Brunch, a hybrid meal between breakfast and lunch, was born in the United States at the end of the nineteenth century before arriving in France in the 1980s. This free format lends itself well to recipes and products from Africa and the Caribbean, without this being an old tradition of the continent: here is how to put one together.
Savoury street breakfast classics
In Nigeria and Benin, akara, a fried black-eyed pea fritter, is eaten as a snack or at breakfast. In Cameroon, the trio beignet, haricot, bouillie (BHB) combines a flour fritter, simmered beans and a corn porridge: it is in fact a street breakfast in Douala and Yaoundé, easy to adapt for a brunch.
Fritters and sweet breads
On the Swahili coast of East Africa, mandazi, a coconut milk and cardamom leavened fritter, is enjoyed at breakfast with a spiced tea. Plantain fritters and sweet potato fritters are eaten warm, as a sweet snack. In Togo and Benin, ablo, a steamed corn bun, comes with a spicy tomato sauce. For a more festive touch, the Creole pineapple cake from the French West Indies is cut into small slices.
Jams and sweet spreads
M'AMOUR Caribbean jams come in several flavours to go with bread or a brioche: coconut, pineapple, banana, guava and mango. BÉGUÉ Senegalese coconut biscuits and ginger biscuits round out a brunch table alongside a hot drink.
Drinks that change from orange juice
Senegalese café touba, ground with Guinea pepper, is prepared like a filter coffee. Moroccan mint tea is served in three rounds. For a chilled version, Senegalese bissap, West African gnamakoudji, tamarind juice and baobab juice bring a tangy note to the table.
Where to find these products in France?
NKOSI sells BARKELOU Touba coffee, GUY LESUEUR ground coffee, SAMIA sweet mint for tea, STARLING bissap tea and GRACE coconut milk, 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 €.
