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Tag: #West African Food

Browse our collection of food history articles exploring the legacy, heritage, and stories behind West African Food.

3 articles

Dark West African ogiri fermented seed condiment beside melon seeds and a clay pot
ingredients

Ogiri

How melon, sesame, castor, microbial fermentation, women’s market labor, and regional names created an aromatic seasoning family

West Africa, especially southern Nigerian foodways7 min read
Brown fermented iru locust beans in a small calabash beside Parkia pods and stew
ingredients

Iru

How Parkia trees, long boiling, alkaline fermentation, women’s trade, soups, and urban food change made a seed into a powerful condiment

Yoruba regions of Nigeria and Benin, within a wider West African locust-bean tradition7 min read
Dark soumbala fermented nere seed balls beside Parkia pods millet and a market basket
ingredients

Soumbala

How Parkia trees, alkaline fermentation, women’s cooperatives, regional trade, and soup culture created West Africa’s concentrated seasoning

West African Sahel, especially Burkina Faso and Mali7 min read