“Each person must ride the road of their own fate.”-African Proverb
Africa rests on both sides of the equator and is the only continent to extend from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Africa’s geography is as diverse as its food. From the Sahara and Kalahari deserts, tropical regions, subarctic snow-capped volcanic Mount Kilimanjaro, to savannas, plains, and rainforests. The range of climate and soil conditions in Africa has created a diversity of vegetables, fruits, wild and domesticated animals.
Spicy Ostrich Stew
South Africa
Yield 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic crushed
2 cups peeled yam cut into 1 ″ cubes
3 cups fresh kale
1 ½ pounds cleaned ostrich
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 medium onion, sliced
2 teaspoons coriander
2 tablespoons red pepper flake
2 cups beef stock
1 cup whole kernel corn
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions: In a large pot on medium heat, add oil then sauté garlic one minute. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer covered for 30 minutes. Serve warm.
Papayas are large oblong shaped tropical fruits with thin skin that are golden yellow when they are ripe and ready to eat. The fruit will be slightly soft to the touch and ripe papayas can be yellow, orange, pink or red, depending on the variety. Most people only eat flesh of the papaya, but you can also create tasty teas from the small, black seeds in the cavity of the papaya. Drying is the oldest method of preserving food. The first European settlers in America often ate dried corn, apple, currants, grapes and meat. Drying eliminates moisture from the food resulting in a longer food life. Organisms that make food spoil require moisture to survive, so foods that have been completely dried have the longest life. Look for richly colored papayas that give slightly to palm pressure. Scoop the seed from the papaya. The seeds are encased in a gelatinous envelope, I find it best to break them and wash the seed thoroughly. Allow the seeds to dry to completely dry about three days on the counter top. Grind seeds using a food processor or coffee grinder ground papaya seeds have the same consistency as finely ground coffee.
Afrikaans (af-ri-kahns) 101
South Africa is currently holding it’s elections and The African National Congress (ANC) nominee is Jacob Zuma. Afrikaans, spoken in the countries of South Africa and Namibia, and is one of the 11 official languages of South Africa. Some common words in Afrikaans are:
1.Verbaas- Amaze
2. Aard- Nature
3. Hok- Cage
4. Indeks- Index
5. Kaai- Jetty
6. Jy- You
7. Lam- Lamb
8. Papaja- Papaya
9. Regeer- Govern
10. Sap- Juice
Spoken in the African countries of Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Swahili is also one of the offical languages of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda About 35% of the Swahili vocabulary derives from the Arabic language. Disney’s animated film The Lion King contains several Swahili references. “Simba”, the main character’s name, means lion. Gene Roddenberry took the name of Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek from the Swahili word uhuru meaning “freedom”. The game ‘Jenga’ (a test of physical dexterity involving the deconstruction of a tower of finely balanced wooden blocks) is derived from the Swahili word ‘kujenga’, the Swahili verb “to build”; Jenga! “Build!”, being the imperative form of the verb.
Other common Swahili words:
1. Mafumbo- Enigma
2. Ari- Pride
3. Via- Vine
Photo USAID E. Warming/EGPAF
Mbaara ti ûcûrû -Gikuyu
Vita si uji -Swahili
War is not porridge -English
-Gikuyu Kenyan Proverb
Numbering about 6 million Gikuyu are the largest ethnic group in Kenya. Swahili is one of the official languages of Kenya and is the only language of African origin among the official working languages of the African Union. Traditionally among the Gikuyu people in Kenya porridge was the main beverage and was usually used to welcome visitors at home. It was also used as breakfast before people dispersed to attend to their various chores. As such porridge taking was a common, everyday experience. Indeed, whenever there was extra left over at any one sitting people were encouraged to take more of it to their fill. Reflecting on war, the Gikuyu people concluded that unlike porridge war should never be encouraged but be avoided and therefore be made a less frequent affair. This is the moral of the proverb whereby war, a destructive and non-beneficial thing, is contrasted with porridge, a good thing.
