african cuisine magazine june 2013

AfricanAll The Goodness of Africa

CUISINEMagazine Celebra�ng the Best of Africa’s Food & Drink in the DiasporaJUNE 2013 Vol. 1 No. 4

FEMI ELUFOWOJU JRON RETURNING TO THE STAGE,

MEETING THE QUEENAND THE JOYS OF

AFRICAN FOOD

RESTAURANT OF THE MONTHA TASTE OF SOMALIA

MADE IN DIASPORA

TASTE TEST

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3Magazine Celebrating the Best of Africa’s Food & Drink in the Diaspora


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other regulars

CONTENTS JUNE 2013

LAST WORDTai Ola Olutayo on ‘Chop’ ‘Chilli and Live’

BEER & BEVERAGE

OUT&ABOUT

CELEBRITY TABLETALKFemi Elufowoju Jr

MADE IN DIASPORAa look at compe�ng products made in

the Diaspora

EATING OUTa n e n c h a nt i n g fo ray i n to t h e b e st o f S o m a l i c u i s i n e

cover image courtesy Tiata Fahodzi

FEMI AWOWADE

4 Magazine Celebrating the Best of Africa’s Food & Drink in the Diaspora


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Feed Me Jor!Dear Editor,I browsed the May 2013 edi�on of the magazine online and my kids who have never been to Nigeria were appalled at the picture whereby both hands were being used to press something that looks like pounded yam. The picture on page 24 of 36 is a misnomer to accompany that literary masterpiece wri�en by Joy Obinyan. You may wish to advice them to remove the picture.

Regards,Femi Akinwunmi via Facebook

Editor’s Reply: Thank you Femi for your very candid observa�on. Indeed, the picture is probably one that would not be seen in an African kitchen where pounded yam is eaten. That your kids were embarrassed by the two hands prodding the pounded yam is a sa�sfying indica�on that even in the Diaspora, African children do know how to handle their African cuisine. And how to eat it with relish!

Professional ethics prevents us from altering contents of a published publica�on even if as it is in a digital format except in excep�onal circumstances. However, we offer you a different Pounded yam image - without prodding fingers!

CONNECTCOMMENTS.LETTERS.OPINIONS.FEEDBACK

RANDOM COMMENTSvia FACEBOOK Twi�er Pinterest Tumblr

Richard George on African Cuisine Magazine tweet regarding Africa’s exo�c delights|Sunday Food|chinadaily.com.cnwww.chinadaily.com.cn

Hmmm! A big and diverse African con�nent with a variety of menus and foods contributes to this scenario or state of iner�a? Other factors include the level of awareness out there about the richness of African foods as in both health and nutri�onal value? Economies of scale is also a huge factor. Food packaging, presenta�on, environment and import restric�ons into the developed economies to name but a few play a crucial role in ensuring African restaurants and their exo�c delights being flaunted with panache in the same way China foods have enjoyed is yet to catch on and perhaps African govts need to do more on a collabora�ve framework!! Oh, and ofcourse there’s the small ma�er of supply and demand & patrio�sm? In china or the chinese even though can cook their own meals, take delight in ea�ng out in chinese restau-rants. Africans find such prac�ce in exercising their taste buds rather expensive plus “home cooking” can some�mes be unbeatable!!!

CREDITS: We would like to give photo credits to Ailsa Laxton in Harper, Liberia for the photographs used for Maggie Thindwa’s Liberia report [ May 2013 edi�on].

African Cuisine Magazine www.AfricanCuisineMagazine.com h�ps://twi�er.com/african_cuisine



It’s always a pulsa�ng pace towards the berthing of every edi�on of African Cuisine Magazine. The cycle starts with a review of the previous issue and discussing with our team members how to further meet our mission - to celebrate the best of Africa’s food and drink in the Diaspora. That mission includes reaching out to others in the food industry to forge partnerships and spread the goodness of African food and drink.

And so it was that we joined a huge crowd of foodie-types at Jamie Oliver’s Fi�een restaurant in London to mark Food Revolu�on Day on May 17 2013. Food Revolu�on aims to show and teach the pleasures of cooking. It was a very enjoyable day with a range of cuisines [sadly no African!] and a live demonstra�on by Jamie, cooking a sumptous Fish dish. DJ BBQ was also on hand to cook his famous meat dishes and to add verve to the show through his vey animated commentary. We also went out&about to the London Memorial held in honour of dis�nguished novelist, Chinua

Achebe. Somalia, and its sister territory Somaliland were in the news recently following a London conference

to discuss its affairs. Well, we heard that UK Prime Minister, Dave Cameron had breakfast with the Somali President in a Somali restaurant. With much thanks to ‘friend of the house’ Deeq Yussuf, we tro�ed to The Village in Fulham where we were treated to a fine meal in joyful

ambience.

New voices: we welcome Scrabble champion and Foodie-per-excellence Femi Awowade and documentary priducer/drama�st Tai Ola Olutayo to our stable as contributors.

I hope you will enjoy this our fourth issue as much as we have enjoyed pu�ng it together.

enjoy your belleful!

MICHAEL O BANJO june one 2013

African Cuisine Magazine www.AfricanCuisineMagazine.com h�ps://twi�er.com/african_cuisine

the monthly update

DJ BBQ was also on hand to cook his famous meat dishes



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NEWS & REPORTSUN, Slow Food movement sign agreement to promote ‘gastronomy of libera�on’ in developing world

By Agence France-PresseWednesday, May 15, 2013 15:20 EDT

Topics: Carlo Petrini � FAO � Slow Food The UN food agency and the gastronomic and ecological movement Slow Food signed an agreement on Wednesday for joint work on promo�ng small farmers and local recipes around the world that they hope will put Africa on the gourmet map.

