From the Caribbean to North Africa and on to North America, African restaurants and Caribbean cuisine ingredients incorporate a wonderful combination of imported and traditional ingredients and spices. Afro food in the West Indies is popular for its jerk seasonings. North Africa has mastered the use of aromatic spices. North America features its incredibly comforting soul foods. Most afro foods are built around starches/cereals and complemented with fruits, vegetables, meats, herbs, and spices.
Staples
Crops native to African such as yams, sorghum and millet are frequently used in African meals. Imported items such as wheat, rice, corn, and cassava are used as well. Some common foods are fufu or ugali.
Proteins
African cooking makes frequent use of fish, bush meat, poultry, pork, and beef. There are some regions where meat is not too easy to acquire. In these settings, nuts like peanuts along with legumes such as lentils, beans and peas are the focus of the African cooking. Whether meat is scarce or abundant, nuts and legumes form a major part in African cuisine.
Fruits and Vegetables
One of the perks of the beautiful continent of Africa is that its climate makes it perfect for a large variety of fruits and vegetables. In Africa, these comprise a large part of cooking. The popular fruits include mango, papaya, oranges, and figs. Green bananas serve as main ingredient in many dishes. Coconuts are used frequently in African cookery as well. Popular vegetables in afro cuisine includes okra, tomatoes, cucumbers, mustard greens, squash, pumpkins, carrots, cabbage, and spinach.
Spices and Seasonings
The spices of choice will be different depending on where in Africa you are. Nevertheless, African cooking is typically well-salted and heavily spiced. Hot peppers and chilies are prominent in their cuisine. There is a special afro seasoning that is called ogilie. This is made with dried seeds which have gone through a process including steaming, fermentation and then it is finally turned into a paste.
Now that you know what afro food and African restaurants and Caribbean cuisine is like, let us discuss afro travel.
Places to Go in Africa
Africa is an incredible continent, rich with history and culture. There should be no doubt in your mind as to whether you should visit. To help you with planning your trip to Africa, here are some of the best places to visit.
Uganda
Love gorillas? Uganda is one of the three places in the entire world where you can get the opportunity to see mountain gorillas in the wild. This is a precious opportunity given that there are only 1,000 of these level creatures left in the world.
Tanzania and Kenya
These two countries are typically visited together. Several people see these two countries as the best locations in all of Africa. This is largely because when visiting, you can get to see what is called the Great Migration. This is where you get to see 2 million wildebeests, zebras, and gazelles complete a migratory circle from Kenya to Tanzania and back.
Zimbabwe and Zambia
A trip to these two countries will grant you the opportunity of seeing the world’s largest waterfalls, the Victoria Falls. You will also get a chance to go white river rafting at the Zambezi river. We hope you aren’t afraid of crocodiles and hippos because this river is filled with them.
Namibia
In this beautiful country, you will get to climb some of the largest sand dunes in the world. You will also have the option of taking a hot air balloon ride over them. The landscape of Namibia is breath-taking, and the scenery is nothing short of dramatic.
Botswana
In for a bit of luxury on the African continent? Then, Botswana is the place for you. Botswana is laced with high-end, low-impact tourism. This means that it is filled with properties that are all extremely luxurious and short on crowds. This is also a wonderful place to visit if you want to enjoy up-close wildlife without crowds.
African restaurants and Caribbean cuisine is a combination dating back to the root.
