Africa Day, May 25: a pan-African menu to cook

On May 25, several countries and diaspora associations celebrate Africa Day. This date commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963, in Addis Ababa. It is an opportunity to put together a meal that crosses the continent, with one dish per major region: West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, the Maghreb and Southern Africa.

The origin of May 25

On May 25, 1963, the leaders of thirty of the thirty-two then independent African states signed the founding charter of the Organisation of African Unity in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This organisation carried the fight against colonization and apartheid, and cooperation between African countries. In 2002, it was replaced by the African Union, which kept May 25 as Africa Day.

One dish per region for a pan-African menu

Here are five dishes, one per major region of the continent, to put together a meal that gives a glimpse of this diversity.

West Africa: jollof rice

Jollof rice is rice simmered in a single pot, in a spicy tomato sauce. It originates from the former Wolof empire of Djolof, today spanning Senegal and the Gambia, and is found across the whole of West Africa, notably in Nigeria and Ghana. See the recipe for West African jollof rice.

Central Africa: ndolé

Ndolé is the national dish of Cameroon: a sauce of bitter ndolé leaves, simmered with peanut paste, shrimp and smoked fish. It originates from the Cameroonian coast, among the Sawa peoples of Douala. See the ndolé recipe.

East Africa: injera and doro wat

In Ethiopia and Eritrea, injera, a soft, fermented teff flatbread, serves as both bread and plate for doro wat, a chicken stew slowly simmered with berbere and spiced niter kibbeh butter, garnished with hard-boiled eggs. The dish is shared by hand, from a common plate, on special occasions. See the injera be wot recipe and the doro wat recipe.

Maghreb: tajine

Tajine refers both to the earthenware cooking dish and to the stew slowly cooked in it, meat, vegetables and spices, in the Berber culinary tradition of Morocco. See the Moroccan tajine recipe.

Southern Africa: bobotie

Bobotie is a spiced ground beef bake flavored with curry, topped with an egg custard, originating from the Cape Malay cuisine of South Africa, where it is considered a national dish. See the South African bobotie recipe.

The ingredients to cook this menu in France

Several ingredients recur from one dish to another in this menu:

• long-grain rice, for the jollof rice
• dried ndolé leaves and red palm oil, for the ndolé
• ground cumin, for the tajine
• curry powder, for the bobotie

Find these products with LOTUS jasmine rice, dried ndolé leaves, MAMA FUTA red palm oil, SAMIA ground cumin and ESPIG mild curry.

Frequently asked questions

What is the origin of May 25, Africa Day?

May 25 commemorates the signing, in 1963 in Addis Ababa, of the founding charter of the Organisation of African Unity, replaced since 2002 by the African Union.

Why put together a menu by region rather than a single dish?

Africa has more than fifty countries and hundreds of regional cuisines: a menu by major region, from West Africa to Southern Africa, gives a fairer glimpse of this diversity than a single dish.

Where to find the ingredients for this pan-African menu in France?

NKOSI sells several ingredients for this menu (rice, ndolé leaves, palm oil, cumin, curry) 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 €.