“I call it the gastronomy of libera�on,” said Carlo Petrini, the founder of the Italy-based movement, holding up an African recipe booklet as a first example of collabora�on between the two.

Petrini said Africa had seen “gastronomic colonialism” in which local cooking was spurned in favour of Bri�sh, French or Italian cuisines.

“There will be pleasant surprises in the years to come. There will be more local chefs who will be proud of their indigenous cuisine,” Petrini said.

The three-year agreement will see the Food and Agriculture Organisa�on (FAO) and Slow Food carry out joint campaigns to highlight neglected food crops, promote local culinary tradi�ons and help train agronomists to work on small family farms.

FAO director general Jose Graziano da Silva said promo�ng local produc�on and consump�on would help reduce the recent vola�lity seen in food prices, because fewer products would enter the interna�onal food distribu�on system.

“Small farming can be part of the solu�on to global food insecurity,” he said at a joint press conference with Petrini at the foreign press club in Rome a�er the signature of the agreement.

Petrini, whose movement has a�racted thousands of foodie followers in developed countries and helps promote sustainable farming in the developing world, said the deal with FAO came at a “historically important �me” for the food industry.

“We have lost our way. We have closed ourselves up in (television cookery show) ‘Masterchef’ and other self-referen�al formats,” he said, adding: “Gastronomy is not just about beau�ful food.”

The Federal Government has said it would assist export-ers of non oil products to address the bo�lenecks associ-

ated with ex-ports of food produce to European countries.

The move, according to the Minister of Industry,

Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, would help to facilitate trade to the United Kingdom and countries in the European Union.

Aganga stated this at a workshop and exhibi�on on export of Nigerian food produce to the UK. The work-shop, with theme ‘Export of food produce to the United Kingdom’ was organised by the Nigerian Export Promo-�on Council (NEPC).

The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Dauda Kigbu, said the ca-pacity building workshop would also help to reduce com-plaints by exporters regarding the rejec�on of tradi�onal food exports by the UK Border Agency.

He said: “In view of the strict importance a�ached to interna�onally accepted procedures and documenta�on, especially where food consumables are concerned, this workshop could not have come at a be�er period-more so, as the na�on looks to diversifying its economic base from oil to non oil.

“The impera�ve remains that our exporters have to update themselves and adhere to new condi�ons for the export of food produce recently issued by the Director General of European Commission’s Health and Consumer Directorate in Brussels.”

Also speaking at the event, the EU Head, Import Control Agency, UK, Mr. Michael Glavin, said for the country to fully harness the poten�al of non oil export, challenges such as compliance with EU laws and agriculture process-ing needed to be addressed.

He said: “One of the reasons why we are here is to advise and to give more informa�on to Nigerian exporters on how European Union laws can be interpreted and give as much advise and follow ups as to how Nigerian exporters can improve compliance over the next period of months to facilitate trade coming into the UK because if you can come into the UK, you are also en�tled to come into

Nigeria: FG to Remove Barrier On Food Export to Europe



CUISINEother 31 countries as well.

“We are looking at infrastructure because Nigeria exports fish very well to UK and EU. We are looking to making sure on how to advise how meat exports could be looked at, we are looking to advice on what we call cri�cal control points in Nigeria agriculture industry and in the processing side of the industry to bring it up to line with EU laws.”

The NEPC Execu�ve Secretary, Mr. David Adulugba, who

also spoke at the event, said with the workshop, the country would begin to witness a quantum leap in the volume of non oil export.

“The Bri�sh market consistently tops the first 10 chart list of importers of Nigerian goods, and in any case, they have been our tradi�onal trading partner of old. We are looking at it from superla�ve terms now. Whatever it is now we want to make it 100 per cent higher. It is no longer going to be business as usual, we must move higher this �me around,” he added.

Ground-breaking study into peanut allergy

Do you have a peanut allergy? You could be part of a ground-breaking clinical study commissioned by the FSA that will iden�fy, for the first �me, how sensi�v-ity to peanut is altered by external factors including exercise and stress.

The three-year TRACE study will be led by Dr An-drew Clark, allergy consultant at Addenbrooke’s, which is part of Cambridge University Hospitals.

Peanut allergies affect 200,000 to 400,000 people and approximately 1 in 50 children, in the UK.

People with a peanut allergy sought

Dr Clark, and his colleagues Dr Robert Boyle and Professor Steven Durham from Imperial College, Dr Isabel Skypala from Royal Brompton Hospital, and Professor Clare Mills from the University of Man-chester, are looking for people with a peanut allergy to par�cipate in the study for a year.

The researchers will invite about 100 peanut-aller-gic people from a cross-sec�on of the popula�on. These individuals will undergo ‘challenges’ under varying condi�ons to find out how sensi�vity to pea-nut is altered by external factors, including exercise and stress (which in this study will be caused by sleep depriva�on).

First of its kind in the UK

According to Dr Clark, this study is the first of its kind globally. ‘It will not only bring reassurance to the thousands of people who are allergic to peanuts but offers a blueprint for improving food labelling for a whole variety of food,’ he said.

Food Standards Agency head of food allergens Sue Ha�ersley added: ‘This important study will inform food allergen labelling and improve advice to con-sumers to help them be�er manage their allergy.’

The Anaphylaxis Campaign will also be involved in the study. Its CEO, Lynne Regent, said: ‘Labelling about allergen cross contamina�on risks is a major concern for anyone living with severe food allergy. The study will help to inform the food industry and have a posi�ve impact upon the lives of food allergic individuals.’

