Celebrate your heritage with traditional African fare
By Daisy Carrington
The holiday season has many traditions. It is a time to gorge, a time to give and a time to spend with family. It is also a wonderful time to celebrate one’s cultural heritage.
The holiday perhaps most suited to this mission is Kwanzaa, which, though an American tradition, revels in the foods and traditions of Africa.
If there is one chef in the city who embodies this cultural mixing the most, it’s Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit and Riingo. A New York resident, Samuelsson was born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden. His cooking often reflects his multicultural background.
“About 10 years ago, as a chef, I decided I wanted to know more about the [African] continent,” Samuelsson recalls. “In restaurants, there’s food represented from all over the world. But why do we know so little about [African cuisine]?”
Soon after, Samuelsson started traveling through Africa, learning about the different cuisines, and ultimately compiled his knowledge in a cookbook, “The Soul of a New Cuisine.” He’s also applying his culinary findings to a new pan-African restaurant, Merkato 55, slated to open next month.
“No matter who you are or what your background is, it’s always fun to mix up the meal [around the holidays],” he says. “I always encourage people to cook with Africa on their mind.”
Part of what makes Kwanzaa so enjoyable for Samuelsson — who wasn’t acquainted with the holiday until moving to the United States — is its emphasis on community, something he says the different cultures in Africa have in common.
“I always enjoy it when people eat together and cook something they haven’t had before,” he says. “It’s a window into other people’s culture, andeven if you don’t celebrate [Kwanzaa], I think you should go to [a celebration]. It’s a window into something else.”
What defines African cooking for you? It’s a mix of what gets traded, history and religion. You have the colonial influences, the native influences and the influence of the traders. Just like European and American cuisine. How does African cuisine differ from American or European cuisine? First of all, it’s people eating together and enjoying eating together. One thing that all African cuisines have is a big table. It’s also very much tied to whatever religion the region is. Here, our diet isn’t matched 100 percent to religion. In Africa, it’s stricter. Are there any misconceptions about African cuisine? Not really. I find people are very open to it once they try it. We already know about Moroccan food because of couscous and some Ethiopian foods because of mom-and-pop stores throughout the country. Fifteen years ago, there was the pan-Asian boom, then the Latin boom. There’s room for this, too.
-- (Daisy Carrington)
Posts: 8014 | From: the Tekrur in the Western Sahel | Registered: Feb 2006
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■ 3 slices white bread, cut into 1-inch squares ■ 3⁄4 cup milk ■ 1⁄2 teaspoon chili powder ■ 1⁄2 teaspoon coriander ■ 1 pound ground lamb ■ 1 pound ground beef ■ 1 teaspoon salt ■ 2 jalapeño chilies, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped ■ 3 garlic cloves, minced ■ 2 sprigs parsley, minced ■ 1 tablespoon olive oil ■ Tomato sauce (see recipe below)
Directions:
1. Place the bread in a small bowl. Pour the milk over the bread, and toss until moist. Soak until well softened, about 10 minutes.
2. Toast the chili powder and the coriander in a small saute pan over high heat until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from the heat.
3. Combine the lamb, beef, toasted spices, salt, bread, jalapeños, garlic and parsley in a large bowl and mix with your hands. Using wet hands to prevent sticking, form the mixture into 2-inch balls.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs and brown them for four minutes on each side. Drain the meatballs on paper towels.
5. Transfer the meatballs to a large saucepan. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring frequently, until heated through, about 15 minutes.
OKRA TOMATAO SAUCE
Ingredients:
■ 1 1⁄2 pounds okra, trimmed ■ 2 tablespoons olive oil ■ 2 medium red onions, chopped ■ 6 tomatoes, diced, or 3 cups chopped canned tomatoes ■ 2 garlic cloves, minced ■ 1 teaspoon ground coriander ■ 1 teaspoon ground cumin ■ 2 cups tomato juice ■ Juice of 1 lime ■ Salt
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the okra and boil until just tender, about six minutes. Drain the okra and let it cool, then cut into 1⁄2-inch slices.
2. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, coriander and cumin and cook until the garlic is softened, eight to 10 minutes.
3. Add the tomato juice, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the lime juice and okra and stir well. Season with salt.
Unity - to strive for and maintain unity in the family, nation, and race.
The central (black) candle is lit. The 3 red candles to its left and 3 green candles to its right remain unlit.
Illustrating the fully set Kwanzaa table: * African patterned table cloth * place mat - mkeka * candelabra - kinara * 7 candles - mishumaa saba * maize - muhindi * kikombe - cup for oblation * various decorations not placed on the mkeka
Posts: 8014 | From: the Tekrur in the Western Sahel | Registered: Feb 2006
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Tukuler
multidisciplinary Black Scholar
Member # 19944
posted
The big mistake that killed Kwanzaa is the date chosen for it December 26th. Worse date possible. Makes it look like wannabe Christmas. Doubly bad becasue Christmas comes first. But the spirit of it was good
I also reminds me how Asante's and Dr. Karanga's Pan African perspective has been replaced with an Egyptocentric perspective.
Posts: 42940 | From: , | Registered: Jan 2010
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posted
Witless buffoon, a Pan African perspective always INCLUDES Egypt in its perspectives.
-------------------- Note: I am not an "Egyptologist" as claimed by some still bitter, defeated, trolls creating fake profiles and posts elsewhere. Hapless losers, you still fail. My output of hard data debunking racist nonsense has actually INCREASED since you began.. Posts: 5905 | From: The Hammer | Registered: Aug 2008
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