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The African Gourmet

The African Gourmet: Explore African Culture & Recipes

One bowl of fufu can explain a war. One proverb can outsmart a drought.
Welcome to the real Africa—told through food, memory, and truth.

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FOOD PROVERBS

African Food Proverbs

Culinary wisdom passed down through generations

African food sayings and proverb

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Culinary Wisdom
Meat stew representing animal wisdom

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Diverse hands placing food on shared table

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Lemon varieties representing spice of life

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Transformation

Herbalists Ancient Knowledge

Herbalism is one of the main methods used to treat various illnesses in traditional African medicine.

Herbalism is one of the main methods used to treat various illnesses.

Medicinal African Bush Tea Recipe

Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

More Plant Guides: Main Hub • Cancer Bush • Top Plants • 15 Herbs

The continent of Africa has a wealth of indigenous herbs and plants such as African bush tea used for herbal treatments.

Therapeutic African Bush Tea

Therapeutic African Bush Tea 

African Recipes by African Gourmet:  Therapeutic bush tea has a bitter flavor and is used for medicinal purposes to treat stomach problems. Prep time: 5 min Cook time: 5 min Total time: 10 min

Ingredients

Desired amount of Rooibos (pronounced roy-bose) bush tea leaves

Boiling water

Honey or sugar optional

Directions When making herbal African bush tea use a tea strainer. The tea strainer eliminates the need to strain off leaves later.  Add your desired amount of bush tea leaves to a tea strainer or teapot.  Cover with boiling water a let steep for 2-5 minutes or until you have created your perfect cup of tea based on your preference. What is an herb?

Medicinally, an herb is any plant part or plant used for its therapeutic value in contrast to modern day pharmaceuticals, which only about 12 percent of drugs are developed from plants.

About Nyanga South African Herbalists

The herbal medicine field and practitioners are found throughout the world, from New Orleans, to Oregon, to Florida and Mississippi, across the ocean to Great Britain to India and China. Modern-day practicing of herbal medicine is not unique to Africa, the world recognizes the gift of healing nature provides.

South African herbal medicine practitioners are called Nyanga. They seek the nature of the illness and its cure by meditating or going into a trance in order to get advice from a God or spirit. Nyanga's are not witchdoctors however the general population unofficially uses the term interchangeably, the official term is traditional healers used by governments and organizations.

The Traditional Healers Organization (THO) organizes, trains and certifies traditional health practitioners. Each society has different kinds of traditional healers. Traditional healing is linked to wider belief systems and remains integral to the lives of most Africans.

Nyanga is a traditional herbalist using ancestors or amadlozi as a medium of prayer to God. Nyanga’s seek the nature of the illness and its cure by meditating or going into a trance in order to get advice from a God or spirit.

Nyanga African traditional herbalist and the THO work continue throughout Africa encouraged by the belief that they are contributing to the advancement of herbalism in Africa and the world.

Nyanga’s seek the nature of the illness and its cure by meditating or going into a trance in order to get advice from a God or spirit. Some traditional healers use good magic as a cure because they believe that illnesses including psychological issues have supernatural origins. 

Some African peoples have an understanding of health as well-being and the harmony existing between individuals, communities and the universe.

Hyptis suaveolens or bush tea is a wild plant whose leaves are used to make therapeutic herbal tea.

Did you know? The word rooibos comes from the Afrikaans language meaning red bush.


More drink recipes to whip up today.

  1. Legal Drinking Age in Africa
  2. Ibwatu African Energy Drink
  3. Tzaneen Pawpaw Coconut Chiller
  4. Dried Hibiscus Flowers Red Party Punch
  5. Viagra Green Fig Tea
  6. Sugar Cane Drink
  7. South African Amarula Brown Elephant Recipe


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DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17329200

African Recipes Organized by Meal Time

African Drinks & Beverages

Snacks & Appetizers

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Desserts

Ivy, founder and author of The African Gourmet

About the Author

Ivy is the founder and lead writer of The African Gourmet. For over 19 years, she has been dedicated to researching, preserving, and sharing the rich culinary heritage and food stories from across the African continent.

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The African Gourmet is preserved as a cultural resource and is currently selected for expert consideration by the Library of Congress Web Archives.

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Recipes as Revolution

Recipes as Revolution

When food becomes protest and meals carry political meaning

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African woman farmer

She Feeds Africa

Before sunrise, after sunset, seven days a week — she grows the food that keeps the continent alive.

60–80 % of Africa’s calories come from her hands.
Yet the land, the credit, and the recognition still belong to someone else.

Read her story →

To every mother of millet and miracles —
thank you.

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Hands holding African fruit

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African Gourmet FAQ

Archive Inquiries

Why "The African Gourmet" if you're an archive?

The name reflects our origin in 2006 as a culinary anthropology project. Over 18 years, we've evolved into a comprehensive digital archive preserving Africa's cultural narratives. "Gourmet" now signifies our curated approach to cultural preservation—each entry carefully selected and contextualized.

What distinguishes this archive from other cultural resources?

We maintain 18 years of continuous cultural documentation—a living timeline of African expression. Unlike static repositories, our archive connects historical traditions with contemporary developments, showing cultural evolution in real time.

How is content selected for the archive?

Our curation follows archival principles: significance, context, and enduring value. We preserve both foundational cultural elements and timely analyses, ensuring future generations understand Africa's complex cultural landscape.

What geographic scope does the archive cover?

The archive spans all 54 African nations, with particular attention to preserving underrepresented cultural narratives. Our mission is comprehensive cultural preservation across the entire continent.

Can researchers access the full archive?

Yes. As a digital archive, we're committed to accessibility. Our 18-year collection is fully searchable and organized for both public education and academic research.

How does this archive ensure cultural preservation?

Through consistent documentation since 2006, we've created an irreplaceable cultural record. Each entry is contextualized within broader African cultural frameworks, preserving not just content but meaning.