The African Gourmet: African Cuisine, Folktales and Cultural Stories

Juicy Sweet Berries in South Africa: Growing Guide & 2025 Updates The Koo Valley in South Africa’s Western Cape remains famous for its lush fruit orchards and scenic Rooihoogte Pass (R318) . It’s also home to a long tradition of berry farming. Meanwhile, the Eastern Cape Berry Corridor — led by farms around Amathole — continues its rise as a major blueberry hub , supplying both local markets and exports. Once predicted to be Africa’s largest blueberry region by 2020, it’s now an established powerhouse in 2025. Popular Berries Grown in South Africa Blueberry — Sweet, juicy, perfect fresh or in baked goods. Currants — Red, white, or purple; ideal for preserves and wines. Elderberry — Dark red to purple, great for syrups and wine. Gooseberry — Tart and green, loved for pies and jams. Grapes — Table and wine grapes thrive in South Africa’s climate. Huckleberry — Similar to blueberries; great for ja...

Recipe Gingered Green Tomatoes Yield: 6 servings Prep time: 5 minutes Total time: 10 minutes Gingered Green Tomatoes​ Recipe Green tomatoes are just unripe tomatoes if the taste is too tart simply mix with ripe tomatoes and brown sugar. Simple healthy recipe, just add all ingredients to a large bowl mix well and serve. Ingredients 10 green and red tomatoes halved 2 tablespoons diced red onions ½ teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon ground cloves ½ teaspoon ground allspice ½ teaspoon ground cayenne powder 1 tablespoon brown sugar Directions Add all ingredients to a large bowl mix well and serve. More economical easy lunch and dinner recipes to make right now so you never have to eat or prepare a boring meal again. Curried Tanzanian Coconut Okra Recipe Yedoro Stir Fried Ethiopian Chicken Dinner Senegalese Chicken Vermicelli ...

Baking Bread in Africa Baking Chapati Flatbread to Eesh Baladi is an art, the skill of bread baking throughout the African continent is a traditional talent filled with pride. Pounding grain in Benin 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. Chapati Flatbread to Eesh Baladi Baking Bread is Art in Africa. Each mixing method gives a different consistency. The method of combining the ingredients is determined to some extent by the ingredients themselves. The tools used, such as whisks and spoons also make a difference. The tools you use for the job have a great impact on what happens during mixing.  Examples of the type of mixing are Sifting, or putting materi...

Recipes are a type of storytelling handed down thru the generations. Share stories about your family  Homemade Cooking Heritage  Word-of-mouth is still customary in certain cultures, as this is the primary way recipes are passed down from one generation to the next. However, for the most part, the oral tradition of sharing beloved family recipes is becoming a lost art. Perhaps a loved one passed away before you learned what the ingredients and techniques were. Maybe the recipe was always there and taken for granted.  A loved one experimented long ago, perhaps failed at the recipe but, tried again, finally succeeded in creating a family recipe, and passed it down by word of mouth. However, after a generation or two, the recipe's origin becomes a mystery and a family legacy fades away. "Eating is a need, enjoying is an art." Handing Down History Thru Recipes Grandparents, parents and kids cooking together in t...

Eating with your hands African dining etiquette. Let's face it, hand food is fun, in Africa, they traditionally do not use knives or forks but before you get your hands dirty, there are some etiquette rules. Dining Etiquette How to eat with your hands​. Chic African Culture Well technically eating with your hands means eating with small pieces of bread. Eating food with your hands in today’s society is observed as being unsanitary, unclean, bad mannered and even gross. Today as we adopt more customs of the western world, it is common to see people using spoons, forks, and knives. Eating with your hand instead of using silverware is a skill that can be gratifying when done in the approved manner.  Etiquette should be observed when dining in any culture that eating with your hand is a tradition. The hands must be thoroughly washed; hands are washed before and after eating. Typically you eat with your right hand since bodily functions are taken care of with your left hand. The...

Gratitude & Kindness: African Proverbs and a Folktale Home › African Proverbs › Gratitude & Kindness Gratitude & Kindness: African Proverbs and a Folktale Saying “thank you” strengthens community. These African proverbs and a short folktale show why gratitude is practical wisdom. The African Gourmet is dedicated to sharing the richness of African cuisine, art, and everyday wisdom. Thank you for supporting this work. “A thankful heart is a magnet for miracles, attracting blessings from unseen realms.” — African Proverb Explore quick context on gratitude, then enjoy a folktale that teaches why saying “thank you” matters. For more cultural sayings, see African proverbs on wisdom and respect and si...

African Folktale Story of Lightning and Thunder. In the olden days thunder and lightning lived on the earth amongst all the other people, but the king made them live at the far end of the town, as far as possible from other people's houses. African folktales are a cherished African oral storytelling tradition. The thunder was an old mother sheep, and the lightning was her son, a ram. Whenever the ram got angry he used to go about and burn houses and knock down trees; he even did damage on the farms, and sometimes killed people.  Whenever the lightning did these things, his mother used to call out to him in a very loud voice to stop and not to do any more damage; but the lightning did not care in the least for what his mother said, and when he was in a bad temper used to do a very large amount of damage. At last the people could not stand it any longer, and complained to the king. So the king made a special order that the sheep (Thunder) and her son, the ram (Lightning), shoul...