About peanut allergy and labelling

During manufacturing, non-peanut products may be contaminated by peanut residue from food made on the same machinery. Food manufacturers generally use ‘may contain nuts’ warnings because they can’t be sure what level of accidental peanut contami-na�on is safe. People can find this type of label-ling unhelpful, because it is not based on scien�fic evidence.

This will help improve ‘may contain traces’ type la-belling, making it easier for people to decide which foods are safe to eat. It could also be a blueprint for a whole range of other studies on nuts and other foodstuffs.

How to register

Men and women aged 18-45, with a peanut allergy, are eligible to register. Par�cipants will receive up to £800 for a�ending eight sessions at one of the two sites for the study: Addenbrooke’s in Cambridge or the Royal Brompton in London.

You can find out more informa�on, including how to register, on the TRACE website, via the link on the right.

AUTHENTIC ITY

moinmoin in its natural garments



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Kayitesi Anne Marie Ngarambe, wife of Rwanda’s Ambassador to China F. Xavier Ngarambe. Feng Yongbin / China Daily

The beau�ful lady in front of me, with p e r f e c t hair and a br i l l iant ly hued silk d r e s s ,

doesn’t look like part of a building crew for the Great Khan. But Kayitesi Anne Marie Ngarambe, the new president of the Group of African Ambassadors’ Spouses, is bright-eyed and eager as she talks about her club’s next project.“We will be going to the Great Wall in March - some of us haven’t been there yet,” she says. “We will go to one of the unrestored areas to help with the wall repairs. It will be a day of some work, but it will be very exci�ng for us.”When F. Xavier Ngarambe was posted as Rwanda’s ambassador to China in 2010, an exo�c journey also began for his wife and children, three of whom are university students in Beijing.“The beginning is hard because a lot of things are new,” she says.“While you are trying to learn the language, the culture and to get familiar with useful places you also have to be a real partner of the ambassador and be with him in almost all func�ons - without forge�ng to help your children who also have to adjust with the new environment.“A�er some �me you get more organized and you start enjoying life in Beijing.“I am fascinated to see so many smiling and friendly faces. I am very impressed by how mul�cultural the

place is and by the extraordinary economic progress, with such a modern, well-developed infrastructure,” she adds.Official du�es don’t always keep her in Beijing. “I have had a chance to visit places like Shanghai, Shenzhen, Yunnan and Guangzhou,” she says. “I also enjoyed Hainan province, especially Dongshan mountain in Haikou, and Yuntai mountain in Henan (province).”GAAS was organized 30 years ago as a social club, she notes. “Spouses can be lonely in a new pos�ng, especially where the language and culture are very different. So the group is a way to bring people together,” she says.

AFRICAN CUISINE IN THE FAR EASTAmbassadors’ Spouses and the African Kitchen in China



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When in China, eat like an African!We are simply, by popular demand the best African food and Carib-bean food provider and culinary services provider with experience that spans over a decade serving the Afro-Caribbean Community in Beijing with original African food as it is from motherland - Africa We are located in the heart of town, Chaoyang District by the popular Yashow Clothing Market in the midst of oversea embassy areas, just about 5 minutes walk from Worker’s Stadium, home of Bejing most popular clubs - Mix and Vics.

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The spouses all share common backgrounds and an eagerness to adapt to their new surroundings, to explore the country and culture, and to represent their own countries effec�vely.Several members will soon begin mee�ng weekly with a tutor to prac�ce Chinese language and pain�ng.“We are all women, spouses of African ambassadors,” she says. “The only African male spouse of a female ambassador is not an ac�ve member of our group.”There are more than 50 African countries with widely varying tradi�ons and languages - she herself speaks several tongues from her home con�nent as well as fluent French and English.Her colleagues are excited to be going to Hainan later in February, a�er the Spring Fes�val break, where they will visit one of the chari�es they made a contribu�on to last year.“We are not a charity organiza�on, we are a social club,” she says. “But we like to organize at least one big event per year, some kind of cultural exchange.” These events involve selling �ckets and perhaps food or cra�s, she says, and the proceeds are donated to chari�es.“Our special target groups are women and children

in need,” she says. “The only limita�on is our own capability.”Such events are good opportuni�es to showcase African culture and to promote Sino-Africa cultural exchanges, she adds.Past charity ac�vi�es included a food fes�val two years ago, at which the several dozen spouses cooked for the crowd at a hotel recep�on. This year, GAAS will sponsor an art fes�val, with exhibi�ons by African and Chinese ar�sts over three days in May.Ambassadors and their families are typically posted for about four years, although Sudan’s just-departed Ambassador to China Mirghani Mohamed Salih was in Beijing for almost a decade, making his wife Nadia Ahmed Salih the dean of the spouses group.Who is the longest-serving member now?“It’s not me, I’m sure,” she says with a smile. “But we’ll have to figure that out at our next mee�ng.”

[email protected]

Culled from interview by Michael Peters on ChinaDaily.com

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THE CHINUA ACHEBE MEMORIALFriends, family, associates and admirers of departed novelist, Chinua Achebe gathered on Saturday 19 May 2013 at the Millwall Football Club Func�on Room in Bermondsy, south London, to celebrate his life. Here are pictures taken at the event which was compered by May 2013 African Cuisine Magazine

Celebrity TableTalk, Collins Archie-Pearce.

OUT&ABOUT

Left, Collins Archie-Pearce talking with a guest Music - a highlight of Achebe’s literature



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Members of Anambra Women’s Group were present

THE CHINUA ACHEBE LONDON MEMORIAL



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The Biography of Food No. 4 :

Scotch Bonnet



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See, Ata Rodo is actually Scotch Bonnet; a variety of chili pepper which is a close relative of Habanero. However, they’re not quite the same and the similarities are just a few – but vital.

