Moroccan Amalou Almond Butter Spread with Argan Oil Recipe

Argan oil is used much like olive oil, for cooking, beauty products, and medicines. You can buy cooking argan oil from specialty food stores to create Moroccan Amalou Almond Butter Spread.

Moroccan Amalou Almond Butter Spread with Argan Oil

 

Buy cooking argan oil from specialty food stores to create Moroccan Amalou Almond Butter Spread.

Prep time: 15 min Cook time: 0 min Total time: 15 min

Moroccan Amalou Almond Butter Spread with Argan Oil Recipe

Ingredients

¼ cup crushed unsalted almonds
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoon argan oil

Directions

Mix all ingredients well and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Use like peanut butter on bread, crackers, celery, apples, smoothies, soups and stews and any other food you can think.

African Diaspora Marketplace Business Plan Competition

African Diaspora Marketplace Business Plan Competition 

The first African Diaspora Marketplace Business Plan Competition in 2009 received 733 business proposals. For information about previous African Diaspora Marketplace Competitions for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 visit the Diaspora Marketplace
 

Established in 2009 by The U​.S. Agency for International Development and Western Union, African Diaspora Marketplace (ADM) aims to encourage sustainable economic growth and employment by supporting African diaspora entrepreneurs. 


ADM entrepreneurs are individuals with demonstrable connections to or experience in Africa, and who have innovative and high-impact startups or established businesses on the
continent.

Details on the African Diaspora Marketplace III Business Plan Competition Launch

USAID and Western Union Announce Official Launch of the African Diaspora Marketplace III Business Plan Competition | U.S. Agency for International Development

Good Luck!

Do not insult a crocodile while your foot is still in the water

Do not insult a crocodile while your foot is still in the water is an African Proverb. African proverbs express the timeless wisdom of African people.

Do not insult a crocodile while your foot is still in the water 

More wise sayings on learning when to speak and when to stay silent

“A hog that has wallowed in the mud seeks a clean person to rub against”

“Boasting is not courage”

“It is easy to cut to pieces a dead elephant”

“Even silence speaks”

“He who has done something in secret, and sees people talking together, thinks they are talking of his action”

“A man with a cough can never conceal himself”

“Swallow your pride occasionally, it's non-fattening”

“Be mindful of humility: the gale that breaks the pine does not bruise the violet.”

South African Umfino Healthy African-Food in 30-minutes. Umfino is a mixture of maize meal (cornmeal) and vegetables cooked in one pot. Umfino is a time-honored traditional meal that's inexpensive and easy to make.

Umfino Vegetarian African Meal

African recipes by African Gourmet

Umfino is a delicious time-honored traditional meal of maize meal, cabbage, spinach and onions cooked in one pot. Umfino is an African recipe that's inexpensive and easy to make.

Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 30 min Total time: 50 min

One-Pot Vegetarian Meal

Ingredients

1 medium shredded red cabbage

4 handfuls of spinach

2 chopped spring onions

3 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup brown rice

1 cup cornmeal

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large saucepan add vegetables, butter, and broth, cook for 10 minutes. Add corn meal and rice stir well cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, the dish will be thick add broth if necessary. Serve warm.

When a man is stung by a bee he does not destroy all beehives

Ujima African Proverb

The meaning of the proverb is just because one set of people may have caused harm or unhappiness in your life that does not mean everyone will hurt you. You have a choice every day to either focus on what separates or focus on what holds together. Everything and everyone you hate is written across your heart, in the end, you are causing more pain to yourself than the people you despise.

A crab walks so walks his children. - African Proverb from Liberia

Being a force for good, Ujima, in someone's life can help build a lasting community bond. When you help others, you give off positive vibes, which can rub off on your peers and improve your friendships, according to a study by the National Institutes of Health.

Both parties will contribute to maintaining a mutually beneficial dynamic. Whether with a large group of people in a volunteer organization, or just between two friends exchanging words of advice, helping people creates a feeling of community. 

