Indulge in the deliciousness of homemade North African Baklava, filled with a delightful blend of walnuts, honey, and orange blossom water. Treat yourself to a delectable dessert made with this sweet delicacy.

For this North African baklava recipe, please make sure the phyllo pastry is thawed before you begin the recipe. The culture and food of North Africa would not be complete without including Baklava. North African Baklava is a rich, sweet dessert pastry made of layers of light, airy filo dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with honey.

I recently made some delicious North African Baklava at home. It's made with layers of delicate phyllo pastry and filled with a sweet mixture of walnuts, honey, and orange blossom water.

Ingredients

One 16-ounce package of phyllo dough

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups chopped walnuts

1 cup melted butter

Baklava Syrup 

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

½ cup orange blossom honey

¼ teaspoon orange blossom water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Mix cinnamon and walnuts in a medium bowl and set aside. Unroll phyllo cut into two equal halves.

Cover phyllo with a slightly moist cloth while assembling to keep it from drying out. Place 2 sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the prepared dish, brush liberally with butter, and sprinkle 3 tablespoons of cinnamon and walnut mixture on top. Repeat layers. Cut the baklava into desired serving sizes and bake for 45-50 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Finally, when the baklava is removed from the oven, immediately evenly pour syrup over the finished pastry. Allow cooling before serving. Store uncovered.

Baklava

Uncovering Africa's Lost Recipes: A Journey Back to Pre-Colonial Flavors

Uncovering Africa's Lost Recipes: A Journey Back to Pre-Colonial Flavors

Rediscovering the original African pantry that existed before the Columbian Exchange

Exploring the roots of African culinary heritage

We often think of "traditional" African food as a fixed, timeless picture. Dishes like Ugali, Fufu, and Jollof Rice feel like they've been on our tables forever. But what if we told you that some of the most iconic staples have a surprisingly recent history—and that an even older, "original" African cuisine lies waiting to be rediscovered?

This isn't about discarding the traditions we love. It's about digging deeper into our culinary heritage to understand the fascinating story of how colonization reshaped the African plate—and how we can reconnect with what was there before.

The plot twist in your bowl: Many traditional African ingredients are actually colonial imports that arrived after the 15th century.

The Plot Twist in Your Bowl: Maize is a Newcomer

Let's take one of East Africa's most important crops: maize (corn). For generations, it has been a lifeline in Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda. But when you cook with corn, you're tasting a chapter of history that began in the 16th century. Maize was a colonial import from the Americas.

This leads to a provocative question: if so many of our "traditional" foods are built on colonial ingredients, what did our ancestors truly eat before the Columbian Exchange?

The answer unlocks a forgotten pantry.

The Original African Pantry: Ingredients Lost to Time

An "original" African recipe is one based on ingredients native to or established on the continent before the 15th century. This pre-colonial pantry was rich, diverse, and entirely self-sufficient:

• Grains: Sorghum, Millet, Teff, Fonio, African Rice
• Roots & Tubers: Yams, Enset (the "false banana")
• Vegetables: Okra, Cowpeas (black-eyed peas), Bitter Leaf, Amaranth
• Fruits: Watermelon, Tamarind, Baobab
• Proteins: Fish, wild game, insects

Notice what's missing? Corn, cassava, tomatoes, chili peppers, and peanuts—all of which traveled from the Americas and, over centuries, became central to African cooking.

The mortar and pestle - one of Africa's oldest kitchen tools

Reimagining a Classic: The Pre-Colonial Fufu

Let's take a concept we all know—Fufu—and reimagine it through a pre-colonial lens.

Modern Fufu is often made from cassava or plantains (both American crops). A truly original Fufu would have been based on pounded yams or sorghum.

A "Pre-Colonial" Recipe Concept: Savory Sorghum & Okra Stew with Yam

This isn't just a meal; it's a taste of history. Imagine a hearty stew where pounded sorghum grain creates a thick, nutty base. Simmered with okra for its signature sliminess and bitter leaf for complex depth, it's finished with chunks of soft yam. The flavor profile wouldn't rely on tomatoes or chili peppers but on native spices like grains of paradise and melegueta pepper—creating a flavor that is earthy, complex, and entirely distinct from the stews we know today.

