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.

Can Grapes Grow In Africa

The origin of planting and growing grapes in North and South Africa is unknown. Grape vines were planted in Mediterranean climates of South Africa around 1650's and North African countries of Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria produced 60% of the worlds wine until the late 1950's.

Enjoying a glass of wine with the girls in South Africa

In North Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria played an important role in the history of wine. Algeria's vinicultural history dates back to its settlement by the Phoenicians and continued under Algeria's rule by the Roman Empire. Winemaking continued in Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria until the Muslim conquests of North Africa in the 7th and 8th centuries.

The main wine-producing areas in Morocco are located in the Atlas Mountains region, Benslimane and Meknès.  The main wine-producing areas in Algeria is located in the provinces of Aïn Témouchent, Mascara, Mostaganem, Sidi Bel Abbès, and Tlemcen. The main wine-producing areas in Tunisia are located in Arianah, Nabul and Sousse regions. Cabo Verde Chã das Caldeiras in the crater of the volcano Pico do Fogo region also produces excellent export-quality wines.

Many Muslim government officials thought it was unacceptable for an Islamic country to be so economically dependent on alcohol production and encouraged vineyard owners to convert their land into other agricultural crops such as cereal or table grapes.

South Africa grapes are loaded into the bin before pulping at the Orange River Wine Cellars


More than 80% of table grape production in South Africa occurs in the Western Cape region.Popular grape varieties in South Africa are Barlinka, Bonheur, Dauphine, Waltham Cross, Alphonse Lavallée, Red Globe, La Rochelle, Sunred Seedless, Thompson Seedless, and Sultanas. Some grapes contain as high as 30% of sugar or as low as 10%.

Chenin Blanc is the most widely planted wine grape variety in the Cape, with increasing quality of both dry and sweet styles. Other major white varieties include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Viognier.

Grapes are a fruit, true berries with small, round to oblong and consisting of four seeds. Berries are often covered with a greyish, bluish, or whitish waxy coating or bloom that is easily rubbed off, having a fine layer of wax on the surface. The skin of the grape is thin and is the source of the anthocyanin compounds that give rise to red, blue, purple and black to dark purple colored grapes.

Green and yellow skinned grape cultivars are of ten termed white grapes. Most grapes are woody, climbing vines. Grapes can be eaten fresh or dried or enjoyed in the form of juice and wine.

Organic grapes


Did you know? Muscadine grapes differ from other grape cultivars because it has thick skin, which is sometimes bitter and tough. The fruit of the muscadine ripens one by one and detaches from the plant at maturity. The berries detach from the vine with a dry stem scar unlike bunch grapes, which remain attached to the cluster at maturity.

Together we build awareness that boost harmony, education, and success, below are more links to articles you will find thought provoking.

  1. African Country Names Your Saying Wrong
  2. What do Waist Beads Symbolize in Africa?
  3. About African Healers and Witchdoctors
  4. Hurricanes are Angry African Ancestors
  5. Highest Temperature and Lowest Temperature in Africa
  6. About African Night Running


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

Neck elongation rings how to put on and take off

Image
Neck elongation rings how to put on and take off. Idzila are Ndebele wives traditionally wear rings around the neck as a status symbol and wear rings around the arms, legs, and neck. Wearing Neck Rings. For centuries, married South African Ndebele tribes’ women saw wearing heavy rings around their neck as an honored status symbol. Neck rings are any form of stiff necklaces worn around the neck of an individual. The neck rings are usually made of copper or brass. During initiation, girls wear an array of colorfully beaded hoops called izigolwan around their legs, arms, waist, and neck. After marriage, the Ndebele wife would wear copper and brass rings around her arms, legs, and neck, symbolizing her bond and faithfulness to her husband, once her home was built. Idzila rings were believed to have strong ritual powers. Husbands used to provide their wives with rings; the richer the husband, the more rings the wife would wear. These outward symbols can be removed only in ca
Learn More About Africa