Fresh take on African Food

Fresh take on African Food
Get to know the recipes of Africa.

Pro Tips and African Recipes

Welcome to our African Food Love blog, where we take you on a culinary journey through the rich and diverse flavors of the continent. From the spicy stews of North Africa to the colorful and aromatic dishes of West Africa, we aim to showcase the unique ingredients and cooking techniques that make African cuisine so special. Through our blog, we'll share recipes, stories, and cultural insights that will transport you to the heart of the African kitchen. Whether you're a seasoned foodie or a curious beginner, we invite you to join us on this adventure and discover the many tastes of Africa.

Get to know Africa from her African food recipes

Tell Us If You Like These 140 African Food Recipes.

Faba Bean Description and Recipe

Ancient Egyptian Vicia Faba Bean Plant Description and Recipe.

Egyptian Vicia Faba bean young pods are eaten as snap beans or cooked and eaten as vegetables.


Egyptian Vicia Faba Bean Plant
Egyptian Vicia Faba Bean Plant 


The family Leguminosae or bean families of plants are an important family of flowering plants that feed the world. The Vicia Faba plant is a lesser-known member of the bean family and is known by many names; gerenge in Ethiopia, Kikuyu bean in Kenya, lubia in Sudan, Vicia Faba bean, and poor man's bean. The Vicia Faba bean is a spreading, warm-season plant that can grow up to 6 feet tall.

The Vicia Faba bean is a plant native to Africa. The seeds contain large amounts of vitamins and minerals and preparing Vicia Faba beans involves first removing the beans from their pods, then steaming or boiling the beans, either whole or after parboiling them to loosen their exterior coating, which is then removed.In Egypt, the Vicia Faba bean plant is considered a traditional food. The Vicia Faba bean plant; the leaves and pods are cooked, the flowers are eaten raw or steamed, dried seeds are used in soups and stews or to make the most delicious Egyptian dish Ful medames.

The seeds can be white, cream, pale brown, dark brown, red, black, or mottled depending on the variety. Vicia Faba plant is simple to establish and easy to manage under harsh subsistence conditions producing high yields and resisting droughts. Vicia Faba plant pods of the culinary type are popular vegetables in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and elsewhere in the Asian tropics.

They are eaten like green beans or snow peas. Seeds in India the dried seeds are split like lentils and used in making dhal, the major protein source for millions of the populace. They are also sprouted, soaked in water, shelled, boiled, and smashed into a paste, which is fried with spices and used as a condiment.

In Africa, Vicia Faba seeds are cooked in any of the ways commonly used for beans: boiled with corn, ground and fried, or added to soups. In Egypt, Vicia Faba seeds are used in preparing the popular fried bean cake called Ta'ameyya.

Vicia Faba plant is a popular food for rural peoples of southern India, for instance, its pods and seeds supply much of the daily protein. The sprouts are said to compare in flavor and quality with those of mung bean. 

The leaves and flowers are consumed like spinach beyond being a prolific food producer; Vicia Faba thrives on relatively acid soil of low fertility and high aluminum toxicity.

Its penetrating roots draw nourishment from deep below the surface. In addition, this vigorous legume improves the land’s nitrogen content through the action of the highly active beneficial bacteria residing in nodules on its roots.

Having been cultivated since ancient times, Vicia Faba plant as food has reached a high degree of development throughout Egypt and Africa.


Egyptian Fava Bean Dip with Fresh Cumin Recipe


Egyptian Fava Bean Dip with Fresh Cumin Recipe


Ingredients

2 ½ cups cooked fava beans1 medium onion, diced

4 crushed garlic cloves

½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds

½ cup of water

Lemon juice from 1 large lemon

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

Salt and pepper to taste 
 

Directions

Chop the onion very finely. Heat 1-tablespoon olive oil and sauté the onion for about 3-5 minutes until soft. Add garlic and cumin seeds sauté another minute. Add fava beans to a food processor. Add the onion mixture, about ¾ of the cooking water or plain water, lemon juice, olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Process until very smooth, stopping the food processor a few times in between and scraping its walls properly. Adjust the consistency with some of the remaining water, if necessary. Add more salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.

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African Food Love recipe secrets for kitchen success.

Simple Cooking Tips

Make sure your cooking work area has good lighting so you can safely see what you are cutting, seasoning and cooking.

Get comfortable with the recipe, read it all the way through. Always read and re-read your recipes before you start cooking.

Season and taste as you go. Always taste your food before seasoning.

Spices and herbs are essential to African food cooking and baking. Keep your spices away from sources of heat like the stove or lights. Herbs and spices can lose their flavor when exposed to humidity and heat.

Recipes are only a guideline so feel free to substitute items that you like.

When cooking with chili peppers, protect your hands and eyes by wearing rubber gloves. Or coat your hands in vegetable oil and wash them with soap and water immediately after handling.