Why This Matters Now: Reclamation, Not Replacement

Exploring these pre-colonial recipes isn't about creating a purity test for "authenticity." Dishes like Ugali and modern Fufu are absolutely authentic to the resilient, adaptive cultures that created them over the last 400 years.

Instead, this is about reclamation. It's for the Gen Z foodies and history buffs seeking the deepest roots. It's for anyone who wants to understand not just how to cook a dish, but why it exists in its current form.

By rediscovering these lost ingredients, we add another layer to our rich culinary story. We honor the ingenuity of our earliest ancestors while celebrating the resilience of those who transformed new ingredients into new traditions.

So, the next time you make Fufu, remember: you're holding a story of adaptation in your hands. And now, you also know the story of the flavors that came first.

Continue exploring Africa's culinary heritage at The African Gourmet

Tanzanian curried coconut okra recipe is a simple African food recipe to make for a vegetarian weeknight dinner. Tanzanian curried coconut okra recipe is the favorite of Tanzania.

Continue your food journey:

• African cooking traditions
• Wisdom through food proverbs

Curried Tanzanian Coconut Okra Recipe

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh okra

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons good-quality curry powder

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 onion, chopped finely

2 tablespoons of butter

1/2 teaspoon paprika

2 cups of coconut milk

Directions

In a large saucepan brown over medium, heat the butter, curry, onions, garlic, and paprika. Cut the tips off the okra pods. Add okra and remaining ingredients to the saucepan cover tightly, and simmer 15 minutes. Serve over white rice. 

How to choose good okra.

Hibiscus esculentus or okra is of African origin originating from Ethiopia. Okra grows wild along the White Nile and the upper Nile country as well as in Ethiopia. Begin with good-quality fresh okra suitable for canning. The way to choose good okra is by inspecting the okra pod if it is soft, squishy, and brownish skip this one and choose another.

 

What is okra.

Okra is a vegetable, a good source of minerals, vitamins, and fiber. It contains a distinctive gooey liquid used to naturally thicken sauces. The taste is mild, but it has a unique texture with peach-like fuzz on the outside and small, edible seeds on the inside of the pod. Okra is a slightly bushy plant, a common vegetable in many tropical countries. The main food part is the immature seed pod, but the mature seeds can also be eaten.

How do you cook okra?

Young okra seed pods are eaten steamed or boiled, as a vegetable or in stews and curries. Seeds from mature pods must be cooked to make them safe to eat, and then pounded into a paste rich in protein. Use okra leaves to flavor stews and soup. 

The fruit and leaves can be put into stews and soup. Okra can be fried using cornmeal, eggs, fresh okra and spices fried in vegetable oil until golden brown. Okra and tomatoes are in season at the same time and the acidity in tomatoes counteracts the sliminess of okra. 

Gumbo is a famous New Orleans dish using okra as the main ingredient. Just remember, when preparing, remember that the more it is cut, the slimier it will become.

Are there different varieties of okra?

Okra is also called bhindi, gumbo and lady's finger. Some of its cousins are also food: the cassava-like leaves of a West African variety (A. manihot), the aromatic seeds of another East African variety (A. moschatus), and the succulent fruit and sour leaves of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa). 

Popular okra varieties in the United States are the Clemson variety dark green with angular pods. This okra takes less than two months to mature. Emerald type is dark green, with smooth round pods. Lee is a spineless type known by its deep bright green, very straight angular pods. 

Annie Oakley is a hybrid, spineless kind of okra with bright green, angular pods. It takes less than two months from seeding to maturity. Chinese okra is dark green in color and reaches 10 to 13 inches in length. These extra-long okra pods are sometimes called ladyfingers. Purple okra a rare variety you may see at peak times. They are all grown in the same way.

Are okra and cotton plants related?

Yes, they are, as a member of the Malvaceae or Mallow family, okra is related to cotton, cocoa, and hibiscus plants. Other related plants are the marshmallow, African-queen, fan leaf, wild hollyhock, checkerbloom, and wissadula.

Selling vegetables in Zambia on market day

Stewed African okra stew is made with peanut butter, tomatoes, corn and spices to create a flavorful filling stew.

