Hi, I'm Tomi, a Nigerian-born chef and blogger at The Vegan Nigerian. Here's a small handful of typical West African foods that everyone should get acquainted with.
There is nothing more exciting than expanding your culinary repertoire and cooking skills with ingredients you may not have encountered before. Unless you are from West Africa, the ingredients below may be completely new to you. Perhaps you’ve spotted some of them at a restaurant or perhaps you know of them through a friend or family member. Whatever the case, I hope this post inspires you to diversify your vegan menu and make these ingredients a staple in your household.
If you live in a multicultural town or city, all of the ingredients can be found at your nearest African grocery store. Failing that, online shopping now provides us with better access to ingredients beyond our local supermarkets and food markets. When in doubt, search online for African food retailers that you can visit or order directly from - many now provide UK-wide delivery.
Start with these typical West African foods, then keep the exploration going by following vegan creators, bloggers and chefs that hail from West African countries such as Nigeria, Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and more!
1. African Yam
Tubers and root vegetables feature in many West African recipes. Beyond sweet potatoes and white potatoes, yam is worth adding to your shopping list. Indigenous to West Africa, they tend to be very large in size, with a rough brown exterior and a white or cream starchy flesh that is firm when raw but fluffy when cooked. In terms of flavour, yams can range from mild and slightly sweet to slightly bitter depending on the variety. In Nigeria, yam is referred to as the king of crops, with an annual yam festival dedicated to this versatile ingredient. They are a great source of fibre, potassium and vitamins A, B6 and C. It is important to peel and cook yam before eating it. Treat it the way you would treat a potato by boiling it, frying it, roasting it or mashing/pounding it. In addition to eating them fresh, yams are dried and ground into flour that is used to make bolus meals such as Amala and Pounded Yam. If you’re just getting started, some delicious yam recipes you can try include Asaro (savoury yam porridge), Boiled Yam with Scrambled Tofu and Yam Pepper Soup and Fried Yam Wedges.
2. Honey Beans
This variety of black-eyed peas gets its name from its distinctly sweet flavour. They are brown in colour, shaped like kidney beans but much smaller in size than typical kidney or black-eyed beans. They boast a ton of health benefits and are a great source of protein, carbohydrates, fibre, vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium. Like other varieties, it is recommended that you soak the beans for a few hours or overnight to reduce the gas that causes bloating and other digestive issues. You can cook and use them much in the same way as you would any other bean variety - in soups, stews, salads, and more. In Nigeria and Ghana, they are often made by stewing in a blend of tomatoes and peppers. They are also used to make steamed bean puddings known as Moin Moin and bean fritters known as Akara or Kosai. Try this Mixed Vegetable Akara recipe.
3. Egusi Seeds
Also known as melon seeds, these cream-coloured, oval-shaped seeds are indigenous to West Africa and come from a bitter gourd that resembles a watermelon. The seeds have a nutty, earthy taste and are predominantly used as a thickener and flavour enhancer in many traditional dishes. As well as being protein-rich and packed with essential fatty acids, they are a great source of vitamins A, B1, B2 and C. To use in cooking, the seeds need to be dried, hulled and ground to a coarse powder. These days it is very easy to buy the hulled seeds or ground seeds from African or international grocery stores. Try your hands at making the mouthwatering recipe for classic Egusi Soup which you can serve with yam, fufu, rice and other starches.
4. Garri
Garri can best be described as a coarse cassava flour. It is made by peeling, grating or roughly blending fresh cassava to a mash. The cassava is then fermented and dried to eliminate any toxic compounds before it is sieved and dry roasted or fried. You are guaranteed to find a bag of garri in most West African homes as it is a much-loved staple. Garri is mainly prepared by mixing it with hot water to create a bolus, dough-like meal known by different names (in some parts of Nigeria, it is called Eba) which is then eaten alongside soups and stews such as Okra Soup and Efo Riro It is also used to make a cold and refreshing snack known as soaked garri, which is usually served with a handful of roasted peanuts. In the past, I have even used garri to make gluten-free cookies, though this is straying into non-traditional territory.
5. Fonio
Native to West Africa and considered the oldest cereal in Africa, fonio is a gluten-free grain which looks a lot like quinoa or couscous. It has a mild, nutty taste and only takes about 3 minutes to cook because of how tiny the grains are. Fonio is naturally high in protein, fibre, and is a great source of iron, zinc and calcium. In many parts of West Africa, it is cooked plain like rice and served alongside stews. It can also be ground into a flour for baking. Other great ways to enjoy fonio is as a sweet porridge with warming spices, such as this Coconut and Nutmeg Fonio Porridge, or as a savoury porridge with lots of seasonal vegetables and spices. There is no end to how creative you can get with this wonderful ingredient!
Author Bio: Tomi Makanjuola is the content creator behind the award-winning platform The Vegan Nigerian. Her latest cookbook Vegan Nigerian Kitchen is the perfect resource for anyone who wants to dive deeper into Nigerian/West African cuisine and food culture. In there, you’ll find over 100 mouth-watering and accessible recipes. You can follow Tomi on Instagram and Facebook (@vegannigerian) for more vegan food inspiration.
The views expressed by our bloggers are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.
