1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (181 page)

Gari foto is a staple in West Africa, served at any time of day, but its palette of brilliant, contrasting colors makes it a particularly pretty candidate for a brunch or lunch buffet. Bright terra-cotta-colored kidney beans may be striped across the top or served as a side dish, and sprinklings of chopped parsley or cilantro would not be amiss.

Where:
In Bronx, NY
, Papaye, tel 718-676-0771,
papayeny.com
.
Mail order:
For cassava meal, Sundial Herbs, tel 718-798-3962,
sundialherbs.com
.
Further information and recipes:
African Cooking
by Laurens van der Post (1970);
A Good Soup Attracts Chairs
by Fran Osseo-Asare (2006);
ghananation.com
(search gari foto).

With a slight, tingling sparkle that the French describe as
pétillant
, African ginger beer takes on the mild alcoholic headiness usually associated with hard cider or the Russian drink
kvass.
A forerunner to ginger ale, this so-called beer is a lightly astringent palate awakener; with a slice of citrus fruit, and perhaps a pour of rum, it makes a refreshing beverage on hot days. Although authentic ginger beer can be purchased in African and Caribbean neighborhoods, it is easy to make at home, where its sweetness and spice can be adjusted to suit your taste.

Makes about 2 quarts

¼ pound fresh ginger

1 quart boiling water

½ cup floral honey

5 to 8 whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick (1 inch long)

Grated zest of ½ lime or lemon

¼ cup freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice

Ice, citrus fruit juice, and/or dark rum (optional), for serving

1.
Peel the ginger and cut it into small pieces. Put the ginger in a food processor, adding just enough cold water to puree it.

2.
Scrape the pureed ginger into a large, heatproof glass or ceramic bowl or pitcher and add the boiling water, honey, cloves, cinnamon stick, and lime or lemon zest and juice. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and keep the mixture in a warm place for about 4 hours, skimming off the foam as it accumulates on the surface.

3.
Stir in 1 quart of cold water and taste for sweetness, adding more honey or lime or lemon juice as needed. Strain the ginger beer and pour it into glass or ceramic bottles. Cap the bottles tightly and store them in the refrigerator. Serve the ginger beer as soon as it is chilled, or wait 2 to 3 days for it to ferment and start to fizz slightly. In either case, it can be diluted with ice, more cold water, or fruit juice—or, for an extra jolt, dark rum. Chilled and covered, the ginger beer will keep for one week.

Where:
In New York
, Spice Market, tel 212-675-2322,
spicemarketnewyork.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The Soul of a New Cuisine
by Marcus Samuelsson (2006);
cookstr.com
(search african ginger beer).

It is truly the world’s spice, unparalleled in its warming flavor and nose-tingling aroma. Tan, knobby, and sold in contorted, fingerlike lengths, ginger enlivens almost all of the world’s cuisines. Though often called a root, it is in fact the underground stem, or rhizome, of a fragrant,
tropical flowering plant (
Zingiber officinale
). Ginger is perhaps most highly prized in Asia, where it works much as lemon does elsewhere, lending a spirited astringency especially to seafood and pork. Ginger is also the prime, defining warm seasoning in winter and Christmas desserts throughout the world, particularly in Europe; in West Africa and the Caribbean, it is fermented into sunny, bracing ginger beer (see
listing
).

Although it is commonly dried and powdered, ginger is at its potent best when fresh, peeled, and chopped or grated as a pungent, peppery, and slightly citrusy flavoring for all sorts of dishes, savory and sweet. The parts of the rhizome closest to the stalk, known as stem ginger, are delicate and perishable and are therefore often preserved in syrup or candied in sugar, to be added to cakes and other desserts. The fresh green leaves of the ginger plant are valued as a flavoring and garnish, imparting a subtle ginger flavor, and may also be brewed into tea. Dried ginger has less power than fresh, but it is also commonly steeped in boiling water to make a palliative tea. Ginger might also be pickled or preserved in jam, among a long list of other uses and preparations. At his restaurant Spice Market in New York’s Meatpacking District, chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten has created delicious ginger fried rice (see
listing
) and housemade ginger ale.

Probably originating in India long before historical records began, ginger was, along with pepper, the most traded commodity on the historic spice routes between Asia and Europe. By the sixteenth century, it was being cultivated in Africa and the Caribbean as well as all over Asia. Valued by the ancient Greeks and Romans primarily for its medicinal properties, it has also long been a part of traditional Chinese medicine and India’s Ayurvedic practice, and even today it is used to alleviate or prevent nausea as well as respiratory infections.

Where:
In New York
, Spice Market, tel 212-675-2322,
spicemarketnewyork.com
.
Mail order:
Melissa’s Produce, tel 800-588-0151,
melissas.com
(search ginger root; organic ginger); Penzeys Spices, tel 800-741-7787,
penzeys.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The Soul of a New Cuisine
by Marcus Samuelsson (2006);
A Spoonful of Ginger
by Nina Simonds (2011);
saveur.com
(search ginger beer);
epicurious.com
(search ginger cookies; ginger syrup; ginger doughnuts; carrots with ginger).
Tip:
Avoid fresh ginger that looks dried out and woody, as it will have lost its flavor. Store in the crisper of the refrigerator and wrap the cut end in plastic wrap to minimize the loss of aroma.
See also:
Steamed Fish with Ginger
;
Destrooper’s Ginger Thins
;
Ginger Tea
.

