African cuisine is rich and diverse, and steeped in cultural history. England is quite unique in that we don’t really have a ‘national cuisine’ anymore (the country’s favourite meal has now been replaced from the Sunday roast as the Balti curry – from Birmingham!)
Millet Fritters (Ela Vegan) are served with mashed potatoes and creamy pea sauce. This is super-easy to make, really tasty and very nutritious. You’ll find millet in most indie health shops.
Never eat rice after 24 hours. Keep recipes away from young children and pets due to onion, garlic, nuts and spices. Read more on food safety for people & pets (many foods are unsafe near animal friends).
So it makes sense for animals, your tastebuds and your wallet, to learn to make your own favourites of much-loved international cuisine meals. Learning to make your own food with just a few everyday ingredients in even the tiniest kitchen, is ‘peaceful politics in action’.
What a great way to make a difference. You enjoy cooking favourite dishes, serve them up to family and friends (or just yourself), cut out the plastic and ready-made meals, and save animals at the same time.
Africa is a vast continent, and food varies greatly from North Africa (which we cover in the Middle Eastern food post) to foods from West Africa and South Africa. So let’s take a look at the main meals, how to make them yourself and what books to put on your birthday list!
Key Ingredients in Vegan African Dishes
African dishes tend to rely on nutrient-dense staples. As well as lentils and beans, one main ingredient is iron-rich millet (not just for budgies). This is used to make not just morning porridge but forms a good alternative base to rice, for many savoury dishes. Like Caribbean food, plantain (like a big savoury banana) and okra (looks a bit like courgette) are main ingredients, along with lots of spices. Peanuts are also a common ingredient.
This West African Peanut Stew (The Simple Veganista) is really simple to make, with everyday ingredients. This is a staple meal in Africa, made in one pot with onion, tomato, garlic, spinach, sweet potato and of course peanuts. This is a spicy dish peppered with ginger, coriander and chilli peppers. Once made, you can leave it to thicken up, then serve with rice.
Nearly all West and East African dishes are spicy, with South African dishes being a bit less spicy (this country is known for its Rooibos tea, a nutty earthy copper tea, which you can find most health shops).
This Teff Apple and Walnut Cake (Rainbow in My Kitchen) is a great way to try this super-grain. Made with teff flour and sweetened with coconut sugar, it’s made in one bowl, and lovely with a cup of tea or coffee.
Books to Make Your Own Vegan African Food
Vegan Africa is a book of recipes from Ethiopia to Senegal. Explore over 70 recipes from 15 countries, and cherished memories of the author’s own childhood on the Ivory Coast. The author also shines a spotlight on local superfoods like garlic, ginger, sweet potato and cacao. Learn to make:
- Peanut hummus
- Cassave tabbouleh with radishes & herbs
- Yassa burger
- Paprika-spiced plantain chips
- Sweet potato & ginger loaf
- Coconut rice pudding
- Lemongrass lemonade
Marie Kacouchia is a young Parisian who embraces the cultural references of her two homelands: France and the Ivory Coast. She lives in Paris, France.
Afro Vegan is a unique book by a London-based cook, combining modern British flavours with the rich colours and tastes of her Nigerian upbringing. Recipes include:
- Cheesy Kokoro
- The Nigerian Chapman
- Nutty Plantain Brownies
Teff Love is a super-fun book by a Portland native, offering up simple recipes for Ethiopian cooking, which is by default mostly naturally vegan. Kittee Berns demystifies this cuisine that is often served in small plates with injera dishes and spice blends. Learn to make the fermented dough staple and ye qimem zeyet (a vegan clarified butter).
From saucy wots and spicy stews to stir-fries, recipes are easily made soy-and-gluten-free. So pull up a mesob (a woven stand or basket) and party African-style!
Rachel Ama’s Vegan Eats is a book by one of our top cooks, who grew up in London with West African and Caribbean heritage. Her recipes are super-easy and fun, and include:
- Cinnamon French Toast with Strawberries
- Peanut Rice and Veg Stir-fry
- Plantain Burgers
- Carrot Cake Waffles with Cashew Frosting
Rachel has recently collaborated with delivery company allplants to offer African-inspired ready meals including West African Peanut Stew.
Afro-Vegan is a book by Bryant Terry, a classically-trained chef who works on food justice projects in the USA. Again he has African roots. Recipes in this book include:
- Smashed Potatoes, Peas and Corn (inspired by Kenyan dish irio)
- Crispy Teff and Grit Cakes
- Collard Greens, Cabbage and Lots of Garlic
- Cocoa Spice Cake with Crystalllised Ginger
- Roselle-Rooibos Drink
Where to Buy Vegan African Ready-Meals
If you want to stash a few meals in the fridge or freezer, check out Soulful. These are generous affordable ready-meals (just eat half and fill up with potatoes if you’re on a budget). You can find them in shops or order online, and recycle the pots easily.
The West Africa Peanut and Chickpea Stew features sweet potato, black beans and kale, and is served with red rice. You can also buy mixed orders, and earn loyalty points for regular orders.
How to Help Feed People in Africa
Many Africans live on the poverty line, and suffer from famine. Leading to tragic deaths, poaching and eating bushmeat (from apes).
Big charities ask us to ‘send farm animals’ to provide milk, but 75% of people with African and Asian heritage are lactose-intolerant. This is not a good idea, as it’s another mouth to feed and water, and leads to fertile land being over-grazed, when it could be used to grow high-protein drought-tolerant crops like teff, to feed more people.
In Ethiopia, over 40% of people are starving, yet the country has 50 million cattle, sheep and goats and 35 milllion chickens – all consuming food, land and water. This causes overgrazing, deforestation, erosion and desertification. Instead, the country could grow teff, a nutritious ancient grain. It’s high in protein, fibre and calcium and other minerals. Dr Richard Oppenlander (sustainability consultant)
You can feed more people per acre with plants. Yet during Live Aid, England was importing grain from Ethiopia to feed livestock, when that land could have been used to grow food for local people.
The charity A Well Fed World provides plant-based meals, give grants for microbusinesses, funds the planting of fruit and nut trees, and distributes low-cost seeds for community gardens. It also offers food relief during hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and wildfires (Food for Life runs similar programs). Better than spending thousands of pounds on TV ads, surely?
For bottled water, One Water (sold in Co-op in glass bottles and tin cans) uses profits to support clean water projects.
