Africa Factbook

Quiz on cocoyams in Africa plus an easy recipe Making a pounded cocoyam fufu recipe in Central Africa Where yam is King of crops, African cocoyams are often associated with peasant crops; cocoyam is considered a poor man’s crop or a woman’s crop. Women cocoyam farmers play an important role in farming for daily food and income for their families, especially in Nigeria which is one of the largest producers of cocoyam in the world contributing about 40 percent of total annual production. Cocoyam have several plant varieties, some with edible tubers and others with edible stems. Cocoyam or Taro plants are a traditional woman's staple root crop in many countries in Africa. All plant parts may cause stomach upset if eaten raw, and the sap may irritate skin. Cocoyam, if eaten raw, the calcium oxalate crystals causes a stinging feeling to the mouth and throat; cocoyam must be cooked before being eaten. Foods also high in calcium oxalate crystals are spinach, beets, coc

Schadenfreude, why are some people happy when someone’s life is going downhill? The African proverb Do not laugh at a person’s problems because tomorrow it may be you teaches but for the grace of God goes I also known as schadenfreude. “Do not laugh at a person’s problems because tomorrow it may be you” ~ African Proverb Schadenfreude is a complex emotion, where rather than feeling sympathy towards someone's misfortune, schadenfreude evokes joyful feelings that take pleasure from watching someone fail. The happiness of most people is not ruined by great catastrophes or fatal errors, but by the repetition of slowly destructive little things. ~Ernest Dimnet When we consider pleasure-in-others'-misfortune as pertaining to minor misfortunes and involving our belief that justice has been done and that we are not responsible for eliciting the misfortune, then this emotion is not so reprehensible from a moral point of view. Beyond that basic human social-comparison instinct, cer

Fermented bread is a staple food made throughout Sudan, South Sudan and Northern Africa. Slow fermented bread has more nutrients, vitamins, and minerals than regular bread because of the process of fermentation process easier to digest. Easy fermented bread recipe and directions Ingredients 1 cup wheat flour 2-3 cups water 1/4 cup plain yogurt Sesame oil for greasing the crepe pan Directions Mix flour with 2-3 cups water into a thin consistency, similar to pancake mixture but slightly thinner. Add yogurt and mix well. Leave covered for 3 days to ferment in the fridge. Heat the pan and grease lightly with oil. Pour ¼ cup of the dough mixture onto the crepe pan and spread evenly using a crepe maker utensil into a thin sheet. Allow 1-2mins to cook one side then flip and cook another 1 minute. Eat with your favorite soups and stews; make into a decadent dessert or as a wrap for your lunch sandwich. More economical easy breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes to make right now so