Best Cuisine

The cuisine of Africa reflects indigenous traditions, as well as influences from Arabs, Europeans, and Asians.

 

The continent of Africa is the second largest landmass on the earth and is home to hundreds of tribes, ethnic and social groups. This diversity is also reflected in African cuisine, in the use of basic ingredients as well as in the style of preparation and cooking techniques.

 

Traditional

 

Traditionally, as in almost all cultures, the food of Africa uses a combination of locally available fruits, grains, and vegetables, milk and meat products. In some parts of Africa, the traditional African diet has a predominance of milk, curd, and whey. In much of tropical Africa however, cow's milk is rare and cannot be produced locally (owing to various diseases that affect livestock). Yet, differences, sometimes significant, are noticeable in the eating and drinking habits across the continent of Africa - African food differs in different parts of Africa, and East Africa, North Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa and Central Africa each have their own distinctive foods. They are very well known for their distinctive cooking styles.

 

African household, green vegetables

 

Traditional green vegetables occupy an important role in household nutrition throughout Africa as these are the main source of vitamins and provide variety to meals otherwise consisting of maize, cassava, yam, millet, beans and occasionally, meat stews. These green African vegetables also provide a secondary source of proteins. In general, green leaves and young stems are collected, washed, chopped and either steamed or boiled in combination with spices and other vegetables such as onions and tomatoes. The green vegetables have occupied an important role in traditional kitchen gardens in the rural areas throughout East Africa. Furthermore, these vegetables are now being grown and marketed, both in rural areas and urban consumption. These vegetables are likely to become more important within urban gardens as well.Most African traditional greens are drought tolerant. Traditional foods provide a varied diet, often rich in minerals and vitamins including vitamin A, iron and calcium.

 

Crop origins and farm biodiversity

 

Many of the most important crops in small hold farms of Africa originated outside of the African continent. Maize and beans, along with cassava and pumpkin, originate from America and were spontaneously adopted and spread by farmers throughout the continent of Africa after introduction by early European explorers in the 16th century. Today many African farmers are unaware that these are not indigenous African crops. Kale (Brassica oleracea ssp accephala, sukuma wiki) and Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris ssp. Cicla) are two important leafy vegetables originating from Europeans that are widely grown by East African highland farmers. Yet another category of plants are those that are "pan–tropical" and cosmopolitan. For Example, the green vegetable solanum (Solanum nigrum) is so very widespread, no one is sure of its origin.

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