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African Nutrition - 'Try It at Home'!

By
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

Celebrating the Year of African Nutrition 2022, the Try it at home! mini-series showcases traditional, nutritious dishes across the African continent.

The stiff porridge Oshifima is long a staple dish: Consumed by about 2.5 million Namibians, it feeds about two thirds of the country’s population. © GIZ/SV APES 2021

By Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

GIZ is a globally active provider of international cooperation for sustainable development. It has more than 50 years of experience in a wide range of fields.

All contributions

Traditional dishes are more than just food for their people: ‘Cooking brought me a lot. I have been to a lot of cities. I have met a lot of people.’ Maria Coulidiaty from Burkina Faso won the national competition of culinary art twice presenting nutritious dishes from her country.

 

If we give up our local food, our grandchildren won’t know them, and won’t even know what it looks like.

 

Watch the video to see how Maria prepare the traditional couscous dish Kalambayari.

 

Moving East: Ndo’o is a sauce made from wild mango kernels famed for its high amounts of magnesium and calcium. Dried and pressed into a cake, the kernels can be stored for several months. Initially prepared by Cameroons forest people, Ndo’o constitutes now a popular dish across Cameroon and beyond.

 

We should love our culture.

 

Irene Chozen modernizes the Ugandan famine food Amukeke. The highly nutritious stripes of dried sweet potato are long a delicacy among Ugandans and can be eaten any time of the day. Irene’s Amukeke even stars on social media now.

 

In Maghreb, Molokhia is traditionally prepared for New Year’s Eve. Not only does the bright green colour from the Molokhia leaves symbolizes optimism for the times ahead. The oriental dish is also full of vitamins, iron, and antioxidants. Learn about Molokhia’s history and how to make it in the video.

 

The fifth recipe comes from Namibia. Oshifima designates a stiff porridge made from pearl millet Namibians love for its taste and energy. Combined with traditional Ombidi spinach and Oshiwambo chicken, the ‘pap’ provides a wholesome meal rich in fibre, minerals and proteins.

 

Ich bin ein Alternativtext
With banana, with beans, with peanuts or pork: Opinions differ, but one thing is sure – Amukeke can be enjoyed with almost everything © GIZ/SV APES 2021

About the Series

Settling on a dish to showcase in view of the diversity of nutritious dishes across Africa was not an easy task to start with. With lesser-known dishes it proved challenging to find people who know how to prepare them and are ready to share their knowledge. Filming permissions, the Translation of local languages into French and English, and the sheer geographical coverage of the videos contributed to the odds of producing this series. Celebrating the 2022 Year of African Nutrition and Food Security, Try it at home! offers a glimpse into the rich food culture across the continent.

 

First aired in 2021, the Try it at home! project was co-created by Agribusiness TV and the sector project Agriculture Policy and Food and Nutrition Security (GIZ).

 

Good nutrition
,
Food systems

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