My exploration of the food of African Diaspora has proven to be more of a lifestyle change than anything else. Plates of fried kingfish and cassava bread, acarajé, ou bolées de riche, butterbeans soie texturés aromatisées avec des jarrets de jambon et mangé avec des mecs d'or de pain de maïs ont tous été des arrêts importants le long de la route de l'identité des aliments. Through my explorations of food, plus que jamais je me sens moins un enfant sans mère, et plus un membre d'une forte, divers, groupe mondial culturelle enracinée dans les pays riches, ancienne tradition.
Bien que je ne peux prétendre à fouetter jusqu'à callaloo ou chèvre au curry sur une base régulière (ou pas du tout pour l'instant), Je peux dire que ma cuisine a commencé à tenir compte de mon DIASPORAL intérêts et mon palais se délecte désormais saveurs de la diaspora comme s'ils étaient mon droit d'aînesse – et de manière, Je suppose qu'ils sont.
These days I crave the spice of chilies and the pungency of cilantro in my food. I regularly swap out mandioca (manioc), malanga, and plantains for potatoes. Now my pantry is always stocked with what I need to bring the Diaspora home. A few key ingredients can transform eating and cooking into meaningful experiences that connect us all to our shared histories and each other. Of course, beaucoup de lui n'est pas nouveau, mais voici quelques ingrédients pour garder à portée de main à grande un peu de la diaspora dans votre propre cuisine:

Plantains: Cousins ??à la banane-penser comme le légume banane, ils sont délicieux frits, bouilli, with or without plenty of garlic or onions. They are eaten throughout Africa, L'Amérique latine, et dans les Caraïbes, and they are nutrient-packed alternative to potatoes. I have managed to convince myself that deep fried plantains (tostones) sont en fait une alternative saine aux frites françaises. Just work with me here… Fried then mashed with loads of garlic and bacon they are the main ingredients in Puerto Rican mofongo.

Gombo: Appréciant le gombo peut être un défi, en particulier pour les personnes ayant des problèmes de texture des aliments, like myself. I am sad that I can’t eat it without advanced preparation*, parce que j'aime vraiment la saveur. Throughout Africa and the Americas people actually like the slime. It is said to be the perfect, naturel, traditional thickening agent for soups and stews. To avoid the sliminess altogether try deep-frying the pods. If you don’t mind a little sliminess, faire sauter le gombo avec des oignons coupés, le maïs sucré, and tomatoes for a side dish. Don’t stir too much, plus vous pousser et prod, plus visqueuse. (*Chaque fois que je fais le gombo avec du maïs, tomates, et les oignons, Je laisse pour une journée. When I heat it the next day there is virtually no slime and it tastes so good as the flavors seem to meld overnight.)

Limes: Utilisez-les pour laver et les faire mariner les fruits de mer et de la volaille, presser sur tostones (frit, bananes vertes), ou ajouter à boissons de jus tropicaux maison.

Piments (frais ou secs): Bonnets écossais, La Havane, oiseau, etc.—fiery hot or mild and fruity. Chilies are actually fruits that contain high levels of vitamin C, potassium, and iron. Among their many health benefits, they are thought to lower blood sugar. I am partial to scotch bonnets lately, J'aime la saveur. I also like ajices. I think that aji peppers are cayenne.

Coriandre: I really think that the flavor of cilantro defies description but dramatically changes the flavor of any dish to which it is added. I read somewhere that for most people there is no in between for most people–ils adorent ou détestent. I happen to love it and think that it is a must for the diasporal larder. It is used in African cooking and along with onions, poivre vert, et l'ail; il est l'un des ingrédients clés de la sofrito que les saveurs des cuisines de la République dominicaine, Porto Rico, and Cuba. It can also be chopped and added to lettuce to boost the flavor and nutritional value of green salads.

Malanga: C'est un tubercule effectivement, j'ai lu qu'il est une tige souterraine. Is that not the same as a tuber? It is magical. You can’t believe the taste, qui est de noisette et de beurre sans les noix ou de beurre. It is, Je crois que, racine de taro. In Central America and Colombia it is known as OTOE. Je crois qu'il est appelé taro Afrique de l'Ouest, et ici, aux Etats-Unis, il est connu sous le nom de taro . Originating in Central and South America, it spread to Africa where it is used as a replacement for yam or cassava in the making of fufu. It is apparently one of the world’s most hypoallergenic foods and can be eaten boiled, frit, mashed, etc. like potatoes. It is has brown, hairy skin like true yams and creamy, white flesh with light purple streaks. Try it immediately if you haven’t already. Malanga can be found at Latin, Des Caraïbes, and African markets.

Mandioca: It is also known as cassava or yuca, but I love the name mandioca, it’s the name by which I first came to know it and it really just rolls of the tongue, doesn’t it? It is a tuber with a unique, somewhat creamy flavor. I remember eating fried mandioca, boiled mandioca, mashed mandioca, même alfajores made from mandioca flour when I was an exchange student in Paraguay, which is where I acquired a taste for the stuff initially. Fried, bouilli, mashed, it’s good stuff. It’s also a staple throughout West and Central Africa and the Caribbean.

Beans: The diasporal pantry should be stocked with different varieties from the various food traditions of the Diaspora like black, blanc, pinto, kidney, pigeon peas (gandules), garbanzo beans (chick peas), and black-eyed peas. Cooked with smoked or salt cured meats or fish, beans are a staple.

Oils: Peanut, coconut, palm. Most of us are familiar with peanut oil and wouldn’t fry up a chicken without it but the others are just as useful. Palm oil has a distinctive flavor and is prized throughout West Africa for the reddish orange color it imparts to the dishes to which its added. Don’t be afraid of the saturated fat (en fait, I’ve read these oils are not unhealthy at all. In fact palm oil is an excellent source of carotene).
Everything in moderation.

Whole Grains (Rice, Corn meal, Couscous, Millet, Cracked Wheat): whole grains are an important part of the African diet. Millet, sorghum, maïs, wheat, and rice are all indispensable. Fonio is a grain indigenous to West Africa that once took the place of rice at the West African table. In the Diaspora, particularly in the Americas, environmental conditions have made rice, maïs, and to a lesser extent, wheat the primary grains associated with the food and cooking of people of African descent. I haven’t branched out quite as far in this area as I’d like but I can say I always keep two varieties of rice on hand: long-grain white and basmati; I’m hoping one day to sample indigenous African varieties and indulge in a little South Carolina rice cookery.

These are but a few suggestions; there are many more ingredients that have helped to bring the sweet and savory of the African Diaspora into my own kitchen. More to come in Part II…