Robin Robertson's Vegan without Borders by Robin Robertson

Author:Robin Robertson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC

CHAPTER 6

Africa

As with each region of the world, one could write a separate chapter on every country in Africa, but that would be beyond the scope of this book. However, these simplified notes will help explain at least some of the major differences, and also why I chose to share the particular recipes in this section.

The differences in the African cuisines are vast and varied. This is easily seen by comparing Moroccan cooking to that of West Africa. In Morocco, the heady spice mixtures of cumin, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, and coriander are more like those of India. The cuisine also has a tradition of using fruit in cooking. Fragrant cilantro, marjoram, and mint combine with the delicate scents of orange flower water and rosewater to provide an intoxicating flavor palette for staples, such as chickpeas, couscous, olives, nuts, dates, oranges, lemons, and pomegranates. Long, slow cooking methods are used, in particular, the tagine (see the recipe for Vegetable Tagine), which is the name of both a Moroccan stew and the clay pot in which it is cooked.

In West Africa, chiles are used with warming spices, such as cardamom, coriander, and ginger, as well as the haunting flavors of the peanut sauces that grace so many of the dishes of Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal, among others. Other regions of the African continent also have their plant-based dishes, including Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, and at the opposite end of the continent, South Africa. European influences are evident, since the British and Dutch settled there in the seventeenth century. Add to that the popular spicy curries brought by people from the Indian subcontinent during the nineteenth century.

Many of the mainstay ingredients in Africa include plant-based favorites, such as rice, millet, chickpeas, lentils, and peas, in recipes such as Moroccan Lentil and Chickpea Soup or Spicy Lemon Chickpeas. African cooks also use root vegetables like yam and cassava, as well as plantains, peanuts, and fruits. Most traditional dishes that are not naturally vegan are easily adapted with plant-based ingredients.

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