Home cooking is changing.
They are experimenting with new foods, getting acquainted with new recipes from other cultures and increasing their interest in foods that they rarely saw outside of their home country.
African ingredients are now a part of that change.
Plantain, yam, millet, cassava, groundnuts, palm oil and various types of beans are becoming more common in kitchens the world over. They’re used by some people for the fact that they were used in their childhood. For others, they are a new experience.
No matter, ingredients from Africa are providing a new menu for home chefs.
Genuine ingredients are readily obtainable
One of the biggest changes has been availability.
In time, the ingredients used in an African family’s recipe were often scarce in the markets of the countries where the families lived. There were also certain products, which were only sold in specialised shops, and sometimes limited options of choice available.
It is a better situation now.
Now there are more grocery shops in Africa, and online food supplies make shopping even easier. Conventional ingredients from home may be delivered right to the door.
This has really streamlined the way that I prepare familiar meals on a regular basis.
Cassava can be used in a variety of ways
Cassava is a significant food crop in many parts of Africa.
There are several ways to prepare the root and make various food products. It is eaten for meals, snacks and traditional dishes in many parts of the world.
A convenient one is the Cassava Flour which is processed cassava root and can be applied to various traditional and modern recipes.
This is one of the reasons why cassava is an important ingredient in African cooking.
Plantain is taking the table to the next level
Another popular ingredient abroad, other than African communities, is plantain.
It resembles a banana but is typically eaten cooked. Plantain can be savoury or sweet, depending on how ripe it is.
Can be fried, boiled, roasted or baked.
Fried plantain is particularly popular due to its ability to be a side dish with rice, beans, stews and grilled meats. Quick and convenient to make and incorporate into many recipes.
To add more variety, try beans, seeds and grains
Beans, seeds and grains are also popular ingredients in African cuisine.
For instance, black-eyed beans are used in a variety of traditional dishes in Nigeria. The ground melon seeds provide body and flavour to soups and grains like millet and sorghum have been a staple of African diets for centuries.
These ingredients provide options to the ingredients that home cooks might otherwise use.
They also demonstrate the diversity of African cuisine. No single ingredient or type of cooking is typical to the entire continent.
Enjoy seeing people try new foods
The other factor contributing to the increased popularity of African ingredients is just plain curiosity.
People can now easily watch how to cook unfamiliar ingredients by watching a cooking video, reading a recipe on a website or on social media.
Someone may see a Nigerian meal online, become curious about one of the ingredients and decide to try making the dish at home.
Generally, new foods are introduced in this way.
But after they know what the ingredient is used for, its fearsome nature dissipates.
Traditional ingredients can be used in modern cooking
Not all recipes are old recipes.Not everything made with traditional ingredients is an old recipe.
What is shared is only enough to give an idea of how each cook could work with the ingredients, equipment, and lifestyle to come up with their own version. The plantain can be baked rather than fried. Grains can be incorporated into daily meals as they are normally consumed. Cassava products can be used in African and outside Africa’s recipes.
This versatility means that these ingredients are more accessible in contemporary kitchens.
Traditions remain in a state of flux, the ingredients have not. African cuisine is entering a much broader food culture as more people begin to explore African cuisine.
Nigerian Food Suppliers is an online resource for Nigerian food, ingredients, recipes and supplier information. It aids readers in gaining knowledge about these traditional foods, how they are used in Nigerian foods and provides information on how to obtain Nigerian food products in different countries.
