Morocco Facts. People, geography and culture of Morocco make this African country one of the most traveled countries in the world.

Morocco is slightly more than three times the size of New York or slightly larger than California.

Steeped in history, mystery, and beauty, here are twenty interesting facts about the 57th largest country in the world, Morocco.

Friends in Tangier Tetouan Morocco photo by Hernán Piñera

20 True Facts About Morocco

Independence from France on March 2, 1956

The English name Morocco derives from, respectively, the Spanish and Portuguese names Marruecos and Marrocos, which stem from Marrakesh the Latin name for the former capital of ancient Morocco; the Arabic name Al Maghrib translates as The West.

Morocco’s’ population is around 33,322,699 (July 2015 est.)

Morocco is the most westerly of the North African countries known as the Maghreb or the Arab West.

The capital city of Morocco is Rabat, although the largest city is Casablanca with nearly 4 million people.

Citizenship in Morocco is by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Morocco; if the father is unknown or stateless, the mother must be a citizen.

Languages Arabic (official), Berber languages - Tamazight (official), Tachelhit, Tarifit, French is often the language of business, government, and diplomacy.

From 1975-76 Morocco annexed Western Sahara but faces an ongoing guerrilla battle for independence from local Saharawi people to this very day despite a UN ceasefire agreement.

The English name "Morocco" derives from, respectively, the Spanish and Portuguese names "Marruecos" and "Marrocos," which stem from "Marrakesh" the Latin name for the former capital of ancient Morocco; the Arabic name "Al Maghrib" translates as "The West"

Morocco in pictures

Since Spain's 1976 withdrawal from what is today called Western Sahara, Morocco has extended its de facto administrative control to roughly 80% of this territory; however, the UN does not recognize Morocco as the administering power for Western Sahara.

Morocco is slightly more than three times the size of New York or slightly larger than California.

Morocco is mountainous with the Atlas Mountains running from northeast to the southwest through the center and the Rif Mountains located in the north.

Chefchaouen is the beautiful world famous electric blue city of Morocco.

Morocco is the only African nation to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines.

Morocco’s’ national symbols are the pentacle symbol, lion; national colors: red, green.

Morocco is one of the world's largest producers of illicit hashish.

Moroccan cities generally have mosques, market areas called bazaars, old medieval sections called medinas and old fortresses called kasbahs.

Green tea with mint and sweetened with sugar is a popular beverage in Morocco.

The most famous of Moroccan dishes is couscous.

The Moroccan national team became the first African and Arab country to make to the second round of a World Cup when they did so in 1986. 

Morocco is the most westerly of the North African countries known as the Maghreb or the Arab West.

OX513A the GMO Mosquito. 

Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals in the world. Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever are all transmitted to humans by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. OX513A, the genetically engineered mosquito was first released into the world's population in 2010 and was celebrated as the answer to eliminating the Aedes mosquito.

Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals in the world

The Aedes aegypti or Aedes mosquito is jet black, with white spots on the upper torso and white rings on their legs. Aedes ability to carry and spread disease to humans causes millions of deaths every year. Aedes can breed in a teaspoon of water, and their eggs have been found in old tires, tin cans, plastic bottles, cesspools, catch basins, and ponds.

Oxitec field-tested OX513A in the Cayman Islands, Panama and Brazil, and claims a large success rate with each release. In the Cayman Islands in 2010, a small release of OX513A males created an 80% reduction in the disease-carrying population. Another trial in an urban area of Brazil reportedly reduced the Aedes by 95%. Oxitec,in 2016  announced an agreement with Brazilian officials to build a mosquito-breeding factory in the Brazilian state of São Paulo Piracicaba.

What are the four deadliest diseases spread by the Aedes mosquito?

Yellow Fever

Yellow fever is endemic in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2016, the first outbreak in 28 years. The last outbreak in the country occurred in 1988 with 37 cases and 14 deaths. Currently, with the blessing of The World Health Organization, most people in the infected areas receive ¼ of the yellow fever vaccine due to a worldwide shortage. A single dose of yellow fever vaccine provides long-lasting protection and a booster dose of the vaccine is not needed however, ¼ dose of the vaccine provides protection for around 1 year.

