African Food and Art

Thank you to our latest donor, Tony. Thank you, Tony. We were able to purchase three new stainless steel pots to continue our cooking and teaching heritage.

African Folktale Story of the First Banana Tree on Earth

African Folktale Story of Earths first banana tree

African folktales are mythical true stories handed down through generations through oral tradition explaining the existence of the unknown. Below is the African folktale of how the banana tree was the first fruit tree on earth.

African Folktale Story of the First Banana Tree on Earth
African Folktale Story of the First Banana Tree on Earth
African%2Bfolktale%2Bstory%2Blesson%2Bof%2BEarths%2Bfirst%2Bbanana%2Btree%2Bmyth

African Folktale Story of Earths first banana tree.

As the Ancestors say, Okown was wandering the forest in search of food for his family when he came across a bag of golden seeds shaped like the sliver of the moon.

Uke, the God of seeds, was engaged in planting trees and did not notice he was missing a bag of seeds. Despite being hungry, instead of stealing the golden seeds, Okown returned them to Uke.

Uke rewarded him for his honesty with a handful of golden seeds. Okown went home and planted the seeds in his garden that grew into a beautiful, tall banana tree with shapes resembling the sliver of the moon and the color of the sun.

Links to more African Folklore


More short folklore stories from Africa to make you fall in love with myths and legends again from the motherland.

  1. Why the bunny rabbit has wiggly slits for a nose
  2. Love Takes No Less Than Everything Marriage Folklore
  3. Hunters Attack Cowards Tell the Story
  4. One Do Wrong All Get Punished
  5. Mighty Little Hedgehog

Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

Week’s Best African Culture Posts

What is the difference between ugali and fufu

Image
How to make the popular African recipes Ugali and Fufu and what is the difference.  Ugali is a starch dish in Kenya and Tanzania made of fine cornmeal cooked in boiling water into a soft dough. Fufu is a thick, dough-like West African food made by boiling then pounding a starchy vegetable such as yam, plantain, or cassava or a mixture of starchy vegetables. The main difference between fufu and ugali is fufu is boiled first then pounded while ugali is simply boiled. Ugali recipe. Easy Ugali Recipe Prep time 5 minutes Cook time 30 minutes Total time 30 minutes Ingredients 4 cups finely ground cornmeal 8 cups water Directions Heat water to boiling in a saucepan. Slowly pour cornmeal into boiling water stirring continuously. Add more cornmeal if necessary until it is thick as soft bread dough. Serve immediately with vegetables, stew, or any dish you would use a spoon with to soak up the sauce, ugali is purposely bland tasting on its own. What is the difference between ugali and
Learn More About Africa

Ethiopian Midwest American Hotdish

Image
Our Ethiopian hot dish combines Ethiopian cooking with classic Minnesota Midwest casserole meal. The hot dish’s origins are a product of settlers traditions in Midwest America dating back to the early 20th century. A hot-dish or casserole is a one-pan meal that traditionally includes a combination of starch like potatoes, pasta, or rice, ground meat, vegetables, and a creamy canned soup base, all topped with crunchy goodness like breadcrumbs or tater tots. The concept of hot dish became popular in the Upper Midwest, particularly in states like Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, in the 1930s and 1940s. This period was marked by economic challenges, including the Great Depression. The need for economical and filling meals led to the creation of dishes that could be stretched to feed many people using simple, affordable ingredients . Hot dishes became synonymous with potlucks, church suppers, and social gatherings. These events were central to rural and small-town communities, where
Learn More About Africa

Top 20 Largest Countries in Africa

Image
African Country by Size List. Africa Which are the top twenty largest, smallest, and territorial country in Africa by land area? 1. The continent of Africa is the world’s second largest based on land area and population just after Asia. 2. Top five largest countries of Africa are Algeria, Congo Democratic Republic of the, Sudan, Libya and Chad. 3. Top five smallest African countries and territories are Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Saint Helena and Mayotte. African Country from largest to smallest Area sq mile Area sq km Algeria 919,595 2,381,740 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 905,568 2,345,410 Sudan 718,723 1,861,484 Libya 679,362 1,759,540 Chad 495,755 1,284,000 Niger 489,191 1,267,000 Angola 481,354 1,246,700 Mali 478,767 1,240,000 South Africa 471,011 1,219,912 Ethiopia 435,186 1,127,127 Mauritania 397,95
Learn More About Africa

What is coming does not beat a drum

Image
What is coming does not beat a drum What is coming does not beat a drum African Proverb What is coming does not beat a drum - Malawi Proverb What is coming does not beat a drum means danger doesn't announce itself with trumpets. This African Proverb is meant to warn that dangerous situations are not announced publicly in advance. By engaging in selfish behavior such as corruption, politicians are effectively subjecting themselves and their country to an ill-fated future. In Malawi, the country’s economic performance has historically been constrained by policy inconsistency, poor infrastructure, and rampant corruption. About Malawi the warm heart of Africa Malawi 1.           In the year 1480, Bantu tribes unite several smaller political states to form the Maravi Confederacy that at its height includes large parts of present-day Zambia and Mozambique plus the modern state of Malawi. 2.           In 1891, present day Malawi was sectioned
Learn More About Africa