“Face-to-face activities such as volunteering at a drop-in center can help reduce loneliness and isolation,” according to the Mental Health Foundation. Kindness is contagious, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Cambridge and University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom.

“When we see someone else help another person it gives us a good feeling,” the study states, “Which in turn, causes us to go out and do something altruistic ourselves.”

How do you pronounce Ujima?

Ujima is a Swahili healing word pronounced OOO-G-MA. Ujima is collective work and responsibility; to build and maintain our community, while working with others to solve our problems.

Southwestern Morocco Making Argan Oil

Argan oil is used for cooking, making beauty products, and medicines throughout Africa's Morocco and the world. 

The multipurpose argan tree is a very common tree native to southwestern Morocco. The trunk and branches of the tree are used for firewood, the leaves used to create medicine but the almond-sized fruits are the star of the show. The tree is prized for its fruits that contain kernels which are processed for their much-beloved oil.

Argan oil is used much like olive oil, for cooking, beauty products, and medicines. Argan oil extraction is a difficult, time-consuming, and labor-intensive process. Berber women manually harvest the fruit between June and August, which are the hottest season in Morocco. Once the fruit is gathered it is left in the sun to dry for a few weeks. The Argan fruit covering dries out turning a brownish coffee color and the covering is now easy to remove extracting the prized oval shape seed.

Argania spinosa is the scientific name for the evergreen argan tree grown for its almond-shaped fruits that contain the highly esteemed seeds which contain the valued argan oil. In the past argan fruits were fed to goats, the nut recovered from the animal dung and the oil extracted from the seeds. However, presently in many areas, the argan fruit is gathered manually and the oil from the nut extracted by hand machines.

Did you know
Goats love to climb the argan tree to eat the argan fruits



Roti is a flatbread many South Africans consider a staple food. Roti is similar to a Spanish flour tortilla and eaten in a similar way. Recipes for appetizers, snacks, entrees, and even desserts all start with a roti. Making homemade roti is the perfect time to use your infused oils and add that extra African flair to your meal.

South African Pumpkin Roti Flatbread

Ingredients

1 cup canned mash pumpkin

2 ½ cups Durum wheat flour (you can use regular wheat flour or all-purpose the texture will be different)

Pinch of salt

Directions

Mix flour and salt then add pumpkin to make dough by hand. Add water or more flour depending on the dough’s consistency. The dough should feel slightly sticky to the touch but not stick to your hands. Knead the dough and roll it into small balls of equal sizes. On medium heat add one tablespoon of oil to a large frying pan or griddle. Roll out the dough into round shapes using rolling pin. Place rolled dough into the hot pan. Cook until lightly brown and flip to lightly brown the other side. Remove from heat and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Add more oil to the pan as needed.

Akotonshi Ghanaian Stuffed Crabs

Stuffed Crabs recipe

boil your own crabs for this recipe simply remove the large shell, clean and stuff.

Ghanaian cuisine has diverse traditional dishes one of which is Akotonshi or Ghanaian Stuffed Crabs.

Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

9-6-2017

You can make your own little “imitation” crab shells by forgoing the crab shells using large hollowed out red tomato, a large red grilled bell pepper or use an attractive red baking dish.

Akotonshi Ghanaian Stuffed Crabs

African recipes by African Gourmet

Ghanaian cuisine has diverse traditional dishes one of which is Akotonshi or Ghanaian Stuffed Crabs. 

Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 5 min Total time: 25 min
 

Ingredients

2 cups crab meat or imitation crab meat

24 small fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined  

2 medium size ripe tomatoes, finely chopped

2 bunches of green onions, chopped 

3 cups tomato puree

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon onion power

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 sprig rosemary, chopped

8 crab shells or 12 hollowed baked out tomatoes

Directions

Add all ingredients into a large pot just long enough to cook shrimp about 3-5 minutes. Spoon mixture into clean crab shells or baked tomatoes, garnish with green onions.



Did you know…?

