Africa is the motherland and it’s lands have been providing all that a man and woman need since the birth of humanity. Much of the fine and delicious cuisine is obscure in modern day America but if you are not putting your hungry eyes towards Africa you are seriously missing out.

African food is hugely varied in taste and style, you’ll never want to get out once you fall into the hole of discovery. Tasting delicacies from coast to coast! Many African foods are neglected superfoods that we should all be putting in our body from time to time and below are five options that you may have never tried!

1. Teff

You may have eaten Injeera before, the beautiful fluffy / sticky Ethiopian flatbread / pancake. Somalia has a similar bread too. Sadly much of the Injeera in the West is made with wheat but it is traditionally made with Teff, a super-grain that is stuffed with Calcium, is high in Protein and usually for a grain, Iron too! Plus other pure goodness!

Teff is illegal to export from Ethipia since 2008 but luckily for us it is grown elsewhere too now!

2. Amaranth

You’ve probably seen this grain in the supermarket and maybe never touched it! You should. It’s about 30% higher in protein than rice and is as nutritious as Oats. Plus it has a delicious flavor!

It’s eaten across many parts of Africa and has many names such as:
Mchicha – Swahili, Terere by the Gikuyu, Meru/Embu – Kenya, Doodo – Uganda, Shoko – Yoruba.

3. Pumpkin Leaves

Yes, we eat the fruit in N.America but what happens to the leaves? Probably they are mostly discarded but that’s a sad waste! If you want a large does of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, iron, folate, potassium, and B-vitamins then you should be steaming yourself some pumpkin leaves! Stir frying them in garlic or throwing them in the pot with other veggies!

4. Hibiscus

Ohhhh, my days in Egypt were spent often with a hibiscus tea! The dried flower make an excellent drink and fresh they are great (and slightly meaty) in salads and stir fries.

Used across North Africa but largely in Egypt and Sudan the hibiscus flowers are packed with antioxidants, minerals and lost of vitamin C, plus it’s easy on the tastebuds!

5. Plantains

I feel sorry for you if you have not tried beautiful Plantains! The uncle of the modern banana. These fruits are not eaten usually until dark and black, looking like they are going bad. Mashed, backed, fried as chips there are so many ways to enjoy them.

A favorite in West Africa, they spread to the Caribbean and all across South America, so you’ll never get sick of finding different recipes for them!

As for their super status! Well they are full of Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, B6 and Potassium. Recently there has been a surge with many health experts saying they aid weightloss.

Sustainability / Responsibility

Buying African foods is amazing and it’s great to explore but we need to keep in mind how they are produced. The laws around some of the farming practises in parts of Africa isn’t so great so try and research a little before buying your products, maybe try and by them homegrown from Africans and African American businesses. Just think about who is affected by your shopping decisions!

Learning to use these ingredients!

Eating this stuff is all well and good but you need to benefit from their taste and eat them in context as to how they are traditionally used. Using authentic recipes is a great way to do so.

On Amazon you can find the highly rated book
The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa which looks like an excellent start.

Tell us about any African foods that we MUST try or your adventures with any of the above.