With yellow fever, after 3-6 days symptoms include fever, muscle pains, backache, headache, shivers, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting. Roughly 15% of patients enter a second, more toxic phase within 24 hours. Symptoms of this phase may include high fever, jaundice, and abdominal pain with vomiting. Bleeding can occur from the mouth, nose, eyes or stomach and blood appears in the vomit and feces, and kidney function may deteriorate. Half of the patients who enter the toxic phase die within 10-14 days, the rest recover without significant organ damage.

Spraying for Mosquitoes in a shanty town of the DRC

The "yellow" in the name refers to the jaundice that affects some patients. The last yellow fever outbreak in Nigeria occurred 14 years ago, but it took 10 years to control the transmission of the virus in the population.

Chikungunya

Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. It causes fever and severe joint pain, muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. Joint pain is often debilitating. Most patients recover fully, but in some cases joint pain may persist. Serious complications are not common, but in older people, the disease can lead to arthritic pains of longer duration and may cause death.

Zika

Symptoms are usually mild and can include mild fever, skin rash, inflammation of the eyes, muscle and joint pain, melancholy and headache. Zika infection during pregnancy causes microcephaly, babies born with small heads, and other fetal brain malformations. Zika is also a cause of Guillain-Barré Syndrome - a neurological condition that can lead to paralysis and death. Zika virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in monkeys through a network that monitored yellow fever. It was later identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. Outbreaks of Zika virus disease have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.

Angolan child receiving vaccinations 

Dengue

Dengue is endemic in more than 128 countries, with 3.9 billion people at risk. About half of the world's population is now at risk.

Flu-like symptoms occur 4-10 days after the bite of an infected mosquito; high fever accompanied by severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands or rash. The disease can develop into severe dengue which is a leading cause of serious illness and death among children in some Asian and South American countries.

African Urbanization and Immunizations

The risk of large and uncontrollable outbreaks in urban areas in Africa is more likely than ever. Accelerated urbanization has concentrated a non-immune population in settings where, high vector and population density, the main factors contributing to increased virus transmission are present.

Around 62% of the African population is still rural, urban growth rates at nearly 4% a year are the most rapid in the world, and nearly twice the global average. Not only are more people living in cities, but also the cities themselves are becoming larger and more numerous. There are now around 70 cities in Africa with more than one million people.

Waist Beads African Beauty 

Waist beads and bead making are surrounded by history and splendor in African art, music, and literature. Ileke or Jigida Yoruba African waist beads symbolize body sculpting, sexuality, and femininity.

Waist Bead tradition of Southwest Nigeria, Benin, Togo Yoruba Tribes

Beads are among the most exciting symbols in Yoruba African culture. The colors and sizes, and the significance of the materials chosen for the waist are subjective; the person making the waist beads symbolizes their perception, experience, feelings, beliefs, desires, and influence.

Traditionally unmarried women of the Yoruba tribe wear an ileke, also known as waist beads or waist chains. Waist beads are romantic and fashionable and attract attention to the waist by making the waist appear slimmer and bringing out the curves of the hips. 

Waist beads were and still are worn for seduction. For some, the beads possess intimate appeal and can provoke desire in men.

Weight Management and Waist Beads.

Some women use waist beads to watch their weight; when it is tight on them, they will know they are gaining weight. Unlike clothing, the strings do not stretch; they break or roll up the waist with increased girth. So in the absence of scales as a weight measurement, tight waist beads indicate weight gain.

Modern-day America and Britain have modified the use of waist beads, growing an entire industry around tying a string around your waist to get killer abs.

Sculpting your waistline by using waist beads coupled with regular exercise will help your stomach muscles work harder, so graduating from a larger string of waist beads to a smaller string is seen as a badge of honor.

Using waist beads is designed to remind you to suck your stomach in, contract your muscles then breathe out slightly; repeating this step throughout the day is known as a vacuum exercise. 

Bone Waist Beads.

By tradition, waist beads were made of natural materials such as bone beads, shells, stone, or clay beads; however, modern times have seen waist beads produced from synthetic materials like glass and plastic. 

