Top 5 Traditional African Foods and Where They Originate

The continent of Africa is made up of hundreds of different African cultures with different types of traditional foods. In this article, we explore these foods.

KAMPALA | LIFESTYLE UGANDA (https://lifestyleuganda.com/) — Though Africa is often referred to as a country, it is actually a continent with dozens of African cultures, each of which has its own traditional foods. We explore these in this article.

There’s no one “African” cuisine, but there are hundreds of yummy local delicacies. Let’s take a look at the top 5 traditional African foods and where they originate.

1. Bunny chow (South Africa)
2. Piri Piri chicken (Mozambique)
3. Jollof rice (Nigeria)
4. Koshari (Egypt)
5. Pastilla au pigeon (Morocco)

Bunny chow (South Africa)

There aren’t any bunnies in bunny chow, nor is this dish fed to bunnies, but the dish is both yummy and environmentally friendly. Instead of cups or bowls, hollowed-out loaves of bread hold spicy curry.

That means you can eat your curry and have your bread too. To try some bunny chow, head to South Africa.

Piri Piri chicken (Mozambique)

Piri piri chicken is basically grilled chicken, except the spices used, make this dish 100 times better than regular, old grilled chicken.

The bird is cooked with lime, garlic, peppers, coconut milk, and piri piri sauce. It’s a perfect example of the types of flavors you’d find in Mozambique cuisine. 

Jollof rice (Nigeria)

Jollof rice is most likely the original jambalaya. It’s a dish that’s popular in Nigeria and other West African countries and consists of rice with tomatoes, onions, and peppers.

Notice that 2 out of the 3 holy trinities of Cajun and Creole cuisine, onions and peppers, are in this dish. 

Koshari (Egypt)

Koshari is a traditional dish in Egypt that almost all families eat. It’s made from rice, macaroni, lentils, chickpeas, and garlic.

For the sauce, there’s a hot tomato sauce that you pour all over the rice. You can find this dish in the streets or at takeaway places all over Egypt.

Pastilla au pigeon (Morocco)

This Moroccan speciality is a difficult dish to make. Locals take pigeon meat and make a pie out of it. There’s a crusty, multi-layered dough with thickened egg sauce and a spicy filling.

If you’re in Morocco, you’ll notice this dish being served at weddings and other big celebrations.

In other news, Anghami trading on Nasdaq, Kylie Jenner gives birth, Fireboy live in Uganda, Rihanna is pregnant, Cheslie Kryst is dead, Minister Lokodo is dead, Global Music Awards Africa 2022 nominees are out, Nasdaq to list Anghami, 2022 Grammy Awards set for April, and Wizkid heads to iHeartRadio Music Awards 2022.

Did we miss anything? Share in the comments your favourite local food.