Also known as ladies’ fingers.

The seeds of the petite, fluted okra pod came to the Americas with the slaves who carried them over from West Africa—and thus it is that the American “gumbo” comes from the Bantu word for okra. Among the vegetable’s many other uses, okra’s viscous juices can be used to add flavor and texture to soups.

On the Ivory Coast, formerly a French colony, okra features in what’s called a
soupe gumbo.
An ancestor to Louisiana’s famed, deep-red gumbo, soupe gumbo starts as a thin chicken broth. Into the pot go shredded chicken, mashed okra, onions, and a tomato
sauce, all ignited with hot red chile peppers and plenty of black pepper for a fiery, multidimensional spiciness. Generous mounds of steamed white rice served in small bowls on the side ameliorate the heat—somewhat.

A similar okra soup,
nkrumankwan
, is a favorite in Ghana, where peeled and cubed small white eggplants, known as garden eggs, are added. Rice is sometimes served alongside, but a common alternative in Ghana and other West African countries is
fufu
—a thick mash or dumplinglike balls made from any of the locally abundant starches, such as yams, potatoes, cornmeal, or cassava.

Mail order:
For okra, Melissa’s Produce, tel 800-588-0151,
melissas.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The Whole World Loves Chicken Soup
by Mimi Sheraton (1995);
The Africa Cookbook
by Jessica B. Harris (2010);
Iron Pots and Wooden Spoons
by Jessica B. Harris (1999);
The African-American Kitchen
by Angela Shelf Medearis (1994);
Cooking the West African Way
by Bertha Vining Montgomery and Constance Nabwire (2001);
pbs.org/food
(search west african gumbo; for fufu, search pounded yam).

The crunchy, spicy Nigerian fritters called
akara
and also known as
kosai
are similar to the Middle Eastern falafel, but with a lively dose of freshly ground black pepper and hot chile powder added in. Among West Africa’s most popular street foods, the crisp bean cakes start with dried black-eyed peas. Soaked, rubbed to remove the outer skins, and then ground to a paste, the beans are mixed with water, egg, chile powder, and onion, and the batter is then formed into balls or patties and deep-fried in peanut oil or the much richer palm oil.

Brought by slaves to the Americas centuries ago, the fritters became a specialty of Bahia, in Brazil, where they are known as
acarajé.
Around the Caribbean, they may be based on dried, salted cod or even pumpkin. Nigerian variations, meanwhile, include ground meat or mashed, lightly cooked okra.

At their simplest, akara are easy enough to make at home, perfect for passing around with predinner drinks, or to accompany soups and salads. Garlic and chopped parsley or cilantro are untraditional but enhancing liberties. The fritters also benefit from generous dabs of fresh Mexican salsa, or a dipping sauce of garlic-infused yogurt.

Mail order:
For dried black-eyed peas, igourmet, tel 877-446-8763,
igourmet.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The African-American Kitchen
by Angela Shelf Medearis (1994);
Iron Pots and Wooden Spoons
by Jessica B. Harris (1989);
The Africa Cookbook
by Jessica B. Harris (2010);
The Best of African Cuisine
by Karena Andrews (2014);
foodnetwork.com
(search akara);
epicurious.com
(search akara).

A standard on Nigerian menus,
efo riro
is a velvety soup or stew that takes its name from a local green that combines elements of spinach and kale. Made from an intensely flavorful mixture of onion, tomatoes, thyme, ground hot chile peppers, and the local greens, it is often fortified with fresh or dried fish such as catfish, cod, or flounder, or with shrimp where it’s available. The traditional accompaniment is some form of
fufu
, the starchy, substantial, and absorbent dumplings or mash that work much as bread does when served with soups and stews;
fufu
made with yams is called
iyan
, while that made of cassava is known as
eba.

The slave trade brought efo to eastern Brazil, and a variation on the soup remains a favorite in the coastal state of Bahia, albeit with enriching additions of smoked shrimp, crabmeat, garlic, and cilantro. In both Brazil and Nigeria, efo is traditionally made with liberal doses of palm oil (
dende
); thick and strongly flavored, the oil is an acquired taste for the uninitiated, and milder vegetable oil can be substituted. The fish, chiles, and handfuls of fresh greens are flavorful enough on their own.

Further information and recipes:
Iron Pots and Wooden Spoons
by Jessica B. Harris (1989);
The African-American Kitchen
by Angela Shelf Medearis (1994);
The Africa Cookbook
by Jessica B. Harris (2010);
The Soul of a New Cuisine
by Marcus Samuelsson (2006);
A Taste of Africa
by Dorinda Hafner (2002);
Cooking the West African Way
by Bertha Vining Montgomery and Constance Nabwire (2001);
food.com
(search efo riro);
allnigerianrecipes.com
(search efo riro);
foodnetwork.com
(search efo).