Peanut Butter Okra Stew Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups of fresh or frozen okra

3 ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 cup canned whole kernel corn

1 medium onion, chopped

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons palm oil

½ teaspoon red pepper flake

1 tablespoon peanut butter

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 cups vegetable broth or water

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, sauté palm oil and onions until the onions become translucent, about 2 minutes. Add green onions and mix well. Add tomatoes and dry seasonings. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add okra, corn, peanut butter and broth, cover and simmer on low for about 20 minutes. Serve over rice or as a side dish.

Pickled Okra Recipe

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh whole okra pods

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

4 dried red chile peppers

4 teaspoons dried dill

2 cups of water

1 cup white vinegar

¼ cup pickling salt

1 tablespoon white sugar

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water, vinegar, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil. Divide the fresh okra evenly between 4 sterile one-pint jars. Evenly place mustard seeds, dried chile, and dill into each jar.  Pour liquid mixture into filled jars leaving ¼ inch room from the top of the jar to the liquid, this is your headspace. Tightly close each jar. In a large pot filled with boiling water, add jars making sure they do not touch and seal in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.  Remove jars with tongs from the water and place on the counter to cool 12-24 hours. Let jars sit at room temperature 7-10 days before eating. Proper heat processing destroys the botulism bacterium check jars before opening for any signs of spoilage. Refrigerate jars after opening.

Continue exploring Africa's culinary heritage at The African Gourmet

The Story Behind This Dish

This isn't just a recipe—it's a piece of living history. Discover the cultural significance and sensory story of this dish in our Preservation Manual.

Make your own African Indian curry spice, there are more exciting spices in your food life than just salt and pepper. Make your own curry spices to sell or use at home.

South African Indian Fiery Curry Powder Recipe

Curry comes from the Tamil word kari, or spiced sauce, which was originally a thin, soup-like, spiced dressing served in South Africa where many Indians live and work.

 

 

The discovery of curry was dated between 2500BC and 2200BC, making this the earliest recorded use of either spice to be identified in India.

Curry may be the oldest continuously prepared cuisine known in human history

Yields 4 ounce jar African spice Total time from start to finish 10 minutes

 

South African Indian Fiery Curry Powder Recipe

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 tablespoon red pepper flake

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:

Mix all ingredients well and store in airtight container away from light and heat. 

 

Did you know? Known as the Spice Island, food in Africa's Zanzibar is an attraction to the culinary world. Also, The Grain Coast, Malaguetta Coast or Pepper Coast is the former name of a part of the Atlantic coast that is roughly identical with the coast of modern Liberia.

More economical easy lunch and dinner recipes to make right now so you never have to eat or prepare a boring meal again.

1. Curried Tanzanian Coconut Okra Recipe
2. Yedoro Stir Fried Ethiopian Chicken Dinner
3. Senegalese Chicken Vermicelli
4. Caldo Verde Portuguese Kale Soup
5. Air Fryer Black Eyed Pea Dumpling Stew

Ghana car company Kantanka Cars and Trucks are made in Africa by Africans. Kantanka car manufacturing company is Ghana's first carmaker. 

Founder of Kantanka Automobile Company and the Kantanka Group is Apostle Dr. Ing. Kwadwo Safo Kantanka. He is also the founder of the Christ Reformed Church and known as the Star of Africa, which is the same emblem, used on the hood of his Kantanka car line.

Ghana's Kantanka Omama Luxury Pickup

Kantanka Automobile is a Ghanaian-based car manufacturing company that was founded by Apostle Dr. Ing. Kwadwo Safo Kantanka in 1998. Kantanka Was established in 1994, and became a limited liability company in 2004. Before he started the car manufacturing business, Apostle Safo was known for his expertise in the field of electrical engineering, and he made a name for himself by inventing various technological innovations in Ghana. 

In 1998, Apostle Safo ventured into the automotive industry by assembling his first car, the Kantanka Saloon. He used his engineering skills to design and manufacture the car using local materials and labor. The car was well received by Ghanaians, and it led to the establishment of the Kantanka Automobile Company. 

Today, Kantanka Automobile is a leading car manufacturing company in Ghana, producing a range of cars that includes SUVs, pickup trucks, sedans and hatchback cars. The company employs over 300 workers, several showrooms and service centers across the country.  