Bone was one of the first things used in Africa for decoration before the discovery of precious gems and metals. Most contemporary bone beads are made from the neck and backbones of birds and fish or cut into fine shapes using cow, sheep, goat, camel bones, and antlers, ivory, and teeth.

Using the sharp edge of a stone, early African ancestors carved bone into a variety of shapes for jewelry beads. Each bone bead had a story or meaning behind the design, and depending on the material used, the waist beads are a sign of peace, regrowth and tranquility of life and purity. Bone jewelry is still used in Africa today crafted by Artisan and painted with lacquer for the piece to last a lifetime.

However, before bone can be carved into a waist bead it must first be processed. Processing raw bone is a simple process if you are using small bones such as bird, fish, or even snake vertebrae. The first step to processing raw bones is to clean with soapy water and scrub with a stiff brush after removing all the meat gristle and ligaments.

The bones are boiled in an acid bath until the marrow is extracted and you are left with dry non-greasy bones. After this step is completed, the bones are rinsed thoroughly and dried in the Sun for days. Modern processing bones uses chemicals that makes the bones last longer and the process less grisly.

If you are using ancient bone processing techniques or modern bone processing techniques in the end the bones are carved into the shapes for beads that are strung together and used by women in Southwest Nigeria, Benin, Togo and the Yoruba tribes as waist beads.

Clay Waist Beads.

Clay is found all over Africa and the making of clay beads from the soil of the African continent is common in ancient times and modern times in Africa. Gathering the right soil type to make clay beads is an important first step. African people who have made clay beads for generations can recognize good clay for the bead-making process. 

Another good type of clay to use is clay from termite hills as the glue from the saliva of termites makes the clay quite strong and helps bind the clay to form beads. Clay is work by hand, shaped and fashioned into the desired shape freehand by pinching coiling and rolling the clay into small waist beads. After drying, the beads are placed outside around a pile of wood and carefully baked outside around the fire for many hours; this is a kiln in its most natural state.

Clay is made by mixing dry clay with water in clay mixer. Clay straight from the ground in Africa is not like the clay you buy from a ceramic clay store or hobby supplier. It contains unwanted materials such as rocks and twigs and needs to be processed to remove before working into clay beads. A screening removes stones, roots, and other larger particles. Before firing, the beads are decorated by impressing or carving of the bead; sometimes the design is religious or sometimes just decorative.

Waist Beads are Intimate Private Jewelry.

It is considered distasteful when waist beads are shown in public. In many cultures, the waist beads symbolized a young woman’s purity and were only to be taken off by her husband on their wedding night. Most waist beads are worn under clothing and are a private affair.

Unlike today's purity rings, waist beads are not shown in public. Purity rings are the exact opposite when it comes to modesty than waist beads; purity rings are a sign to the community as a commitment to purity, a promise to stay sexually pure until marriage.

Waist beads in African culture have a conservative meaning when you are wearing waist beads and they show you might get a funny look from someone because the showing of waist beads is not acceptable. 

Many people in modern-day Africa may not have the same feelings as their ancient ancestors regarding modesty and waist beads; waist beads are seen as more of a decoration than a statement about intimacy and privacy.

Weight control and beauty, many waist beads are handmade versatile, functional African art.

Why the Sea Is Salty | African Folktale Meets Science

Unbelievable but true—this African tall tale carries a hint of science. Many folktales exaggerate life lessons, yet the story of Why the Sea Is Salty holds a surprising truth about ocean salt and the cycle of water on Earth.

The Folktale of Queen Fuma and the Magic Millstones

Queen Fuma ruled the sea, but her greed drove her to steal two magic millstones from her brother, Prince Noka, ruler of lakes and rivers. These were no ordinary stones—they could grind out anything their owner desired.

But Queen Fuma did not know how to use them. Frustrated, she wept: “If only I could move the stones, I would make my people rich and happy.”

Two mysterious women appeared, offering help. They touched the stones and they began to grind—gold, rest, and happiness poured out. Fuma, dazzled by the gold, demanded more and more until the helpers grew weary. When the queen refused to let them rest, the stones began to grind warriors instead of wealth. The warriors rose and destroyed Queen Fuma’s kingdom.

