Editor's Note

How diverse is the African diet? I can say as diverse as the tribes. And the ethnic groups are many.

Not much is written about authentic African cuisine. Of course, invasions and colonization brought in foreigners and foreign foods some of which then became part of the local cuisine. If one takes Kenya, for example, the Indians who came to build the railway line brought curries and chapatis (unleavened fried wheat bread). As you sit in Kenya enjoying curried food and chapatis, you would not imagine that these foods are foreign.

Western African dishes are quite peppery while eastern and southern are not so hot. As I travel around the world, I like to try local cuisine, except for frogs, dogs, snails, and snakes. Oh, it is difficult for me to try dog meat. In my own community in Kenya, insects such as crickets and ants are a delicacy. I have eaten them and still do when I get access. Yet, Kenyans from other parts frown on these. I have eaten blood, but cooked, not raw, bled from a chicken as it is slaughtered. There are cultures where blood is bled from cattle.

In Ethiopia, injera is revered; it is made from teff flour; teff is known to be one of the most nutritious cereals known to mankind. Injera is a fermented bread, eaten with spicy beef or chicken sauce. In Uganda, I just love their matoke (cooked green bananas) and vinyewa (groundnut sauce). Dodo is a local green leafy vegetable and quite tasty too when cooked properly. Other parts of Uganda, of course, consume different kinds of food. Then there is Nigeria, a huge population with diverse diets. Some of the savoury sauces are quite spicy; cassava, a major staple, is consumed in different forms. I visited Mali too and am able to enjoy their river fish especially when cooked after it has been dried or smoked. One traditional delicacy dish I enjoyed when I was there is sagasaga, a mix of beef and sweet potato leaves.

In traditional African culture, people did not starve as others thrived. People looked out for each other. There were always many celebrations and these ensured everyone stayed fairly well nourished. As we celebrate Christmas in style, with food and drink, we should remember what Jesus Christ was all about. We have enough food in the world to feed everyone. But do we share it the way our ancestors did? Should we not take time to reflect on how food security was secured in the past? I know for sure that there will be a lot of eating during this period and some people will even put on unwanted weight. There will also be a lot of food waste, unfortunately, as many people go hungry during the same period. Let us share, let us reach out to those we know may be needing food. Food sharing has a way of uniting people and fostering friendships.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Ruth Oniang’o
Editor-in-Chief, AJFAND