these sauces are made. Often the consistency is a little slimy with a mild flavour.

Riz Gras: This is the standard rice served everywhere. It is rice cooked in a tomato based sauce. The rice absorbs all the sauce and takes the flavour. It is called “gras” as there is quite a bit of oil in the sauce. It is often served with a little beef or sheep meat pieces mixed in.

Porc au four : Pork grilled in a brick oven, cooked over wood. It is so incredibly good! It is available at 10am and it is all gone by 11am. It is the neighbourhood’s addiction! You eat the pieces of pork with baguette and a sauce of tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, vinegar and cooking juices. Some people drink Dolo along side and by the end you are truly full and ready for a siesta. Often we sneak out to the porc au four on Sundays as a sort of Sunday brunch.

Yamaku ji (ginger juice): I think I drink this nearly every day! I love this juice. It is basically crushed ginger, sugar, water and occasionally some mint. It is so refreshing. Some people make it a little spicier than others.

Bissap: This is a dark red juice that will stain if it gets on your clothes. This is another of my favourite drinks. It is made from boiled bissap flowers and usually lots of sugar. It tastes very similar to black currant.

Atieke: Couscous made from cassava. It has quite a special flavour that is hard to describe, but quite delicious. It is often served with onions, tomatoes, green peppers and fried fish.

Fonio: This is a very hearty grain a bit like couscous. It has a similar colour and size to sand. The taste is a little like roasted whole grain. It is also very filling and sits in your stomach like a ball of concrete.

Grilled meat: This is the specialty of most street vendors. They cook chicken, sheep or beef with spices and onions wrapped in a heavy paper and cooked on grill over a wood fire. The meat is often served with ground peanut powder mixed with hot pepper powder.

Galettes: Another road side specialty! This is kind of like mini oily pancakes. Galettes are made from fermented millet flour so have a little sharp taste, but are a great snack.

Degue: This is probably one of my addictions as I eat it nearly ever day. There is a really nice woman who sells delicious degue from a stall near my work and I am often sneaking over to drink a bowl! Degue is little millet balls or sometimes it is made with rice, in yogurt. She often puts an ice cube in the bowl as well so it is so refreshing.