One survivor, seeking power, took the stones aboard a ship, forcing a woman to keep grinding. “Rest? No!” he shouted. “Grind salt, if you can grind nothing else!”

She obeyed until the ship sank beneath the waves—and the stones sank too, still grinding salt to this day. That is why the sea is salty.

Science Behind the Folklore

This African folktale captures a real scientific truth: seawater is salty because of minerals and salts washed from the land into the ocean. Over millions of years, rivers have carried dissolved sodium, chloride, and other ions from rocks and soils to the sea. When water evaporates, the salts remain—just like Queen Fuma’s eternal millstones grinding beneath the waves.

In a way, the folktale mirrors the hydrological and geochemical cycles—where nature, time, and chemistry shape Earth’s salty seas.

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Algerian jelbana stew tajine with artichokes and green peas is a classic African Algerian stew recipe. Traditional Algerian jelbana is slow cooked in a tajine, but you can make this North African recipe using your stew pot.

Learn to make Algerian Jelbana Artichokes and Green Peas Tajine Recipe and discover facts about Africa's largest country Algeria.

Algerian Jelbana Artichokes and Green Peas Tajine Recipe

Ingredients

4 skinless chicken thighs

2 cups frozen green peas

1 small can artichoke hearts

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, diced

2 medium white potatoes, diced

1 cup frozen baby carrots

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 whole bay leaves

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 minced garlic cloves 2 cups water

Directions

Mix spices into a small bowl then add all ingredients into a large lidded stew pot. Simmer 30 minutes until vegetables are tender. Serve with homemade bread.

Classic African Algerian stew recipe

About Algeria location and climate

 Algeria is mostly high plateau and desert located in Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, situated between Morocco and Tunisia and is slightly less than 3.5 times the size the US state of Texas. The climate is arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau. Algeria’s mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season; drought; it is the largest country in Africa but 80% desert. Canyons and caves are located in the southern Hoggar Mountains and in the barren Tassili n'Ajjer area in the southeast of the country contains numerous examples of prehistoric art - rock paintings and carvings depicting human activities and wild and domestic animals that date to the African Humid Period, roughly 11,000 to 5,000 years ago, when the region was completely vegetated.

On the people of Algeria

The massive majority of the population in Algeria is found in the extreme northern part of the country along the Mediterranean Coast with Arab-Berber 99% and European less than 1% ethnic groups. The population is around 45 million Muslims with languages spoken Arabic (official), French (lingua franca), Berber or Tamazight (official); dialects include Kabyle Berber (Taqbaylit), Shawiya Berber (Tacawit), Mzab Berber, Tuareg Berber (Tamahaq). Major urban areas are 2.694 million living in the capital of Algiers and  881,000 living in the city of Oran.

A brief note regarding the Algerian economy

Hydrocarbons have long been the backbone of the Algerian economy, accounting for roughly 30% of GDP, 60% of budget revenues, and nearly 95% of export earnings. Algeria has the 10th-largest reserves of natural gas in the world - including the 3rd-largest reserves of shale gas - and is the 6th-largest gas exporter. It ranks 16th in proven oil reserves. The main export partners are Italy 17.4%, Spain 13%, France 11.9%, US 9.4%, Brazil 6.2%, and the Netherlands 5.5%.

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Twenty-five interesting facts about Africa's newest Republic South Sudan allows you to travel through miles and miles of the country exploring her political history, culture, sports and geography.

25 Interesting Facts about South Sudan, understand and embrace cultural differences as a way to learn to appreciate and respect those differences.

Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

25 Interesting Facts about South Sudan

1. When Sudan gained its independence in 1956, it was with the understanding that the southerners (Currently South Sudan) would be able to participate fully in the political system however, Arab Khartoum government reneged on its promises, and a mutiny began that led to two prolonged periods of war, 1955-1972 and 1983-2005.

2. On January 2011, South Sudan voted 98% in favor of secession from Sudan.

3. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011 after over 20 years of guerrilla warfare, which claimed the lives of at least 1.5 million people and more than four million were displaced and is longer Africa’s largest country; the title now belongs to Algeria.

