Africa Factbook

Plantains, creamy sauce, and spices in this classic gratin recipe dish combine to make a delightful new food experience. Plantains are an important staple food in Africa especially in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Uganda. What are plantains? Plantains are fruits that resemble bananas but are longer, have a thicker skin, and contain more starch. Creamy Cheesy Plantain Gratin Recipe Creamy Cheesy Plantain Gratin Recipe Ingredients 3 peeled and chopped green plantains 1 cup any grated medium-hard cheese 2 tablespoons unsalted butter ¼ cup all purpose flour 2 cups whole milk 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black pepper 1 cup plain breadcrumbs Directions Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Add plantains to a large pot of boiling water, boil 5 minutes.  Drain plantains set aside. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat, add the flour and whisk thoroughly.  Gradually add

Unknown stencil street and graffiti artist Banksy visual voice uses spray paint and stencils to paint the image of society’s troubles and humor on walls across Africa and the world. Who is Banksy? Banksy's zebra's black stripes Banksy is a graffiti and street artist master, political activist and an Oscar and Academy Award nominated film director whose real identity is unknown.  He is famous for stenciled graffiti on buildings and walls across Africa and around the world. Banksy was selected as Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in 2010. The first modern graffiti artist is widely considered to be Cornbread, a high school student from Philadelphia Pennsylvania in the United States, who in 1967 started tagging to get the attention of a girl he loved. Back in the 1970s, graffiti was an illegal counterculture associated with the grimy streets and subway cars of New York City. However, these days the univers

From Africa to the United States, fish is an abundant resource that contributes significantly to daily food, income and employment of millions of people. Simple fried African fish cakes is a universal recipe loved throughout the world. In one of my earliest memories, my father, brothers, and I would dig for worms, make fishing poles out of cane sticks, attached a fishing line, hooks to catch bream, and other freshwater fish.  We would spend hours fishing, so we could have fried fish for supper. Mom would clean the fish and filet on the shore of the lake. She would roll the fish in equal amounts of flour and cornmeal mixed with salt and pepper, and pan fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. There is nothing better than fresh caught fish for supper. Another recipe I fondly remember is fried fish cakes. Simple Fried African Fish Cakes Recipe    Ingredients 2 smoked fish filets 1/2 cup of dried bread crumbs   1 large egg, slightly beaten  2 tablespoons of chopped onions  2 tab

In Ghana, children are given a name based on the day in the week they are born. Day names have further meanings concerning the character of the person Trendy names have little meaning and have little to no relevance to the African family however, Ghana soul names are already chosen and boys and girls are born into this world with ties to the ancestors and living family. Hearing and sharing name soul names fastens a person with their ancestral tribe creating an inner strength in the soul and fills the inner self with spiritual intenseness. Men and women Ghana soul name or day names are explained below. Men Ghana soul name or day name  Sunday born males names are Akwasi, Kwasi, Kwesi, Akwesi, Sisi, Kacely, or Kosi. Monday born males names are Kojo, Kwadwo, Jojo, Joojo, or Kujoe. Tuesday born males names are Kwabena, Kobe, Kobi, Ebo, Kabelah, Komla, Kwabela, Kobby, or Kobena. Wednesday born males names are Kwaku, Abeiku, Kuuku, or Kweku. Thursday born males names are Yaw, Eko

Adding edible flowers to recipes is a very common practice. Eating flower blooms has a very long history in Africa. Squash and zucchini flowers are a common sight in African kitchens.   Squash and zucchini flowers are a common sight in African kitchens. Every year around springtime during the months of September, October and November, the desert South Africa Namaqualand region comes alive with a sea of colorful indigenous wild flowers.  With the blessings from Mother Nature, Namaqualand displays around 1,000 - 4,000 different species of plants and flowers each season. Many flowers are inedible however; five flowers are commonly used in cooking African food . Edible flowers are flowers that can be consumed safely, below are five edible flowers to add to your home recipes.  Always try to pick the blooms as close to when you are going to use them as possible. Five Edible Recipe Flowers  Arugula Flowers Young arugula flowers have a milder, subtler flavor than