The cars manufactured by Kantanka Automobile are designed to meet the needs and preferences of Ghanaians and other Africans. The company uses locally sourced materials and labor to manufacture its cars, which helps to support the local economy. The manufacturing process involves a combination of traditional and modern methods, with much of the work done by hand. 

The cars are assembled at the company's manufacturing plant in Gomoa Mpota, which is located in the Central Region of Ghana. The company has grown to become a leading car manufacturer in Ghana, and it continues to expand its operations to other African countries.

Note

As of April 2023 Kantanka Automobile has shipped cars to Norway but not to the United States or any other country outside of the continent of Africa we will keep you posted.

Yeomsotang vs. Nigerian Goat Soup: A Deep Cultural Comparison

Goat meat connects kitchens from Africa to East Asia. Two beloved dishes—Korean Yeomsotang and Nigerian goat pepper soup—show how different cultures transform the same animal into profound food traditions. This comparison explores where each dish thrives, how it is eaten, and what these culinary pathways reveal about identity, trade, and home cooking.

Explore more African food culture & recipes.

What Is Yeomsotang?

Yeomsotang (염소탕) is a traditional Korean soup made from goat meat, seasoned with garlic, ginger, doenjang (fermented soybean paste), scallions, and sometimes chili. It is especially associated with rural and mountainous regions, including parts of Gangwon Province and Jeju Island. While many Koreans think of beef or pork first, goat has long been eaten for strength, stamina, and postpartum recovery.

Is Yeomsotang Homemade, Restaurant Food, or Street Food?

Yeomsotang is traditionally restaurant-based. Specialized shops prepare goat, butcher it on-site, and simmer the broth for hours. It is not commonly sold as street food, and although it can be made at home, most families go to restaurants for it—just as Koreans do for dishes like samgyetang or seollongtang.

Nigerian Goat Soup

Nigeria’s goat soups—especially goat pepper soup—are famous for their bold heat, scented spices, and communal meaning. Spice blends may include calabash nutmeg, scent leaf, chili, and grains of Selim. The result: hot, aromatic broth served during celebrations, illness recovery, or casual family evenings.

Is Goat Pepper Soup Homemade, Street Food, or Restaurant Food?

In Nigeria, goat pepper soup is all three:

• Street food at night markets
• Restaurant food in bars and lounges
• Homemade during family gatherings

Its flexibility reflects the portability of goat meat and the simplicity of simmered broth seasoned with spices.

Flavor + Ingredient Comparison

	Yeomsotang (Korea)	Nigerian Pepper Soup
Flavor Base	Doenjang, garlic, ginger	Calabash nutmeg, chili, grains of Selim
Heat	Mild to moderate	Spicy-hot
Setting	Restaurant specialty	Street, home, restaurants
Texture	Light broth, herbal	Brothy, warming, bold
Cultural Use	Healing / stamina	Ceremony, comfort, celebration

Why Are Goat Soups Important?

Goat meat is deeply symbolic from Dakar to Busan. In both settings, goat is linked to health, energy, and rural memory. These soups highlight how shared ingredients become culturally distinct recipes.

More Related Reading

1. Chadian Steamed Honey Cassava Buns
2. Korean vs. African Cuisine: A Surprising Culinary Comparison
3. Korean and African Fusion Food

Visit the Goat Meat Hub to explore more goat dishes across Africa.

Explore More African Culture

African Folktales • African History • African Cuisine

Love and African Food

Tatale fried plantains are golden crispy fried deliciousness and is a favorite street food of Ghana Africa.

Plantain is a staple food throughout Africa that is eaten when green or unripe, yellow or ripe and yellowish brown or over ripe. Ghanian Tatale are made from overripe plantains.

Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

3-24-2009

When mashed and fried into crisp savory fritters called Tatale, it is tasty proof that there are so many ways to cook plantains.

By Chic African Culture
African food recipe

Plantains are popular and plentiful in Ghana as they are one of the top producer in West Africa. All you need is seven ingredients, oil for frying and 5 minutes to make the ultimate crispy Tatale fried plantains.