4. Republic of South Sudan is the official name and South Sudan is the short name.

On the way back home to Bor South Sudan

5. South Sudan’s name come from a self-descriptive name from the country's former position within Sudan prior to independence; the name "Sudan" derives from the Arabic "bilad-as-sudan" meaning "Land of the black peoples"

6. South Sudan is a landlocked African country with no coastline.

7. South Sudan location is in East-Central Africa; south of Sudan, north of Uganda and Kenya, west of Ethiopia.

8. South Sudan is more than four times the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than Texas.

9. Made up of the 10 southern-most states of Sudan, South Sudan is one of the most diverse countries in Africa.

10. The Sudd (a name derived from floating vegetation that hinders navigation) is a large swampy area of more than 100,000 sq km fed by the waters of the White Nile that dominates the center of the country.

11. The Sudd is a vast swamp in South Sudan, formed by the White Nile, comprising more than 15% of the country's total area; it is one of the world's largest wetlands.

12. Mount Kinyeti is the highest peak in South Sudan.

13. The Capital city of South Sudan is Juba with a population of nearly 321,000, about the same size as Santa Ana California.

14. South Sudan’s total population is between 7.5-10 million.

15. Dinka tribesman and Marathon runner Guor Marial was South Sudan’s first Olympic athlete at the London 2012 Games.

Kuajok the Kenyan Battalion in South Sudan

16. Luol Ajou Deng is a 6 feet 9 inch South Sudanese-British basketball player for the NBA Los Angeles Lakers.

17. On May 25, 2012, South Sudan became the 209th member of Fédération Internationale de Football Association, FIFA.

18. Major ethnic groups are Dinka 35.8%, Nuer 15.6%, Shilluk, Azande, Bari, Kakwa, Kuku, Murle, Mandari, Didinga, Ndogo, Bviri, Lndi, Anuak, Bongo, Lango, Dungotona, Acholi (World Bank 2011 est.)

19. Major languages spoken are English, Arabic (both official), Juba Arabic, Dinka.

20. After independence, South Sudan's central bank issued a new currency, the South Sudanese Pound.

A school at the Protections of Civilians

21. Salva Kiir Mayardit is South Sudan’s first presidential republic president.

22. In 2013, South Sudan was engulfed by civil war when President Kiir fired his entire cabinet and accused Vice-President Riek Machar of instigating a failed coup.

23. Government and rebels agreed to attend peace talks in Ethiopia in 2014, and a deal was finally signed under threat of UN sanctions for both sides in August 2015.

24. Vice-President Riek Machar eventually returned from exile to be sworn in as first vice president of a new unity government under President Kiir in April 2016 however, Kiir fired Machar again a few months later.

25. The government of South Sudan derives the vast majority of its budget revenues from oil. Oil is exported through two pipelines that run to refineries and shipping facilities at Port Sudan on the Red Sea.

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Africans of Chinese descent on Kenya’s Pate Island have Chinese roots with ancient links to Chinese sea explorers and shipwrecks. Mwamaka Sharifu, from Lamu Island off of Kenya's coast is a descendant of Chinese sailors traveling with Chinese explorer Zheng He in the Ming Dynasty.

Kenya’s Pate Island and Chinese sailors

Pate Island Family

The Kenyan coast was a major crossroad in the spice and slave trading routes of the 15th century. Chinese Ming dynasty Admiral Zheng He, on his fourth voyage, left China in 1413 arriving off the coast of Kenya’s Pate Island in 1418. 

Admiral Zheng He, the Ming Dynasty court eunuch whose fleet of 300 ships and 28,000 sailors were the biggest the world had ever known. His ships were said to have been four times bigger than those of Columbus and his seafaring travels were greater than any explorer before him.

Pate Island is located in the Indian Ocean close to the northern coast of Kenya and is the largest island in the Lamu Archipelago. According to Kenyan folklore, Chinese sailors who survived the shipwreck swam ashore and were allowed to stay on the Island after killing a python that had been troubling a village.

 

Pate Villages' dressmaker's shop

The Chinese Ming sailors married and had children with the native African women, converted them to Islam and created a community of African-Chinese whose descendants still live on the Island of Pate.

