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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.

Christmas & New Year in Africa

Christmas & New Year Across Africa

Holiday traditions, recipes, and celebrations

Christmas across Africa

Merry Christmas in African Languages

Traditions
Krampus dessert

Krampus's Favorite African Dessert

Recipes
New Year fireworks in Africa

How Africa Celebrates New Year

Celebrations
Black eyed pea casserole

New Year's Black Eyed Pea Casserole

Luck & Prosperity

FOOD PROVERBS

African Food Proverbs

Culinary wisdom passed down through generations

African food sayings and proverb

Best Ten African Food Sayings & Proverbs

Culinary Wisdom
Meat stew representing animal wisdom

Honoring Animal: African Wisdom of Thankfulness

Gratitude
Diverse hands placing food on shared table

Bring Something to the Table

Community
Lemon varieties representing spice of life

6 African Proverbs That Will Spice Up Your Cooking

Transformation

Destination Togo Africa Where One Family Has Ruled For 50 Years

Explore More Content

📁 African facts

Popular in This Category

About Togo Africa

French Togoland became Togo in 1960, Togo, officially the Togolese Republic is a tiny West African country next to Ghana, Benin, and Burkina Faso.

Seamstresses at work at Djamina Couture in Lome Togo

Togo where the same family has been in power for five decades.

Togo name derived from the Ewe words - to (water) and go - (shore); originally the name applied to the town of Togo, now Togoville, but the name was eventually extended to the entire country.

Destination Togo Africa

Togo’s landscape is diverse, with five environmental zones: mountains, Savannah, rainforest and coastal areas.

Togo Capital - Lome

Togo Area - 56,785 sq km or 35,284 sq miles

Togo Total Population - 6.8 Million

Togo Rural Population - 62%

Togo Gross National Income (GNI) Per Capita - US $500 per household a year

Togo’s landscape is diverse, with five environmental zones: mountains, Savannah, rainforest and coastal areas. Togo is one of the smallest countries in Africa with more than one million people living in Lomé, its capital city.

With more than 6 million residents, for the most part, live in rural areas. Voodoo worshipers from the Guen tribe worship at the annual Epe Ekpe festival in Togo.

For one week each year in September the small town of Glidji located in the Southernmost region of Togo, hundreds of voodoo or vodun worshipers make a pilgrimage to the sacred village.

In 1884 the German protectorate of Togoland was established. Togo was occupied since the 1700s by the Danish, Germans, British and French received independence in 1960 with Sylvanus Olympio elected as the first president.

Togo is an agriculturally based society. Commercial crops include coffee, cocoa, and cotton. Mined resources include phosphates, diamonds, and gold; phosphate mining is the largest non-agricultural industry. The United States imports cocoa and coffee from Togo.

Togo Flag

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Togo's flag

Five equal horizontal bands of green alternating with yellow; a white five-pointed star on a red square is in the upper hoist-side corner; the five horizontal stripes stand for the five different regions of the country; the red square is meant to express the loyalty and patriotism of the people; green symbolizes hope, fertility, and agriculture; yellow represents mineral wealth and faith that hard work and strength will bring prosperity; the star symbolizes life, purity, peace, and dignity.

Did you know? Togo is among the world's largest producers of phosphate; the most important use of phosphate is in the production of phosphate fertilizers for agriculture use.


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For 19 years, The African Gourmet has preserved Africa's stories is currently selected for expert consideration by the Library of Congress Web Archives, the world's premier guardian of cultural heritage.

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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.

Working Hands of Africa

The labor and love that feeds a continent

Hands holding African fruit

African Culture & Traditions

Harvest & Heritage
Hands preparing fufu

How Fufu Explains Politics

Food & Power
Farming hands in Africa

Slow Food Disappearance

Farming & Tradition
Hands with plantains

The Universal Plantain

Cooking & Community

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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.