A Look at Africa's Traditional Cookware

[Klaas de Bruin]

                                              T.K. Naliaka


Traditional cookware is particular in each region of the world, because each has its own climate, and that affects methods of food preparation. In Africa, somewhere around 700 million individuals depend on customary biomass -, for example, wood and charcoal - for cooking, a lot of the utensils in the area are intended to withstand open fires and longer cooking time. So earthen cookware allow for more gradual cooking, enabling women to simultaneously engage in other chores and activities. Following are the top five items worth mentioning:

Pestle and Mortar

The wooden or stone bowl holding a foodstuff and a club-like instrument used to pound and mash the food have been used since time immemorial throughout the continent. They range in size from quite small to quite large (more than a foot in circumference), meant to fuel meals for entire clans. 

Earthenware Cooking Pot

Deep cooking pots are central to African cookery. Conventional earthenware pots for the most part have adjusted bases which maximizes the surface available for the exchange of heat. Adjustable bottoms were additionally steadier on a three-stone fire. These clay pots, however, have been progressively supplanted by lighter, mass-produced aluminum pots, such as the sufuria - deep, flat-bottom, and aluminum.

Coconut Grater

The traditional coconut grater is used by sitting on a stool and rubbing a split coconut against the grater's metal cutting edge. The coconut shavings are then gathered and pushed through a strainer to drain the moisture.

Calabash Gourd

Also known as bottle gourds, the use of these bulbous gourds dates back more than 4,000 years in Africa, raised as much for use as water containers as for food - and today continue to be used in many African kitchens in much the same way. 

Tajine

Found across North Africa (especially Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia), this traditional dish is made of stoneware and comprised of two sections: a base unit that is level and round with low sides, and a cone-shaped lid that sits on the base while cooking. They're used to prepare savory stews with various vegetarians and/or meat ingredients, also referred to as tajines. 

The cookware used in Africa is another example of the continent's rich culture. And you don't even need to hop on a plane to experience it for yourself. I recommend checking Bitemybun, and for more information, check simple-human.nl for an extensive users' guide.

 

 

[Bruno chenarde]

Moroccan couscous lamb and vegetables is a delicious dish that is proud of every Moroccan house that prepares it in its own way.