Kenya’s Pate Island Chinese tradition has ancient links to Africa. On Pate there is an ancient graveyard made out of coral, they are the graves of the Chinese sailors, which died in the shipwreck.  

The graves are the same as Chinese Ming dynasty tombs, complete with half-moon domes and terraced entries. In 2010 Chinese government sent archeologists to the Kenyan coast on a $3-million, three-year mission to dig for artifacts.

China Girl Mwamaka Sharifu

African China Girl

Pate Island China Girl named Mwamaka Sharifu is hailed as the most famous descendent of the shipwrecked Chinese sailors. Mwamaka was rewarded with a scholarship in 2005 to a Chinese university, where she is studying traditional Chinese medicine. 

Sharifu said she admires Zheng's courage and adventurous spirit. "I was born as brave as my ancestors," she said. "It is rare for girls in my Muslim village to go so far to study, to such a big and different country." 

Sharifu went on to say "Beijing is a big city," Sharifu added. "But Taicang city will always be a special place for me as it is said it is where my ancestors came from. Located in East China's Jiangsu Province, Taicang is where Zheng set sail for Africa.

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This is a recipe for South African Indian Spiced Mango Chicken, a dish that combines the flavors of two cuisines with a sweet and tangy sauce. It is easy to make and perfect for a weeknight meal.

South African Indian food is a rich and diverse cuisine that reflects the history and culture of the Indian diaspora in South Africa. The first Indians arrived in South Africa in the 19th century as indentured laborers who worked on the sugar plantations of Natal. 

They brought with them their culinary traditions, spices, and ingredients from different regions of India. Over time, they adapted their dishes to the local produce, climate, and preferences of their new home. They also influenced and were influenced by the cuisines of other ethnic groups in South Africa, such as the Zulu, the Cape Malay, and the Afrikaners. 

Some of the most popular South African Indian dishes include bunny chow, a hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with curry; biryani, a fragrant rice dish with meat, vegetables, and spices; samoosas, triangular pastries stuffed with savory fillings; roti, flatbreads that are eaten with curries or stews; and chutneys, relishes and pickles that add flavor and contrast to the dishes. 

South African Indian food is also known for its use of spices such as turmeric, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, and chili, which give the dishes their distinctive colors, aromas, and tastes. South African Indian food is more than just a cuisine; it is a way of celebrating the heritage and identity of a community that has contributed to the social, economic, and political fabric of South Africa. It is a cuisine that reflects the diversity, resilience, and creativity of the people who have made it their own.

South African Indian Spiced Mango Chicken Recipe

Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

South African Indian food is widely known for its spicy and flavorful taste. Serve this exquisitely flavored South African Indian Spiced Mango Chicken Recipe with fluffy rice or a side salad. The fragrant mango sauce in this Indian-Spiced Chicken recipe calls for a mix of dried spices. Serves 4 African food Total time from start to finish 30 minutes.

South African Indian Spiced Mango Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

2 split chicken breasts

½ cup chickpea flour

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon red chili powder

4 chopped coriander leaves

2 teaspoons curry powder (optional)

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 ripe mangoes, peeled and sliced

½ cup mango juice

¼ cup light soft brown sugar

Directions

In an ovenproof frying pan heat oil. Mix chicken, flour, spices, and pan-fry for 3 minutes on each side. In a small bowl mix mangos, sugar and lime, and mango juice well, pour mango mixture over chicken and transfer to the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Serve this tasty dish for lunch or dinner with a mixed green salad or over rice. 

South African Indian food is not just a delicious and varied cuisine; it is also a symbol of the cultural diversity and historical legacy of the Indian community in South Africa. It is a cuisine that showcases the adaptation, innovation, and collaboration of the people who have made it their own.

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South African fruit sauce has a strange name, blatjang but is an easy dried fruit recipe to make. Blatjang is a thick sauce fruit sauce that contains fruits, vinegar, sugar, and spices and is used as a condiment.

Apricot Raisin Blatjang is a traditional South African fruit sauce recipe made from apricots, onion, garlic, and raisins. Make and share this simple fruit sauce blatjang recipe with love from South Africa.