Tatale Fried Plantain Recipe

Serves 4
African food
Total time from start to finish 30 minutes

Fried Plantain Recipe

Ingredients:   

2 ripe yellow plantains

1 large egg

1/2 cup flour   

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 chopped hot pepper

Oil for frying

Directions:

In a large frying pan, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Peel and mash plantains until it resembles a thick paste. Add remaining ingredients. Drop by teaspoonfuls into hot oil, fry until golden brown, about 1 ½ -2 minutes on each side. Remove fritter from oil and drain on a paper towel.

Countries in Africa are unlike any other.

Africa rests on both sides of the equator the range of climate and soil conditions on the continent Africa has created a diverse continent which any map of Africa cannot sufficiently document.

Listing of 54 countries and 5 regions in Africa

The five regions in Africa are; North Africa, South Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa.

Africa’s geography is as diverse as its food from the Sahara and Kalahari deserts, tropical regions, subarctic snow-capped volcanic Mount Kilimanjaro, to savannas, plains, and rain forests.

The range of climate and soil conditions in Africa has created a diversity of vegetables, fruits, wild and domesticated animals. Africa rests on both sides of the equator and is the only continent to extend from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones.

The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Liberia is Africa's oldest Republic since July 1847 and in July 2012; South Sudan became the newest African Republic.

 

List of African Regions and Countries.

Eastern Africa

Burundi

Comoros

Djibouti

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Kenya

Madagascar

Malawi

Mauritius

Mozambique

Rwanda

Seychelles

Somalia

Uganda

Tanzania

Zambia

Zimbabwe

 

Central Africa

Angola

Cameroon

Central African Republic

Chad

Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Equatorial Guinea Gabon

Sao Tome and Principe

 

Northern Africa

Algeria

Egypt

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (Libya)

Morocco

Sudan

South Sudan

Tunisia

 

Southern Africa

Botswana

Lesotho

Namibia

South Africa

Swaziland

 

Western Africa

Benin

Burkina Faso

Republic of Cabo Verde

Cote d'Ivoire

The Gambia

Ghana

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Liberia

Mali

Mauritania

Niger

Nigeria

Senegal

Sierra Leone

Togo

 

Did you know?

Liberia is Africa's oldest Republic and South Sudan is the newest. A Republic is a country that is governed by elected leaders rather than by a king or queen.

Head Shaving Ceremony in East Africa

Maasai People Time Honored Traditions.

Learn about African Maasai Emanyatta Head Shaving Ceremony.

Maasai Words of Wisdom.

It takes one day to destroy a house; to build a new house will take months and perhaps years. If we abandon our way of life to construct a new one, it will take thousands of years. - Maasai People Proverb.

Head Shaving Ceremony in Africa like many other Maasai cultural customs, the traditional ending ceremony of the emanyatta warrior's camp head shaving is disappearing because of the controversy of circumcision, which is very painful yet deeply rooted in Maasai culture.

Maasai men.

Maasai Emanyatta Ceremony African Tradition and Ritual.

After circumcision, the next step is to form the Emanyatta or warrior's camp. Emanyatta contains twenty to forty houses randomly selected by warriors. Warriors will choose certain mothers to relocate at the emanyatta for the duration of its existence. Each Maasai section has its own age-set. The two most common camps are Ilaiserr and Irmolelian or clans; however, it is common for a section to have more than two emanyatta camps.

At the climax of the Emanyatta ceremony, each Maasai Warrior initiate has his hair shaved by his mother. At the climax of the Emanyatta ceremony, each Maasai Warrior initiate has his hair shaved by his mother. This is one of the most poignant moments of his life, as he now leaves the peak period of warrior-hood behind and prepares for the responsibilities of adulthood.

With their heads newly shaved and their bodies rubbed with glistening red ocher, the initiates gather to receive the final blessings of the elders. The elders walk among them, chanting prayers and spraying them with mouthfuls of milk and honey beer. A typical blessing is “May Enkai give you many children, many cattle and a long healthy life.”

Did you know? Enkipaata, Emuratta, Eunoto, Eokoto e-kule, Enkang oo-nkiri, Olngesherr, are the most popular rite of passages and ceremonies in the Maasai society.