You can stuff a hot chili pepper with the crab mixture for your chili-head friend who loves ghost peppers.

Papaya relish, Papaya recipe

Making tropical pawpaw papaya relish unique recipe using a fruit with a sweet taste, vibrant color, and the wide variety of health benefits cannot help but make the best papaya relish ever.

There are countless Papaya Recipes from sweet to savory, Tropical PawPaw Papaya Relish Recipe incorporates both flavors.

Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

4-24-2009

Fun unique papaya recipe from the food and nutrition experts at Chic African Culture. This papaya recipe is different than the ones you usually make.

Tropical PawPaw Papaya Relish Recipe

African Recipes by African Gourmet 

This easy sweet and savory Tropical African PawPaw Papaya Relish recipe is made with ripe papaya, onions, ginger, cloves, and raisins. Serve Tropical African PawPaw Papaya Relish over grilled, baked or fried fish.  

Prep time: 15 min Cook time: 1 day to marinate Total time: 1 day 15 min

Ingredients

1 large ripe papaya, seeded, peeled and sliced

½ cup raisins

1 cup diced red onions

¼ cup minced fresh ginger 

½ cup papaya juice

¼ cup white distilled vinegar 

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ cup granulated sugar

Directions

Add all ingredients into a large saucepan. Simmer on medium low for 10-15 minutes until papaya is tender. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator at least 24 hours before serving. Serve over grilled, baked or fried fish. 

Did you know?
Papaya seeds have antioxidant properties and compounds that may kill parasites and studies have shown papayas flesh helps to fight inflammation.

Pumpkins are a popular squash and Isijingi is an easy pumpkin Zulu recipe.

Isijingi is a Zulu recipe of cornmeal and pumpkin, this African food recipe will be the star of any table. Isijingi is delicious, full of flavor and spice lovingly prepared by Zulu families for generations.

Isijingi Easy Pumpkin Zulu Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups of canned pumpkin

3/4 cup cornmeal

2 cups half and half  

½ stick unsalted butter

Salt to taste

Directions

Add all ingredients to a large pot and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve hot as you would sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes.

 

If you do not plan on gaining weight this holiday season then try our lighter recipe version of Isijingi that will greatly reduce the amount of calories in this dish.

Healthy Isijingi Pumpkin Zulu Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups of canned pumpkin

1/3 cup cornmeal

1 cup unsweet apple juice

1 cup applesauce or ½ cup Greek yogurt

Salt to taste

 Directions

Add all ingredients to a large pot and simmer for about 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve hot as you would sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes.

Witblits White Dog South African Moonshine

Witblits white dog moonshine the famous high-octane spirit.

Witblits Moonshine from South Africa. Whatever you call it; firewater, n dop brandewyn, moonshine, witblits, donkey dop, white dog this powerful sundowner (alcoholic drink) made from grapes will surely cause anyone a babalas, that means hangover in Afrikaans.

Philippolis is the oldest settlement in the Free State province of South Africa and is quiet most of the year. However, in April it’s time to celebrate a local tradition of distilling Afrikaans "white lightning" at the Philippolis Witblits Festival. 

Witblits is made from grapes and is an undiluted homemade brew that does not involve any “calming down” therefore Witblits is not the smoothest brew and the alcohol content of the clear brandy can reach up to 70-80%.

Distinctive family recipes and small-batch manufacturing of Witblits means there is great variety in the manufacturing of white dog. In most homemade brews, a “still” is used to create the product. Fire heats up the brew mixture in the tank, the steam rises through the copper head before the liquid slowly flows down coiled tubes dripping out of the tap, into a bucket.

In 1924 there became a  monopoly on brandy production, however, small farmers were allowed to create their own homebrew usually from the leftover fruit on farms. Some museums in South Africa have special liquor licenses to distill Witblits as a working exhibit to collect money for the museum.

Prince Albert Cocktail

Did you know?

A popular Witblits drink is the Prince Albert Cocktail made of a shot of Witblits and pomegranate juice over crushed ice.

Ethiopian Alecha Healthy-African Soup

Alecha is an Ethiopian stew that is not spicy. Unlike Ethiopian-Doro-Wat stew, Alecha is a mild soup packed with vegetables and seasonings.

Healthy Alecha Ethiopian Soup Recipe

If you cannot handle spice and need a gentle tasting African soup then make, Ethiopian-Alecha one of the healthiest African Soup.

Healthy Alecha Ethiopian Soup Recipe

Ingredients

1 small head cabbage, shredded

2 onions, sliced

2 cups baby carrots

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 large white potato, finely diced

1 green pepper, finely chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons oil

8 cups of water

Directions

In a large pot with a lid, lightly sauté onions with garlic add all ingredients to the pot cover and simmer for one hour. 

Serve with Ethiopian Injera bread.

West African Anansi Folktale One good meal deserves another

When will Anansi learn! West African folktale one good meal deserves another is a popular Anansi African folktale where Anansi thinks he is the most clever person in the room.

African folktale

African folktales are stories forming part of an oral storytelling tradition shaped by the tongues of African elders passed down from one generation to the next. Read with your child and share wonderful African folktales. Children enjoy listening to many types of African folktales learning from the wisdom and rich tradition of African storytelling. Folktales reflect the morals, superstitions, and customs of the African people.

Turtle fixed a fine dinner

Anansi the Spider hated to share

When Turtle came to his house at mealtime, he said, "I can't give you food until you've washed your dusty feet!"

Turtle licked his lips when he saw the big plate of steaming food but politely walked to the stream to wash.

When he returned, the plate was empty.

"Good meal," Anansi said, patting his full stomach.

"One good meal deserves another!" said Turtle.

"Come to my house for dinner tomorrow."

Turtle fixed a fine dinner at the bottom of the river. "Come on down and eat!" he said.

Anansi filled his jacket pockets with stones so that he would be weighted down enough to stay at the river's bottom and eat.

"It's impolite to wear a jacket to dinner!" Turtle said, "Take it off!"

However, when greedy Anansi took off his jacket, he floated back up to the surface of the water and hungrily watched Turtle eat his fill!





Have you ever wondered...
How Tribal Marks Came To Be Used an African folktale

African Folktales three facts

African folktales usually have sly animals and spirits as the main characters.

Anansi is one of the most beloved African folktale characters. He often takes the shape of a spider and is considered to be the spirit of all knowledge of stories.

Reading African folktales will help kids make connections to their cultural heritage.

Sweet Tej Ethiopian Honey Wine

Tej is or honey wine is a favorite brew in Ethiopia, traditional Tej wine is made by boiling the gesho plant’s stems with honey and fermented over a long period of time. 

Tej Ethiopian Honey Wine

The African Gourmet easy version of Tej Ethiopian Honey Wine uses dry white wine and honey mixed together to create a sweet-tasting sipping wine perfect for a signature wedding cocktail.

About Tej Ethiopian Honey Wine

In Africa, it is usually women who brew beer, make Tej, and sell these products. In some parts of Africa, the homebrewed traditional production and drinking of honey wine are still very common. In Ethiopia, honey is not made into beer but into Tej, which is honey wine. Tej is a very important drink in Ethiopian cultural life, served at traditional gatherings and special religious ceremonies. Tej is not necessarily alcoholic – often it is drunk before the brew has started to ferment when it still has a strong yeasty flavor. 

Tej is made in huge wooden barrels, which are cleaned and then scoured with special leaves. The barrel is then filled, one part of honey with five parts of water. The barrel is covered with a clean cloth and left for a few days: fermentation begins. Now some very special leaves are added: these are gesho leaves of Rhamnus prinoides, which have been chopped up and then boiled. About five kilograms of this boiled leaf is added to each barrel. After gesho is added, the sugars in the honey are converted to alcohol and the Tej increasingly acquires its distinctive dry and bitter flavor. Finally, just before serving, a further half bucket of honey is tipped in to give sweetness to the final brew.

