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Chic African Culture Blog

Did you know?

1. No African country names begin with the letters F, H, I, J, O, P, Q, V, W, X, or Y.

2. Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent.

3. African tech startups raise billions of dollars annually, seven African start-ups were included in the World Economic Forum 2021 cohort of 100 Technology Pioneers.

African Culture is World Heritage

Appreciate Africa through African art, food, proverb sayings, folklore, biographies, spirituality and African living history.

Stewing and Baking African Food Recipes

Learn about stewing and baking African recipes.


Stewing means food that is cooked by simmering or boiling very slowly. Different kinds of vegetables and meats are added to a pot. 

Cooking methods such as stewing may stem from African cooking traditions. Stewing involves making food that requires long-simmering periods of vegetables and sometimes meat. 

Africans stewed vegetables by laying thick slices of salty meat on top. Stewing is suitable for the least tender cuts of meat that become tender and juicy with the slow moist heat method. 

Frying is not ingenious to African cooking, Native Americans taught frying techniques to the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806. 


Stewing food on a wooden stove in Southern Africa.
Stewing food on a wooden stove


Spicy Ostrich Stew Recipe

South Africa
Yield 6-8 servings 

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic crushed
2 cups peeled yam cut into 1 ″ cubes
3 cups fresh green beans
1 ½ pounds cleaned ostrich
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 medium onion, sliced
2 teaspoons coriander
2 tablespoons red pepper flake
2 cups beef stock
1 cup whole stewed tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
In a large pot on medium heat, add oil then sauté garlic one minute. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer covered for 30 minutes. Serve warm.


Baking is the technique of prolonged cooking of food such as breads and meats by dry heat usually in an oven.
Baking bread

Baking is the technique of prolonged cooking of food such as breads and meats by dry heat usually in an oven. Baking is an art, the skill of bread baking throughout the African continent is a traditional talent filled with pride. 

From Kenyan Chapati flatbread to Egyptian Eesh Baladi the most delicious breads begin with proper ingredients and mixing. 

The method of mixing is important when several ingredients are combined when making dough for African breads and fritters. Mixing is a universal term that includes stirring, beating, blending, sifting, creaming, cutting in and folding. 


Eesh Baladi Egyptian Bread 

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour or all-purpose
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup of warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F. Stir warm water, honey, and yeast in a large bowl let stand about 5 minutes. Add flour and salt dough sound is slightly sticky when you are done mixing. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand. You can also use a mixer with a hook attachment. Roll dough into small balls then flatten. Cover with a cloth let rise in a warm place about 2 hours. Place dough on a light colored lightly greased baking pan and bake until golden about 20 minutes. 


More easy breakfast, 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. Ethiopian Scrambled Egg Breakfast
  3. Senegalese Chicken Vermicelli
  4. Chadian Steamed Honey Cassava Buns
  5. Nigerian Breakfast Fried Akara and Ogi

Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

Africa is surrounded by water but is not an island, here are a few African Island facts.

Madagascar is the 4th large island in the world and is located in the Indian Ocean supporting a unique biology, about 90% of its plants and animals are found nowhere else on earth.

Composed of 155 islands, Seychelles is Africa's smallest country. By far the largest island is Mahe, home to about 90% of the population and the site of its capital city of Victoria.

Cabo Verde has a strategic location 310 miles or 500 km from the west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site.

Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent. Continents can not be considered islands because of their size and also by historic definition since many people who study geography define islands and continents as two different things.

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Chadian Steamed Honey Cassava Buns African Recipes by African Gourmet   Chadian steamed honey cassava bun recipe has as many variations as to the fillings and the preparations. Our recipe offers a tasty filling of sweet honey to compliment the delicate soft steamed buns. Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 25 min Total time: 35 min Ingredients 2 cups cassava flour ½ cup water ¼ cup honey ½ teaspoon salt Honey for drizzling Directions Mix together cassava flour, water and salt. Knead until dough is formed then divide into 10 equal balls. Using your thumb make a deep indication in the center of each ball, fill with honey and smooth the dough back over the filling. Place squares of parchment paper under each ball so the dough does not stick to the steamer, steam in a bamboo steamer for 25 minutes. Drizzle with honey and serve warm as a snack, appetizer or with meals. [Read: Largest Ethnic Groups Of Chad Africa .] Chad Food Recipes
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Major Pierre Claver Karangwa, one of the executioners of the 100 day long Rwandan Genocide lived in the Netherlands for 26 years before his arrest​. Rwanda is the most densely populated country in mainland Africa with a population of 13 million living on 10,169 square miles of land; Rwanda is about the size of the US state of Maryland. The population is divided among ethnic lines with Hutu 85 percent, Tutsi 14 percent, and Twa 1 percent.  Major Pierre Claver Karangwa In 1959, three years before independence, the majority ethnic group, the Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the next several years thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some 150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children of these exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front and began a civil war in 1990. The mass killing of Rwanda’s Tutsi population was ignited on April 6, 1994, when a plane carrying the-then president, Juvénal Habyarimana, was shot down and crashed in Kigali, t
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African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

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Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet are dedicated to discovering, collecting and sharing African history and heritage celebrating 14 years of service in 2021. Share and support in the pride of being part of an important cultural and educational resource.


Being African in America I have grown up learning about different ethnic cultures. My father and mother are historians of African culture and history and their influence expanded my activities to several best-selling cookbooks, magazine columns, self-branded products, and a popular African culture and food blog.

Chic African Culture

Be better than average and support African history and culture. Since 2008 Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet highlight Africa through her food and culture. Contact us culture1africangourmet@gmail.com

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