South African Blatjang Apricot Raisin Fruit Sauce

Ingredients
1/3 cup malt vinegar
1 cup dried chopped apricots
1 cup seedless golden raisins
¼ cup finely chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons dried onions
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Soak apricots and raisins in 3 cups of water inside a large bowl for 2 hours. Add all ingredients including soaking water to a large pot and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly pour into jars. Allow cooling on the counter.


How to dry fruits to make Blatjang

Drying is one of the oldest methods of food preservation. It is still used widely to preserve foods for home consumption and for sale. Dried fruits are one of the most popular products made by small-scale processors.

Drying removes the water from foods so that the growth of microorganisms is inhibited. It also reduces the weight and bulk of foods which cuts down on transport and storage costs. Sun drying is the simplest and cheapest method of drying. To make higher quality products, processors use an artificial dryer.

There are several types of dryers available. Just follow the manufacturer's directions. To obtain maximum yields of top-quality dried products, all fruit should be ripe and free from bruising. Any rotten or bruised fruit should be thrown away.

Other dried fruits to use to make South African Blatjang

Fruits that are good to use for making savory blatjang fruit sauce include dried mangoes, papaya, tamarind, soursop, pineapples, and guava. Substitute equal amounts of dried apricots for the dried fruits.

Guava
Guava is an excellent source of vitamin C. There are innumerable recipes for utilizing guavas in pies, cakes, puddings, sauce, ice cream, jam, butter, marmalade, chutney, relish, nectars, blatjang, and other recipes. Fresh mature guavas can be utilized as a source of pectin, yielding somewhat more and higher quality pectin than ripe fruits.

Mango
Like many other tropical fruits, during thermal processing mangoes undergo chemical changes in terms of their nutritional and organoleptic properties, mainly flavor. It is therefore important to employ procedures that will not affect such thermolabile compounds to a significant degree, like freezing or carefully performed thermal techniques, even at a home-processing level. Mangoes may be processed into different products, such as puree, frozen pulp, nectar, concentrated and frozen pulp and in a high-sugar pulp preparation known as "ate". Mango pulp may also be dehydrated to produce bars. Mango slices in syrup or in the dehydrated form are also consumed. The mango fruit is also excellent when pickled and eaten fresh.

Papaya
In addition to being widely consumed as fresh fruit, papayas have many uses. Like other tropical fruits, papayas are prepared and preserved according to different methods. Nectars or juices may be produced by using papaya puree, which either alone or in combination with different-flavored fruits makes a very tasty product. Papaya pulp is also a very popular product. Try papaya seed tea for your next recipe adventure.

Tamarind
This species belongs to the leguminosae family, and every part of the tamarind tree, namely the wood, bark, leaves, and fruits, may be used in many different ways. Tamarind has been utilized as medicine since ancient times, for its pulp can combat scurvy and has laxative properties, while its leaves have diuretic properties. However, the tamarind is mostly used as food. The seeds, the soft leaves, and the flowers of fully grown trees are utilized in salads and to make soups. Unripe and tender husks are used as a seasoning in boiled rice, fish, and meats. The pulp obtained from ripe fruit is an agro-industrial product of considerable economic value in many parts of the world. The pulp of the fruit is slightly difficult to extract due to its low water content and because it is sticky. To remove it, the fruit is normally subjected to a steam bath for several hours.

Soursop
These fruits are rapidly perishable and must be hand-harvested when completely ripe, to prevent them from falling from the tree branches and bruising. The ripe fruit is washed with chlorinated water to remove the soil and minimize the presence of bacteria. Once it is washed, the fruit is peeled and the pits are removed by hand, for there is no current alternative to this procedure. Soursop is consumed as a dessert, although they are mostly used in the form of frozen pulp in foods like ice cream and syrups, and in drinks.

Pineapples
Pineapples are the second harvest of importance after bananas, contributing to over 20 % of the world's production of tropical fruits. Pineapple is a member of the Bromiliaceae family, Anana genus, and Sativa species. The flesh of larger fruits is cut up in various ways and eaten fresh, as dessert, in salads, compotes, and otherwise, or cooked in pies, cakes, puddings, or as a garnish on ham, or made into sauces or preserves.

