I’m sat at one of two large tables that seat 10 each in the room. The room, cooled by air conditioning, is L-shaped and amply sized to accommodate both. They are placed such that someone can walk around them to serve various drinks and dishes as and when necessary.
We’re about to take off on a trip around Africa. A culinary trip from Marrakech through Tamale to Cape Town, all through our palettes.
I am so ready! On my table is one other guy, a young London boy who came to the experience with his elder sister and eight other women. I was the last to join in. I had been invited to this rendezvous only that afternoon by my friend Senam, as in Dr. Professor Okudzeto.
Yes, a consummate conversationalist she is. So, there she was with, seven other equally conversational ladies, in short cropped or braided hair, wearing ethnic-inspired clothing and accessories.
I looked around the table at the young man. Fortunately, he said something to his sister; and from his tone, I decided I didn’t have enough ‘back up’ to conversate on this table, skewed with what I almost immediately diagnosed as one with eight spirited, informed African women.
I was already tired from overeating at a family New Year’s party. I was here to celebrate my palate again, on recipes redesigned and executed by the very respected Chef Selasie Atadeka for a Midunu private dining experience.
Conversation is certainly part of such gatherings. But, not for me tonight. I had neither the energy nor the inclination to engage in anything cerebral, thank you very much! I just looked on with that wry smile I find I am able to muster, having been groomed on British humour from childhood. I nodded in agreement in any direction I found myself pausing, as if I was engrossed in whatever was being dissected in the discourse this side or that!
Top up my wine glass, please, when the dishes began coming, starting off with an egusi twist from Brazzaville. Just like Midunu had expressed, I fell in love with this Central African preparation, where wild melon seed is ground and steamed to create a savoury galette. The house take, served with greens, was with a luxurious coconut broth and aromatic oils. To savour the taste, I had to close my eyes. It was divine!
Next stop, Bangal. The dish was Maboke, a delightful fish affair from the Central Africa Republic. This take, after being marinated in spices, was wrapped in thaumatococcus danielli leaves (the one used to wrap moin moin in Nigeria and waakye in Ghana) – and slow-cooked over charcoal, giving it a distinctive smoky flavour that literally makes your taste buds dance! My, my!
From there, it was a quick stop in Addis Ababa. Inspired by kitfe, a traditional Ethiopian dish made with row meat, similar to beef tartare, I loved what it did in my mouth, which felt wooshy from the nitter kibbeh – a spiced butter; tangy from the ayib, a fresh cheese; earthy from gomen – the sautéed greens and heat from berbere and mitmita, chili blends from the Horn of Africa.
It was time to dash to Tamale, from where she brought us one of the highlights of the rich culinary traditions of Northern Ghana – shichinga/kyinkyinge, a kebab style dish that typically involves
skewered and grilled meats. Their version was made from mushrooms and served with groundnuts, cashew cream and a home-made tankora or yail powder to balance the umami flavour. I believe I dusted my plate. And I am not such a fan of mushrooms.
Off to Marrakech we zipped for a bastilla/pastella, a veteran on their menu since which has remained a crowd favourite. This Moroccan dish is a complex blend of textures and flavours that perfectly combine sweet and savoury elements.
We came down for a palate cleanser, inspired by Kenya’s delicious apple mangoes and the use of coconut milk in cooking along the Swahili coast in Mombasa. Offering texture, rounding out the flavours of Swahili cuisine, the sorbet was paired with coconut and curry leaf.
Then, landing soberly down in Cape Town, it was a traditional South African dessert, malva pudding, that blessed our taste buds with its spongy texture and sweet caramel notes. Their take with orange makes this dessert much more of a crave. Ok! Senam passed me hers as well, as she had asked for another with less caramel.