Once and for all, here are the points of difference between the Scotch Bonnet a.k.a Ata Rodo or Jamaican pepper

and Habanero Chili:Birthplace – Scotch Bonnet is cultivated in Guyana, Maldives and West Africa while Habanero is believed to be discovered by Spaniards and heavily cultivated in South AmericaJust based on the geography alone, we now know which of these two closely-related pepper species Africans use in our soups and stews.Heat Rating – According to Wikipedia, while Jalapeno has a heat rating of 2,500 to 8,000 and is aeons milder than scotch bonnet and habanero which packs a punch at 10,000 to 350,000, its been widely reported by home cooks that scotch bonnet is a notch milder than habanero! – Yes. they’re both REALLY hot but adding one Habanero pepper in the place of 2 Scotch bonnets might be a wise move.Flavor – Of these two, Scotch Bonnet is by far the better tasting pepper.Unlike the edgy, hot habanero, scotch bonnet is fruity and while I had never attempted to eat it raw prior to researching this article (i took two bites of each) I can confirm that there is certainly a citrus-like sour taste which makes the Scotch Bonnet superior.

Keep in MindDepending on whether its ripe or not, the taste may vary. Harvest seasons and cultivation method may also determine taste intensity.

For more on how to cook African dishes seehttp://www.spicebaby.com

HOT is the middle name of many African dishes. To not use ‘pepperr’ or some chillies in food is considered a sin. In some parts of the con�nents, a diet without the intensity of hot peppers is mocked as a passport to an early grave. Hence, different varie�es of peppers abound and are used for different types of dishes. One of the most popular blogs on African food is www.spicebaby.com. In the following contribu�on, you will find a descrip�on of one of the very popular of Africa’s peppers - the Scotch Bonet. Enjoy it - if you dare!

a bowl of peppersoup owes its fierce repu-tation toi loads of scotch bonnets

LOCATION

Live Snails for sale at Brixton MarketSouth London, England

who wears the crown?

African

African_Cuisine African Cuisine Magazine www.AfricanCuisineMagazine.comAfrican Cuisine Magazine

All The Goodness of Africa

CUISINEMAGAZINE

Celebra�ng the Best of African Cuisine in the Diaspora

RECOGNISING THE BEST, RAISING THE STANDARD



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It was meant to be a table talk - at dinner - over Femi Elufowoju’s favourite African food. Instead, it was s�ll an engaging chat during a break from rehearsals for his first perfromance on stage in eighteen years.

The last �me that Femi Elufowoju Jr acted on stage was as Sanda -- a university drop-out, “La Plaza” security guard, and leader of the Area Boys in the very successful play, Bea�fica�on of Area Boy by Wole Soyinka. It has been remarked that Femi played the role ‘with great, if some�mes excessive, cockiness and suavity such that the character Sanda alone seems to understand the situa�on in both Lagos and Nigeria as a whole. Mee�ng Femi recently on the set of another engaging stage portrayal, what actually emerged is that fic�on actually mirrored the reality of his life in that the Area Boy Sanda had dropped out of university, one year short of gradua�ng. I asked him him if ever thought fic�on interfered with reality. As he reminisced, the affable and energe�c Theatre Director had actually studied for a Law degree at the then University of Ife, now Obefemi Awolowo University. In his own words, ‘I was asked to leave in my third year of the course’. He had always been an ar�s�c and crea�ve youngperson, somewhat taking a�er his fater, Femi Elufowoju Jr, an accomplished photogrpaher, visual ar�st and academic who worked at the university. Femi says his parents and other ‘stakeholders’ in his life had nudged and encouraged him to study Law although he had been admi�ed to study English. This was to turn into a major crisis as Femi was rather interested in other things.

Promptly as he se�led into campus life, he formed Beat It Organisia�on with a handful of other undergraduates. Beat It Organisa�on was an urban dance group. It aped the contemporary performance of Michael Jackson and produced well-choreographed and colourful produc�ons at Oduduwa Hall, the university’s equivalent of London’s South Bank Centre which had Wole Soyinka as its Chair. Femi is certain is Beat It ac�vi�es may have affected how his fledgling Law career fared. Of course, he admits, academic performance was affected. It did not help, Femi

argues, that the authori�es in the Law faculty - a very conserva�ve ilk even today, about thirty years later - frowned upon a Law student prancing about in leathers and studs!

Arriving back in England in 1985, a�er the termina�on of his legal studies, he tried again to give it a last shot through Holbor Law Tutors. It proved fu�le and, in 1990, Femi went to Leeds to read Drama. And that is the nexus of experience where we meet him on the set of LIONBOY. Back in stage eighteen years a�er that fabulous role as Sanda, Area Boy in Bea�fica�on of Area Boy. Having seen him then, it is quite tantalising to see him in ac�on once again. He is excited too, talking about the new play with such gusto one

is almost blown over. Femi said he told the play’s director she was taking a risk with him on account of his eighteen year stage hiatus. Don’t be taken over by his modesty. He rocks on stage. Like an old glove he fits snuggly into the rou�nes, comfortably pulling off the delicate role of father, scien�st and vic�m in his role as father to the central character of Lion Boy, played by Adetomiwa Edun. Adetomiwa himself is an enigma.

Off stage, Femi is an accomplished Theatre Director with many produc�ons under his belt. He founded Tiata Fahodzi in 1997 as a pla�orm for Africans in Bri�sh theatre. Femi is a vocal campainger for theatre as a whole and nore so for minori�es. Notably, it has been noted that there is a dearth of Black actors in Bri�sh television, a point demonstrably obvius at the 2013 BAFTA Awards where not one black performer was nominated! Femi makes the point that the lack of nomina�ons is due to a fundamental supply issue - insufficient number of performers equals to lack of opportunity to excel. He con�nues to push the case for enlarging the field for Black perfomers including as Producers and Directors.

I ask his how his career has been influenced by his earlier foray in the Law. Taking a moment to consider, he said the answe he gives seems to chamnge every fove years. He laughs and says at the present �me, he would say there are two perspec�ves. One is that he has been able to do what he really enjoys doing [even if he isn’t a mul�millionaire yet!]. The other is the quiet feeling he gets wondering

CELEBRITY TABLE TALK FEMI ELUFOWOJU JR

ON RETURNING TO THE STAGE, MEETING THE QUEEN AND THE JOYS OF AFRICAN FOOD



CUISINEthat he entered the industry later than many of his contemporaries and thus having to catch-up in his early days.

What inspires you, I asked him? He said he loves produc�ons that fire the imagina�on. He sees stories as vehicles that convey meaning to society. He stressed that he draws inspira�on from Africa’s rich tapestry of cultural, social and poli�cal experiences. Then I asked him about fulfilment. He paused and smiled. Well, having rela�vely entered the trade at a mature age - trying to be a lawyer and all that - and then thinking about the circular journey of birth in England, growing up and educa�on in Nigeria, then

back to the Unitd Kingdom, Femi says it’s a mixed bag but on the whole he is pleased at the recogni�on he has received in the industry. He says many regard him a a maverick character. I suggested perhaps being an actor and ar�s�c director suited his temprament and allued to the late Fela Ku� and his aborted medical studies. Femi shook his head saying he coold not lay claim to be as brave as the iconoclas�c musician. He did conceed that he might have a li�le bother with the authori�es if he had been in the legal profession. And of course, Femi has been here and there! Including Buckingham Place to meet Her Majesty Quen Elizabeth. Here, he started to laugh. He then narrated how he had experienced first-hand the swi� hand of the law and the security services. He had gone for the event in his flowing Yoruba robes - agbada and all. When the Queen came to him, she said she would like to know what he did. At this point, a�er telling her, he reached deep into the pockets of his agbada to bring out and show Her Majesty a leaflet promo�ng his current produc�on. She didn’t get to see it as, according to Femi, it was as if spirits came out of thin air to promptly prevent his hands from leaving his bossom.

Such it is one can safely say he hadn’t rehearsed well enough for the performance!.

Which brings us to Femi’s current stage role as the scien�st father in Lion Boy. Lion Boy comes out of three books of the same �tle detailing the adventure of Lion Boy. The story is that Charlie is a young child who is able to speak to cats (and all felines) due to an incident involving a leopard cub’s blood when he was a baby. He lives in London with his parents,Ghanaian dad, Dr. Aneba Ashan� [played by Femi Elufowoju Jr] and English mum, Professor Magdalen Stark, both of whom are scien�sts working on a cure for asthma and other allergies caused by contact with felidae

family.Charlie is played by Adetomiwa Edun, who famously acted as Sir Elyan in the BBC television show Merlin. His parents, as a result of their scien�fic discoveries, are kidnapped by a pharmaceu�cal company known mysteriously as the Corporacy. Charlie, closely avoiding being kidnapped himself, sets out to find them with the help of a floa�ng circus with a pride of big cats.

It’s a fascina�ng story and is suited for audiences from 8 years old. The produc�on company, Complicite is working with a number of theatres for a busy run of shows during the summer.

Femi [and Adetomiw who dropped by during my chat with his stage dad] talk about the energy of the cast and the poignant message about power and the role of corpora�ons in modern society cannot be missed. A thrilling, hard-edged fantasy with superb stagecra�.

Bit we couldn’t end without asking our celebrity guest his African food story. Ha! And he immediately sent us a wis�ul journey back in �me, back to the motherlabd. You heard it here : Femi Elufowoju loves Akara Elepo [Bean cakes fried in palm oil] especially if you can bring them from a place called Osu near the town of Ilesa, Osun State, Nigeria. And, oh yes, Iyan [Pounded Yam]! LIONBOY is showing at various theatres across the United Kingdom. www.compliite.org

SUMMER’S nearly HERE...

another joke shared by African Cuisine Magazine

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MADE IN DIASPORAa look at African Food & Drink products made in the Diaspora

Plantain Crisps are part of the staple snack of many people across Africa. It’s not surprising that some enterprenuers have cottoned onto this fact and are making the crisps in the Diaspora. We found as cou-ple and asked ssome volunteers to do a Taste Test.

The test is quite simple as it tries to establish if the product does what it says it will. For our volunteers the task is to score the product as follows on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the maximum satisfaction.

1. Packaging 3.5 2. Nutriional Informa�on 3 3. Crispness 2.54. Taste 45. Flavour 2.5 16.5

1. Packaging 52. Nutri�onal Informa�on 53. Crispness 44. Taste 45. Flavour 2 20

BMAC New Delicious PLANTAIN CRISPS

Chilli Flavour

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WINE & BEVERAGE REPORT

LAST MONTH, we concluded with advice on how to open the cham-pagne bo�le. Well, I have news for you. About champagne. The Nigeri-ans are at it again. According to ac-tual figures [cases shipped and con-sumed] and projec�ons, with new figures, champagne consump�on in Nigeria will reach 1.1 million litres by 2017. It is believed that in 2011 Nige-rians drank almost 8bn naira (£31m)

worth of the pricey fizz. So, you see, my advice on how to open the bo�le comes at the right �me.

These interes�ng figures, from research company Eurom-onitor, found that Nigeria had the fastest growing rate of new champagne consump�on in the world, second only to France, and ahead of rapid growth na�ons Brazil and China, and established markets such as the US and Aus-tralia.

Why is this happening? Yes, you will hear a lot about the new middle class, return of Diasporans to their home-lands and general prosperity. I dont’ buy it. There’s only one reason - democracy. Or as our Nigerian folk call it - the dividends of democracy. Look at it this way: Nigeria emerged into civil rule and with it turned away from the military style of governance where a senior officer ruled with a handful of civilians as heads of state agencies. Put simply, the milk didn’t go round well enough.

Come 1999 and the juices of the poli�cal cream turn into a veritable gravy train. Overnight, a swathe of public office holders with chunky expense accounts appeared in every local and state capital. Of course, at the Federal centre in Abuja, the President himself once scolded a meddlesome Minister that he should calm down a�erall, it was he as

President that invited the Honourable Minister to ‘come and chop’. I daresay, he forgot to add that the poli�cal eucharist also required sizeable chalices of champagne.So it is that that the rise and rise of champagne popping has entered popular culture with young entertainers drenching the half-naked bodies of their dancers with ef-ferverscent Bubby. And that’s when they sgtart to croon about popping champagne!

Of course, there is a complaint that a country where more than half live on less than $1 daily is at odds with this record of expensive drinking. That s�ll leaves the other half -about 80 million people surviving on £1.01 daily. Got it? Whichever way you look at it, Nigeria is a huge country whose ci�zens have a zest for enjoying life that cannot be compared with most other countries. Only last week, a top government official in the bustling Lagos metropolis affirmed that Lagosians spent over One billion naira [£500k] on par�es every month! And that does not include government func�ons where the a�er par�es are so hedonis�c that no decent person would stay for the second bo�le of champagne.

I don’t care who drinks champagne as long as I have not paid for it. But I do care how it’s drunk. Sadly, as our friends in Lagos reach the stratosphere of champagne drinking, the beau�ful drink has started to suffer humilia�on and disdain. And it was whren I saw someone pour a can of Red Bull into a mug of Champagne that I realised how suc-cess can bear its own albatross.

Someone needs to show our brothers how to treat a drink of champagne. To mix it with an energy drink amounts to saying ‘b***s***’ to the drink that means so much to every connoseuir.

It’s me saying Drink Responsibly.

The Grating Sound of the 8 Billion Naira Champagne Record

MICHAEL O BANJO



CUISINE

JOY OBINYAN

They say you never know the strenght of a tea bag �ll its put in hot water. Serious psyching. At least that’s what I said in my head.

It was just 8pm at night and to some people

the night was young. For a young corper new to the world of paid employment, it was late and there was a desperate urgency to get home.

I was able to secure a space on the last roll of a coaster bus and safely placed my leg at a vantage point so as to protect my recently okada burnt leg which had formed a huge map and s�ll gave me problems when I walked. I’m almost home I kept saying to myself as the bus finally took off from the bus stop.

The bus was just approaching maza maza bridge when the bus suddenly stopped and pandemonium broke out within the bus. Everyone was scrambling for the doors of the coaster bus climbing over each other and like the typical Nigerian that I was, I joined in the race for the doors. It wasn’t un�l I got outside the bus that I heard what was being shouted and why everyone was panicking.

OLÈ!!!

I was at a disadvantage, what with my 1 and 1/2 leg I tried to get away. Even the massively over weight iya who happened to be on the same seat with me managed to overtake me.

With my heart in my mouth I ran. I felt a pull on my

hair and screamed. He tugged on my bag and for the life of me I could not leg go. As I played tug of war with the robber I purposed in my heart that he won’t leave with my handbag.

For one, the bag was new - just 4 days old. My NYSC card was in my bag, without which I wouldn’t be

able to pass out. - passing out parade was just 1 week away; and I was AWOL in

Lagos. The odds were against me. Struggle and risk death or leave the

bag and spend another year ‘serving my country’in the North. Hell No.

While being dragged into the bush, me s�ll clutching my handbag like my life was

a�ached to it, the blows started.

With every strike my a�acker shouted, you want to die abi? The blows eventually stopped. 5he police camr anf I headed straight to the hospital.

I could only see my parents through one eye as the other was swollen shut.

Was I stupid? I think I was. Would I do it again? I probably would.

The sensible thing to do would’ve been to let it go but by that singular rebellion against the possibility of death I gained a new respect amongst my peers and family.

I realised that day that I was a Tea Bag.

Bigjoe’s World http://bigjoesworld.blogspot.co.uk/

Tea Bags or Ice Cube



CUISINE we review anonymously. we pay for meals

Eating OutRESTAURANT O F T H E M O N T H

Not having ventured into any African restaurant except Nigerian and mainstream Western fare, it was very comfor�ng to have a Somali colleague as guide and intercessor at the Village. We were pleasantly welcomed at the recep�on and shown to the basement to be seated. We were shown the menu and Deeq went into conversa�on with our server. Without much ado, we ordered our starter. Mixed Pla�er of Samosa and falafel with chicken, pineapple & avacado on a bed of salad. Immediately, it was brought, we imagined we would not have space for our main course! And it was delicious, with a fine balance of flavours and textures, the chilled avocados contras�ng with the warm samosas. The sour taste of the falafel also juxtaposed nicely with the tangy-sweet pineapple.No alcohol is served so we had Apple Juice and Cocacola with water. We ordered two main dishes: Sea Bass & Rice/Masago Bawdo Ari & Soor/Masago (Lamb shank & Somali corn maize). We were told the Soor was similar to Ugali, a popular corn mail dough in east and southern Africa only so�er. Hmmmm... We both swapped samples of both meals. The sea bass was excellent, its texture crumbly

but sufficiently firm to afford a chewable enjoyment. And the Lamb shank? Wow! Well, seeing it believing! Quite a monster. It was well-cooked and tasty. The Soor was a revela�on. It was plated in a fine form and set out to appeal to your visual ��la�on. Being used to west African meals and the way they are plated, the Somali layout was a revela�on. The Soor had an earthy wholesomeness that reminded you of meals made in earthen pots under the shade of baobab trees. It sneaked between pounded yam and semolina, daring you to ask for the Nigerian Efo Riro but you knew that was out of the ques�on because the meal had a character of independence that made it just alright.

A�er a hearty meal - without a shred of doubt - we had Somali Milk Tea. Fabulous. No room for dessert though but we could simply go there next �me for just that! Before we le�, our host introduced us to Yussuf, the Chef who we were told was probably the best Somali Chef in London! With Soor and Lamb Shank that good, he’d be�er be. The staff were very welcoming and so we have no doubt it’s a place to take friends for fine company.

The Village Restaurant S O M A L I C U I S I N E

95 Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 8JATel: 0208 741 7453; Mob 07946868639Email:[email protected] Hammersmith, 5 mins walk.

THE BILLMixed starter pla�er feeds three people £11.25Sea Bass & Rice/Masago £11.99Bawdo Ari & Soor/Masago (Lamb shank & Somali corn maize) £11.99Milk Tea/ Somali Tea x 2 £1.20Apple Juice £2.00Coke £1.00TOTAL £39.43



CUISINE

Somali Milk Tea Starter for Three Yussuf, Master of the Somali Stove - Head Chef

MAIN COURSE, Bawdo Ari & Soor/Masago (Lamb shank & Somali corn maize

we review anonymously. we pay for meals

Eating Out



CUISINE

Adver�sing and Partnering Enquiries Email - [email protected]

Call Michael Tel +447450972851Call Meg Tel +447727655669

REPORTING ON IMPORTERS & EXPORTERS, MANUFACTURERS, CATERERS, RESTAURANTS, RETAILERS, REVIEWS AND COMMENTS AND EVERYTHING

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FlamesThat Fan the EmbersFrom whence comewarmth of which in good companyBroke bread and merrilySipped a heart’s satisfaction



CUISINE

Every �me I eat what is called Pounded Yam outside Nigeria, I shake my head and then I swallow and savour the accompanying stew and soup. I apply the philosophy of General Gold Eburu(rtd). The re�red army General likes his Eba and can take it hot or cold. If the Eba is cold, the stew must be hot,

if the Eba is hot, the stew is be�er cold. This thing we eat here in Europe and America is not Pounded Yam and so the accompanying stew must be delicious, meaty or fishy or both!. I shake my head as I remember all the places I have eaten Pounded Yam outside the home se�ng in Nigeria and I yearn to be home again.

Of all the places I have eaten Pounded Yam, Akure town stands out. This was the only place that I actually had 3 square meals of Pounded Yam in a day. My good friend Jalox- Tokunbo Agbetuyi started me on this trend. On the second day that I got into Akure town to report for work in Savannah Bank, Jalox came to my office to take me out for Lunch. We went to a joint down town on a side street off Oba Adesida Road. Having just come from Lagos I told Jalox that it was the best Pounded Yam I had eaten in a long �me. Jalox looked surprised

and said he will take me to another place the next day. And so he took me to the Restaurant opposite the then Central Bank.......The scene here is be�er experienced than described. How can I tell you about the delicious taste of the smooth pounded yam, the so� stock fish I rolled on my tongue, the goat meat with bare bones with a dis�nct goaty taste, Tilapia and Ca�ish nearly of the same size rolling in stew as if they were in water and s�ll alive. And from that day onwards this was ‘the place’ for Lunch in Akure.At some point, my father in-law’s young wife visited

us and my wife took her to this Central Bank Restaurant; she was impressed. Herself a renowned caterer, expert in the cooking of those exo�c Calabar dishes but every �me we were going to visit them in Lagos, she asks my wife to bring along some food from that Central Bank Restaurant. Now you see what I mean.

I am not en�rely sure how I personally came

to have a liking for Pounded Yam but I grew up with the African Yoruba belief that Pounded Yam is the king of food and Amala is the Lieutenant. I like my Amala too. More about that later.Growing up, I remember we all learnt how to pound Yam at the insistence of my Mum. Needless to say that I was always be�er at the ea�ng than at the pounding. Most �mes when any of my Uncles or

femi awowade

MY ROMANCE WITH FOOD



CUISINE

Aun�es visited and it falls on a weekend, Pounded Yam must feature in the menu and we always looked forward to it.

There is good Pounded Yam all over Nigeria. I can only talk about the places I know and that I have sampled, and I am biased to my palate and my taste.When we were in the Great University of Ife, you could eat Pounded Yam and Goat meat at Iya Ondo’s kiosk in the Bukateria for less than One Naira and be really sa�sfied. She was number one. Baba Stevo, Steven Umondak reportedly does not know anywhere else where there is food apart from Iya Ondo’s place. If he is da�ng a new girl, he takes her to Iya Ondo. If he is celebra�ng anything its at Iya Ondo. I gladly accompanied him o�en �mes a�er our classic Scrabble ba�les.

When I worked on the World Bank Agric Development Project In Saki, I first lived with My Uncle Segun Olufidipe who is well known for his love for Pounded Yam. My Uncle says that anybody ea�ng ordinary yam has turned their mouth into a Yam Pounder and is offending the good taste of proper pounded yam. The family believes that the ability to pound Yam properly was one of the criteria that Uncle Segun used to select his lovely wife.

In good old Ibadan, my Pally and I even up �ll now do the rounds any�me I visit. There are many places to enjoy the good food outside of the home se�ng..... Inastrait, Ola Anabi, Iya Soji. Ibukun Olu, Joy and Iya Ope of today. In the early days you go to Iya Ope for Rice and Beans and good Goat meat. They were not good with Pounded Yam.It was however in Saki that I had the legendary once in a life�me experience.....My Pounded Yam chapter. I was the Player/Assistant Team Manager to Mr Wilfred Mckie for our ONADEP CRUSADERS Football Club and we went to a town in Oyo North known as Ilesa Ibariba for a football match. I am sure that Pounded

Yam has something to do with why this town shares a name with the more popular Ilesa town in Osun State which also boasts a close affinity with Good Pounded Yam.It was quite a journey from Saki so we le� early so that we could eat lunch in Ilesa Ibariba before the football match. Tony Awe and Nathaniel Igwubor were probably on the trip.We stopped at a place that looked like a village square. Sixteen Footballers athle�cally built and looking fit( yes we all were!). We located the local cafeteria...a thatched hut.... stacks of yam were to one side freshly dug from the soil...nubile young girls were pounding yam and enjoying their task to

Femi Awowade writes from Milton Keynes, England. Femi known to friends as The Champ is an avid Scrabble player and was African Champion. He is writing his memoirs in which food, football and family feature a lot.

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IN YOUR LOCAL RESTAURANT?

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CUISINEMagazine Celebra�ng the Best of Africa’s Food & Drink in the DiasporaMAY 2013 Vol. 1 No. 3




CUISINE

hings are not easy o v e r here’ is a com-

mon remark, (truth-ful to all intents and purposes!) by millions of Africans in the Diaspora to folks at home, who either, crave for op-portunity to sojourn abroad, or protest the ‘not-enough money’, remi�ed to them, to help meet

the ever growing needs of respec�ve families, rela�ves or friends.But, trust folks at home, such is of-ten met with effusions of apparent understanding - ‘Yeah I know! I know you’re doing your best, it’s just that you know...” What you wouldn’t hear is the cynical aside-“that’s what they all say, ‘it’s not easy’, yet they all stay put”!

Come to think of it, why do we stay put? By Jove, there are ENOUGH rea-sons not to stay put. Oh yes! Is it the heart-in-your-mouth, look-over-your shoulder-fear of immigra�on officers, (if your papers aren’t up to scratch!)?

Is it the back-breaking, “opa-eyin” de-fying, sleep denying, round the clock, almost menial jobs you do, either, un�l you get one that suits your ex-per�se, (if you ever get it), or to raise enough money, to keep up with your instalmental tui�on fees, (if you are a

student)?; Is it the constant indignity you suffer, through the endemic, bla-tant (though some�mes, subterrane-an) racism?; Is it the myriad of daily/weekly/monthly or yearly MUST PAY bills i.e. Transporta�on, Rent, Council Tax, Telephone, Mobile, Broadband, Water, Gas and Electricity? Did I for-get to add the’ pay-by-fire-by-force’ Television License!?; Or is it the bone chilling, teeth cla�ering, blood freez-ing, eye-smar�ng, snow laden, sub-zero winter?

Ah, Winter! It is that part of the sea-sonal weather cycle; when the Afri-can in the Diaspora is tempted to say, ‘Oh God, what am I doing here?’ But, Bless Africa, there is a coping strategy – sufficient, regular use of a ‘CORE’ ingredient, in African Cuisines, es-pecially popular in the West African food circuit – Pepper!.

Now, when I say ‘pepper’, I am not talking about the ‘big-for-nothing’ specimens you find in Europe, that comes in different colours – yellow, red, green, purple-and what have you. The only thing they’re good for, is food colouring! I am talking about the (West) African Variety, known as ‘Ata’ in parts of Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Benin and Togo.

There is the long, red, succulent one (they call it ‘sombo’ where I come from, and there is the crown-shaped (also red), cherry like ones, (we call them ‘rodo’). There are other vari-e�es, yeah, but these two are chief. They are ‘INTENSE’. They are the ones

the careless use of which brings tears to your eyes! The ones, which could make your tongue, if it has its way, sue you for aggravated injury!Na�ve intelligence, dictates that hot, good food sees you through the worst of cold climes.

Whatever we eat in winter, a gener-ous spicing with ‘chilli’ – that is the street name for ‘hot’ pepper – is good armour. By the way, there is no African food type you don’t find here. Regularly imported, of course, and unadulterated.Before dashing to work, two robust slices of ‘Agege bread ‘(oh yes!), with one or two fried eggs, garnished with slices of Rodo, tomatoes and onions, plus a steaming cup of ‘Milo’, keeps your insides warm and properly con-di�oned for the day ahead.

Homemade ‘fufu’, ‘eba’ or ‘lafun’ (all cassava by-products), ably supported with okro, egusi, ugu, with beef or fish, or chicken cooked in blended Rodo, Tomato and Onion stewed soup, at lunch �me keeps the winter chill at bay.

If you choose to eat light at dinner, no worries! Good old Peppersoup, with Tilapia fish, washed down with a warm cup of ‘Nido’ milk induces a, damn-the-winter, heart warming sleep.So you see? It aint easy here, man!

Tai Olutayo - Academic, Actor, Writer, and Producer of Fims, Televison Drama Series, and Documentaries

‘Chop’ ‘Chilli and Live’

My!Bite T A I O L U T A Y O



CUISINE

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