In brief
- Peanut sauce: a stew made with peanut paste, the Cameroonian cousin of Senegalese mafé
- Origin: a family of stews born in Mali, found throughout West and Central Africa
- Essential ingredients: pure peanut paste, smoked fish or chicken, tomato paste, garlic, ginger
- A shared family dish, served with rice, foufou or gari
Origins and cultural history of peanut sauce
Peanut sauce is the generic name given, in French, to a family of stews based on peanut paste found throughout West Africa and Central Africa. Specialists place its origin in Mali, among the Mandinka and Bambara peoples, who were already preparing a similar stew called tigadèguèna, even before the arrival of peanuts from South America in the 16th century, brought by Portuguese traders.
The dish took a different name in each country: mafé in Senegal, tigadèguèna in Mali and Burkina Faso, domodah in Gambia, and simply peanut sauce in Cameroon, Benin, Togo and Guinea. The Cameroonian version differs from its Senegalese cousin, mafé, by the frequent use of smoked fish or chicken rather than beef, and by local spices such as ginger and chili pepper.
What are the essential ingredients of peanut sauce
Unlike Senegalese mafé, the Cameroonian version of peanut sauce is made with smoked fish or chicken, without sweet vegetables such as carrot or sweet potato.
- pure peanut paste
- smoked fish or smoked chicken
- tomato paste
- onion, garlic, ginger
- ground dried shrimp
- chili pepper
What to know about peanut sauce
Peanut sauce, or sauce arachide, is a stew made with peanut paste, a cousin of Senegalese mafé prepared throughout West and Central Africa. The Cameroonian version is made with pure peanut paste, smoked fish or chicken, tomato paste, onion, garlic, ginger, ground dried shrimp and chili, without sweet vegetables such as carrot or sweet potato. It is a family dish shared with rice, fufu or gari.
Frequently asked questions about peanut sauce
Is traditional peanut sauce the same thing as mafé?
Both belong to the same family of peanut stews, but Senegalese mafé is creamier, made with beef and tomato paste, whereas Cameroonian peanut sauce is traditionally made with smoked fish or chicken.
How to avoid lumps when diluting the peanut paste?
First dilute the peanut paste in a little hot broth in a separate bowl, with a fork or a whisk, until you get a smooth cream, before pouring it into the pot while stirring constantly.
Where to find the ingredients for peanut sauce in France?
NKOSI sells the peanut paste, tomato paste and spices for peanut sauce and ships them from the Paris area within 24 to 72 working hours, to mainland France (2 to 3 working days) and to ten European countries. The minimum order is 39 €: in France, delivery to a pickup point is then free, and home delivery is free from 69 €.
