When I visited Dakar in 1987, I was reluctant to eat the African cuisine. My apprehension stemmed from the precautions one is given prior to embarking on foreign soil. However,upon my return in 1988, I decided to return as an African. Hence, this time I traveled as the prodigal daughter, returning "Home" at last to enjoy the feasts after a long famine in the States.
I could not wait to have Thiep Bou Diene, the national dish of rice, fresh fish, escargots, pumento peppers, and vegetables. And each evening, savored a new dish: Yassa, rice with marinated onions,spices, and chicken: Mafe, chicken with peanut sauce: Couscous, meat served with gombosauce over sorghum:And I drank Bessap juice from a little plastic pouch on the roadside as well as coconutmilk from its coconut shell. I ate the fruitof the Baobab tree, "pain de singe" or monkey bread with its tart coollemon/lime flavor and pulppy texture. And. Itasted the roasted nuts from the fields. I enjoyed Sapotie, a plum flavoredfruit with a potatoe-likeskin as well as succulent melons and fresh strawberries from the Keramel Market. I sampled the delicious nougats and donut puffs from the African ladies in brightly colored boubous and galees.I drank the Kinkiliba tea as an aperitif... a light beverage. And now, as I sit and recall all the Senegales cuisine...so rare, I know je reviendrai a Senegal. I shall return.
Africa will forever be the place of common ancestory for all the Blacks ofthe Diaspora. And when we return we can bond anew in spirit and fellowship. We can create a "bridge" which will be called friendship. Its foundation is our common origin, its network is the interlacing of hands clasped in mutual aid, and the path will be suspended over the painful"Middle Passage" of the past and carry us as far as our hearts permit. Jereviendrai.
NB Dictionary Reference Bessap juice is the cooked calyx of the Hibiscus flower. It has a cranberry like flavor and is also used in the southern United States.The Fleur d'hibiscus du Senegal is the national flower of Senegal.
Sorghum is a leadling cereal grain in Africa.It is resistant to the drought and heat.For food, it is usually ground into a meal. The grain is similar in composition to that of corn except in being higher in protein andlower in fat.
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