Day 137! Burkina Faso - Hibiscus Tea Sorbet - Up Next, Cameroon

Taste of Africa Dish #3 : Hibiscus Tea Sorbet ~ A cooking collaboration with Taste of Africa, which will help more than 20 West African companies connect to buyers across the U.S. in this year's Fancy Food Show in Washington, DC - July 10-12. Funded through USAID's West Africa Trade Hub and Southern Africa Global Competitiveness Hub, the Association Africa Agro-Export and other partners.

Many people know of the hibiscus flower, but few know of the exotic hibiscus flower's edible properties. Sold candied, dried in bulk or as tea, this flower is quite versatile and rich in vitamin C and curative properties. Known as Bissap in West Africa, hibiscus is served hot, cold or sweetened. With very little effort, this dried flower produces a beautiful crimson color and delicate flavor - and, with the addition of sugar, a pinch of salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon and lime, it becomes a delicious, elegant sorbet, perfect for a hot summer day or as the finishing touch to a special meal.

A landlocked country in West Africa, Burkina Faso is surrounded by Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Cote  d'Ivoire. Formerly the Republic of Upper Volta, the country was renamed in 1984, and translates to "land of the upright people" in Moore and Dioula, the county's two major languages. Burkina Faso's climate is largely tropical, with distinctive rainy and dry seasons. The country's regions consist of the dry tropical savanna, the Sahel, and the fertile region to the south. Some of Burkina Faso's natural resources include, but are not limited to:  limestone, marble, phosphates, pumice, salt and some gold.

Cuisine in Burkina Faso is representative of traditional West African cooking and is based around such staple foods as sorghum, millet, rice, maize, peanuts, potatoes, beans, yams and okra. Chicken, eggs, and fresh water fish provide the main source of protein. Export items currently being produced include, dried fruits, dry and roasted sesame seeds and cashew nuts, hibiscus, dried ginger and beeswax.

Hibiscus Tea Sorbet
Ste. Nouvelle Ranch Du Koba BF: Exporter of dried mangoes and banana, sesame, cashew nuts, hibiscus, ginger and bees wax

2 cups water
1 cup unsprayed dried hibiscus flowers
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

Bring water to a boil in a small non-reactive sauce pan.
Stir in hibiscus flowers and remove from heat, then let steep 15 minutes.
Pour hibiscus tea through a fine mesh sieve into a metal bowl, pressing hard on the flowers with a the back of a spoon, then discarding the flowers once pressed.
Return tea to the sauce pan and bring to a boil with sugar and a pinch of salt, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
Transfer mixture to a metal bowl, then set bowl in larger bowl of ice water and stir until cold, 10-15 minutes.
Stir in lemon and lime juices and freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer directions.
Transfer sorbet to an airtight container and freeze to harden, at least 2 hours.
This sorbet is fairly soft due to the high sugar-water ratio.

 (C) 2010-2011, What's Cooking in your World/Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved

Day 136! Ghana (again) Grilled Tilapia and Yam Chips - Up Next, Burkina Faso

Taste of Africa Meal #2: Ghanaian Grilled Tilapia and Yam Chips~A cooking collaboration with Taste of Africa, which will help African companies connect to buyers across the U.S. in this year's Fancy Food Show in Washington, DC - July 10-12. Funded through USAID's West Africa Trade Hub and Southern Africa Global Competitiveness Hub, the Association Africa Agro-Export and other partners.

Rice is a cook, a soccer player. She's female. She's a sweet drink, too. Rice is many countries.

Zakaria Hassan, Somalian Immigrant  

(Telling Room Anthology~Portland, Maine)

Tonight's Ghanian dinner comes directly from my friend Kafui Djonou (West Africa Trade Hub, Business Development Coordinator), who patiently talked me through the recipe and preparation over Skype yesterday. How cool is it that two women living continents apart can connect through the universal language of food and wonders of technology? The only thing that would have been better would have been to be with Kafui in her kitchen in Senegal.

Officially known as The Republic of Ghana, the country's name means  "The Warrior King". Located in Western Africa, and formally known as the Gold Coast, Ghana shares borders with Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo and the Gulf of Guinea. Ghana won it's independence from the UK in 1957 and was the first Sub-Saharan nation to do so. A fact many may not know is that Ghana is the second largest producer of cocoa and is home to La Volta, the world's largest man-made lake.

Cuisine in Ghana varies by region and ethnic group, but generally relies on starchy foods such as rice, fufu (pounded cassava and plantain, cocoyam or yam, and one of my favorites), and banku (cooked and fermented corn or cassava dough). Red-Red, a mixture bean stew made with palm oil and fried ripe (yellow) plantains is also very popular. Other foods and dishes include, but are not limited to: ground nut soups and stews, yams or plantain ampesi (boiled yam or plantain) served with kontomire (palva sauce made with cocoyam leaves and palm oil ),  Tilapia, smoked fish and crayfish. Onions and tomatoes are often used as ingredients and can be replaced by dishes such as kenkey and jollof rice.. Spices such as thyme, bay leaves, ginger and hot sauce made of chili peppers season and heat the food with rich flavors.

Grilled Tilapia and Yam Chips
(E. Darkey and Associates, Limited - West African Importer of frozen yams, special banky and kokonte mix, special porridge and special dry powdered pepper)


1-1/2 pounds Tilapia fillets
1 Tbsp. ground onions
1Tbsp. ground garlic
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
2 large yams or sweet potatoes, thinly sliced ( in Ghana, yams are sliced like fries or on the diagonal)
Salt and pepper to taste
Tomatoes and onions for garnish
Hot pepper sauce for dipping
Peanut oil for frying

Season Tilapia fillets with ground onions, garlic,  ginger and salt and pepper to taste, then refrigerate for a few hours to marinate before grilling.
Lightly grill Tilapia fillets on a gas, charcoal or wood grill, about 3 minutes on each side You may wish to use a grilling basket to make turning the delicate fillets easier.
Next, thinly slice yams or sweet potatoes (a sharp knife or mandolin works well).
Heat about an inch of peanut oil in a heavy skillet on medium high heat.
Fry in hot oil until edges of chips begin to curl.
Drain on paper towels or brown paper bag.
Salt lightly and place in a heavy brown paper bag in a 200 F oven for 10 minutes to crisp up.
Serve immediately with hot sauce.


 (C) 2010-2011, What's Cooking in your World/Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved