ktravula – a travelogue!

Guest post by Ọlábísí Abọ́dúnrìn

Like the rapper, Nasir Jones, there are many things I wonder about in life: who made up words? Who made up numbers? What kind of spell is mankind under? Just like  Nasir Jones was curious, and so am I. And of course the origin of French Kiss. I mean, who was the first to go, “yeah, we should do that,” you know. Don’t you ever ponder these things?… Anyway, I digress. Food – that’s my current muse. Practical, artful food, and a million inquiries proceeding from the subject. What constitutes food taste/preference? How is it that two different groups, given the same resources, would likely produce different results? Who first decided that certain things, like mushrooms, for instance, are edible? And how were poisonous items discovered – did someone have to die first?

Well, I know this has been addressed almost everywhere, so let us maybe consider protocols duly observed. Africa is not a single country. That’s it, that’s the tweet! There are 54 sovereign countries and thousands of ethnicities; all set up with individual languages and cultures. In Nigeria, for instance, there are reportedly between 250 and 400 ethnicities. Of these, single out the Yorubas as a case in point and you will find over 30 sub-groups with several regional dialects; some unintelligible to others… So many distinct identities to tap from! Now, imagine if we apply this range of diversity to food… With so many unexplored cuisines there can be a different one every day of the week!

One tourism outfit praised an aspect of Africa’s appeal saying, “… You can meet people whose way of life has not changed in centuries.” Although meant well, such a  notion can promote misguided imaginations of a continent stuck in primitive ways; including her culinary practices. Ironically, the “primitive ways” seem to have been more profitable in terms of health implications. Because it would appear that some African food only became less healthy over time as this article suggests: “West Africans ate far more vegetables and much less meat in the past, today their diet is heavier in meats, salt, and fats.” There is a lot in the African kitchen that is misplaced, given the 21st century dietary standards. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why many indigenous recipes are still considered a mystery beyond their African border. For one, we will have to consider health and dietary guidelines. There is simply insufficient information relating to recipe precision and nutrition value of African dishes. Sure there have been changes in cooking methods from past generations; only perhaps not in the expected direction. 

This presents the question of how to make African food more accessible globally. I cannot, for example, imagine an American eating ẹ̀bà and ẹ̀gúsí with ògúnfe daily; not even for the heaviest meal of the day. But my forefathers ate it for breakfast, and frankly, so do I sometimes! Then, there is the question of where to draw the line in this recipe adoption business. The Italian ambassador to the UK has had to intervene in the international pizza crisis. I wonder what will be his reaction to the Nigerian favourite, plantain pizza. (Hey, I had nothing to do with that recipe; I am not a fan of plantain meals myself.) Look, I do believe recipe swaps and food fusion can be achieved without gross misconduct. We could call it “Modern African”, but I can think of at least 2 groups that may – for separate reasons perhaps – find the phrase offensive; one of which is this writer who is wary of cosmopolitan cuisine. Then, of course, there are the guardians of culture who work tirelessly to keep the borders of African heritage in place. It may be easier to make a case to the former. Note that this would by no means be the first international food programme. Food has always crossed borders. Consider okra, which originated in Africa but is used differently in the American South than among the Ibos of West Africa. No one fries Okra there. Jambalaya too is said to have originated from Africa. Watermelon is everywhere now, but it first came from Africa. The point is, the world can eat what we eat. 

So,  what should be the baseline of food sharing – ingredient, recipe or culture? On the ingredient level, it is how much or less of the ingredient constitutes the meal authenticity; while the recipe level determines how much deviation is permissible. Of course, the chef gets a reasonable tweaking license. On the culture level, however, the stakes are higher as with a winner takes all sort of situation. They eat with their hands; you do the same. They sit on the floor… Get the point? And here comes the question of the moment: when is any of it cultural appropriation? The thing is, if we are to make African food accessible at a scale similar to the Chinese or Italian for instance, concessions must be made. It is give and take. The British seem to know the trick – keep it simple. Fish and chips. (Or steal an entire country’s repertoire. Because Indian food is basically British food.)

The world can take more, and the motherland certainly can give it. With platforms like DishAfrik taking up the cause to herald home-grown recipes, we can take the African kitchen to the World. Perhaps we may also introduce her more intimately to self. Because even within Africa, many know little of cuisines from other regions. Some people have only eaten from their tribe.  You can support the DishAfrik fundraising campaign here. While they may not be able to end the Jollof Wars (not sure anyone can), they sure can facilitate a thriving community for the African culinary experience. 

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Olabisi Abodunrin does not write for a living. This is how she has so far, avoided the woes and horror of this world. But alas! her best ideas remain unheard.