Dear Dr Ekunsanmi,
Thank you for this! So little has been published about food in Africa - it is really a remarkable gap in the world literature concerning food. I will recommend this to the ethnology museum where I work, and also to my student who has conducted fieldwork in Africa, looking at the history of taro (Colocasia, cocoyam).
Best regards, Peter
If you are not an African, and you have ever wondered what type of food Africans eat, they please take a look at this book I have just published.
The book gives an account of the foods, drinksand food traditions of West Africa has been recently released by Outskirts Press. This illustrated account summarizes the important aspects of the foods and drinks of the people of West Africa and the relationship of the foods to other aspects of their culture.
A newbook"What Africans Eat" has been published by Outskirts Press. It describesin details, the materials which are utilized by the people of West Africa as food. The first chapter describes the unique food practices of the people, such as food peddling, leaf-wrapping and stone grinding. A few chapters are devoted to the types of plants used as food, including yams, grains and pulses. Protein sources such as game meat, snails, fish and insects are also described. Description of the spices, condiments and sweeteners are given to include the universal scientific names of the plants from which they are made. Other chapters deal with how the regionaldrinks such as Palm Wine, Pito and other drinks, are procured and used. Some foods which also double as medicine are described. The concluding chapter explores the changes which have taken place in the traditional breakfast, lunch and supper of West African countries. This chapter is supported by contributions obtained though the interview of subjects from some countries of West Africa.
Each account includes the cultural connection of the food materials and the people. Examples include the use of Palm Wine, Yams and Kola nuts during marriage ceremonies. In the relevant portions, taboos and other beliefs about food materials are included. Each chapter opens with a short paragraph of the author's personal experience related to the contents of the chapter.
The author, Toye Ekunsanmi, is an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Wisconsin, Washington County, in West Bend, WI. He immigrated to the United States in 1997. This book is available on http://www.amazon.com/dp/1432761927
