Thursday Night this week we 'sailed' to Africa for this yummy recipe. If you are looking for a hearty meal, this will definately satisfy. It is believed that this stew - called mafe or maafe - originated among the Bambara people of Mali who are the largest and most dominant group in that country. They speak "Bamana" which is one of the Manding languages. Because in the 1800's aggressive Muslim groups overthrew their kingdoms of Segu and Karta, Bambara is 70% Muslim today. They are mostly farmers whose main crop is millet, even though sorghum and groundnuts are produced in large quantities. There villages are made up of many different family units. Each household is responsible to provide for all of its members. Marriage is very significant and considered a type of investment with the main purpose being to have children who provide the family's labor and ensures the future of the family lineage. Most Bambara women have an average of eight children! Glad I'm not Bamabaran....I have enough trouble with my five :)
The general African facts that the children brought to the table are as follows...
Trevin, the average lifespan of the Bambara people is 46
Drew, the Sahara desert is larger in size than all of the continental US
I thought the meal was great, but then I love most things with peanut sauce. The kids are not huge fans of sweet potatoes, so I used carrots, turnips and parsnips for my vegetables instead. I think any combination of root vegetable would be fun to try. Let me know what you think!
This sounds soooo good, I'm going to try it when I get home. Too hot to cook this here in AZ.
ReplyDeleteDid you put the spinach in, this is not a good food for Uncle Rudy and I to eat with taking blood thinners. I don't know if it would make to big of a change in the recipe if I did omit it.
What do you think.
Love and blessings