Tej is served in special glasses called birrille. These are like small glass vases with bulbous base and narrow neck. For drinking, the birrille is held in a special and rather dainty way between the first two fingers and thumb. Tej has a good flavor, something like cloudy, strong mead. The quality and amount of Tej served at a marriage or other celebration is directly linked with the wealth of the host.

Tej is also known as mead often made at home or at special local brewing houses. Tej bets, or honey-wine houses, look modest and unassuming from the outside, but these gathering spaces are central tenets of Ethiopian life. Tej is widely drunk in Tej houses both in Ethiopia and Eritrea, but you can always make yours.

Tej Ethiopian Honey Wine Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups good quality dry white wine

1 cup water

1/4 cup honey

Directions

Add honey to water and mix well until fully incorporated. Chill mixture until cold then add wine, mix well, chill and serve. Traditional Tej wine is made in small batches and is a sipping wine due to its sweet taste.

 

About the Gesho Plant

The Gesho plant 

Rhamnus prinoides or gesho plant is an indispensable plant for the rural African community. Gesho plant was discovered in 1788 is also known as Dogwood or Shiny Leaf in English, Blinkblaar in Afrikaans, umGlindi in Xhosa, Musvosvadziva in Shona, umNyenye in Zulu and gesho in Amharic. 

The African dogwood is a dense shrub or a small tree with glossy foliage and decorative red and purple berries, the tree is no relation of the American and Asian dogwoods. Gesho is a versatile plant used for food, firewood, wages and medicine. Gesho grows bordering forest and at high elevations. The fruits, roots and leaves are utilized, no part of the Gesho is wasted. The leaves stems and branch are used to brew the popular drink Tej in Eritrea and Ethiopia. 

The Gesho tree leaves are also used as an ointment for numerous discomforts and to relieve cranky babies. The principal use of this tree is for enchanted purpose in rural Africa widely used by African people as a protective charm to ward off lightning and evil and to bring luck in hunting. The Gesho tree is also used to cleanse the blood, to treat pneumonia, rheumatism, sprains, and stomach ache, and as a mouthwash in rural Africa. It is also used in the treatment of skin illnesses and lung infections.

The fruits are edible and small about the size of a pea ranging in color from green, to red then purple when ripe. The seeds are easily germinated without any special management or storage. Gesho is a widely planted cash crop sold in local markets from Ethiopia South to Angola and the Cape Providence of South Africa. Gesho tree African Dogwood can easily be grown from seed is a small evergreen good for small gardens and hedges, especially in cold areas. It is a very good small tree to plant in the garden to attract fruit-eating birds.

Read more facts and food recipes about Africa

African people are praised for proverbs, history, traditions, and struggles. African people are extremely diverse within each African country. Made up of numerous tribes and people of many religious, social and ethnic groups within the geographical boundaries of the African country African borders are at times arbitrary. Learn more about Africa.

West African Ginger Beer Recipe

Sierra Leone Fish Soup Recipe

African Countries and Capitals That Begin with M Word Search

Quick and Easy Bitter Leaf Stew Recipe

All 54 African countries have national anthems.

Gemma Kerrie a Healthy African Dinner in 30-minutes

A Twist on the South African Stew Gemma Kerrie that is usually cooked with beef. Instead, we are using fish to makeover Gemma Kerrie stew into a Healthier African Dinner in 30-minutes.

Fish Geema Kerrie Healthy South African Stew Recipe

Fish Geema Kerrie Healthy South African Stew Recipe

Ingredients

2 large fillet of any fish

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ginger

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 hot chili pepper

2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 bay leaf

6 cups of water

Directions

In a large pot with a lid add all ingredients, cover, simmer for about 30 minutes, or until well cooked. Remove from heat, and serve with rice or roti bread. Fish Geema Kerrie is even more delicious the next day.