Apricot Raisin Blatjang Recipe

More economical easy 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. Yedoro Stir Fried Ethiopian Chicken Dinner
3. Senegalese Chicken Vermicelli
4. Caldo Verde Portuguese Kale Soup
5. Air Fryer Black Eyed Pea Dumpling Stew

If you think, cooking dry beans is an all-day process here is a fast way to make them.

This best ever pot of dry beans recipe shows that you can play with seasonings and ingredients and make plain old dry beans delicious beans.

Cooking dry beans is no more trouble than filling a pot of water, adding a pinch of baking soda and letting your pot of best ever African beans simmer blissfully on the back of the stove for 90 minutes.

Serves 5
Total time from start to finish 90 minutes

Best Pot of African Beans Ever

Ingredients
½ cup dry black-eyed peas
2 large tomatoes, diced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 hot pepper, diced
¼ cup coconut cream
½ cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt, more as needed
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 cups vegetable broth


Directions 

Add all ingredients into a lidded large stew pot, mix well. Simmer covered on medium low for 90 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired. Remove cinnamon stick. Serve over rice. 

African proverbs teach weak leaders should not expect great results; inadequate leadership skills ruin the best campaigns. The need for strong leadership has never been more important with the world and African economies.

Weak Leaders Should Not Expect Great Results, Here are the top 20 qualities that make a great leader.

A Stroke Of The Foot Cannot Fell A Palm Tree ~ African Proverb

Creativity is the opposite of routine.

The beginning of everything is sweet but over time
true colors show. ~African Proverb

Endurance is patience concentrated

An army of sheep led by a lion can defeat an army of
lions led by sheep. ~African Proverb

Thought change leads to life change

African Proverbs.
African Proverbs teach us in everyday life African proverbs inspire with ancient words of wisdom learn from weak leaders should not expect great results African Proverbs before starting your dream business.

African Tribes and African American Ancestry

Genetic research reveals that nearly 40% of African Americans can trace their ancestry to specific regions in modern-day Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin, Togo, and Gabon.

Note: This article has been updated from its original 2016 publication to reflect current historical understanding and genetic research.

The Transatlantic Slave Trade Origins

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to establish sustained slave trading in Africa, beginning in the mid-15th century. While early expeditions like those of Diogo Cão in the 1480s explored the African coast, the systematic transatlantic slave trade developed over subsequent centuries.

The Slave Coast, spanning modern-day Benin, Togo, and western Nigeria, became one of the most active regions for slave exports between the 16th and 19th centuries. Virginia and other southern colonies received significant numbers of enslaved Africans from these regions.

Major African Ethnic Groups in African American Ancestry

Based on genetic studies and historical records, here are the primary ethnic groups that contribute significantly to African American ancestry:

Country	Major Ethnic Groups	Historical Regions
Nigeria	Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani, Edo, Ibibio, Ijaw	Bight of Benin, Bight of Biafra
Benin	Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba, Dendi	Slave Coast
Cameroon	Bamileke, Duala, Fang, Fulani, Tikar	Bight of Biafra
Togo	Ewe, Fon, Kabye	Slave Coast
Gabon	Fang, Punu, Mbede	West Central Africa
Ghana	Akan, Ga, Ewe	Gold Coast
Senegal/Gambia	Wolof, Mandinka, Fula	Senegambia
DR Congo/Angola	Kongo, Mbundu, Luba	West Central Africa

Important: The Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria were particularly impacted by the slave trade to Virginia and other southern colonies, with significant cultural influences persisting in African American communities today.

Understanding the Genetic Legacy

Companies like African Ancestry use mitochondrial DNA (maternal line) and Y-chromosome DNA (paternal line) to help people of African descent trace their ancestry back to specific modern-day countries and ethnic groups. However, it's important to understand that:

• Most African Americans have mixed ancestry from multiple African regions
• Modern countries don't always align with historical ethnic boundaries
• The slave trade disrupted and dispersed people across the Americas

This complex heritage reflects the brutal history of the transatlantic slave trade while highlighting the resilience and diverse origins of African American culture.

Regions of West and Central Africa that contributed significantly to African American ancestry