The Daily Diet in West Africa

The amazing food and spice that we consume here in Burkina Faso, are not only delicious, but also healthy.  There’s a traditional saying –  “Wherever you are in the world, whatever the Earth is doing there, that’s what you believe in.”  It’s  saying that carries many meanings, but essentially it points to the reality that whatever the Earth provides each civilization, these are the resources that the community will utilize to sustain their way of life.  In this case, the staple food is what naturally grows during the seasons here.  It is even with the remaining parts of the crops that people use to make mats, shoes, hats, or even build their houses.  Nothing goes to waste.  Everything is seen as sustainable.  

There are certain spices that go in every sauce, or meal that we consume. These ingredients include parsley, ginger, garlic, anise seed, and peppercorn.   These are usually grinded on a flat rock until they resemble  paste.  Then, a small quantity of each is added to the pot.  Super delicious….  We keep large quantities on hand in a jar in the fridge. 

These spices are also used to season meat and fish.  You can combine all of them into one jar (my personal favorite), or you can keep them in separate jars and add more or less of each ingredient depending on what you’re preparing.  Sometimes I even add dried fish, green bell pepper and paprika.  It’s really up to you depending on what you prefer.  But, these are definitely the basic ingredients you can never go wrong with. 

There’s also piment (fresh pepper) and soumbala.  For sure, they add a wonderful taste and aroma to whatever is being cooked, but these ingredients also aid in digestion and overall maintenance. These foods assist the body in keeping a steady level of healthy nutrition, especially when there aren’t excessive things like salt, sugar, or oil added to one’s diet.   

There are a number of different green/leaves that we use to make a variety of sauces that too aid in digestion and stomach issues.  These sauces are eaten with Toh – a  fufu like starch that is boiled and prepared to be dipped in the sauce.  It is a mixture of cassava and corn (both staple crops) and we eat it at least once a day.  For example, hibiscus is a popular beverage in Africa, usually combined with ginger, honey and pineapple juice.  But, did you know the leaves can be used to make sauce?  It is one of my personal favorites.  We boil with potassium and prepare it as peanut based sauce.  This can be eaten with Toh, or Tuwo –  rice toh where the rice is cooked well and then beaten like Toh and formed into large doughy balls that are dipped in the sauce.

Breakfast is probably my favorite.  The typical Togolese breakfast consists of  porridge they call koko and fritters that contain most of the spices mentioned above, as well a piment.  The koko is red millet bed porridge that is consumed with a bit of sugar while the fritter (called soiee) is nice and spicy.  

The base for the soiee is black eyed peas.  They remove the black part and the  skin then it’s taken to the mill to be ground with all of the spices added.  After that, it’s fried in a little ball.  It’s super delicious!  My favorite way to start the day for sure.  You can find black eyed peas flour in the U.S., but it’s not the same.  I usually end up using garbanzo bean flour if I’m travelling in the west because it supports all the seasoning and ingredients well.  It’s also easy to find.  

There’s lots of breakfast staple like this, usually consisting of porridge and some sort of small donut, or fried snack.   For more tips on healthy herbs you can add to your dishes, or even take daily, keep browsing this section.  For pregnancy and postpartum recipes, click below!