I was first introduced to West African cuisine when sampling various take-away joints in the Hammersmith and Earl’s Court sections of London some forty years ago. Much of what I found there were dishes native to Nigeria and Ghana, two former British colonies. Since then my tastes for African food have migrated east to the cuisines of the Horn of Africa as Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Somali dishes are readily available in the Washington, DC metropolitan area (see: http://lookingtowardportugal.blogspot.com/2019/04/a-moveable-feast-in-search-of-ultimate_22.html). Once again, however, I have begun to seek out the foods of West Africa since returning home from my first trip to Africa when my flight from Johannesburg to Washington made a refueling and crew change stop in Dakar, Senegal. I thought back to those wonderful West African dishes I had first tried in London and I made a promise to myself that I would seek them out again when I returned home. Surely they could be found in the immigrant stew that is modern Washington, DC.
For me Africa has always been a place of mystery and transition and my interest in the continent goes way back. I grew up with the story that one of my distant English ancestors was a confidant of David Livingstone, the Scottish medical missionary and explorer, and I read everything I could find by and about him and his exploration of East and Southern Africa, hoping without success that I might find some reference to my kinsman. On my first visit to London, in early 1972, I visited Livingstone’s final resting place at Westminster Abbey (sans heart which is buried in the heart of Africa). Something might turn up one of these days.
In high school in the late 1960s, as much of Africa was beginning to cast aside the yoke of its colonial past, I seriously considered a career in African history. I had teachers who encouraged me in that vein and gave me books to read. "There are as many Africas as there are books about Africa," Beryl Markham wrote in her 1942 memoir West With the Night. "And as many books about it as you could read in a leisurely lifetime." I discovered how correct she was. And more books were published every year. It would be a daunting task. Despite my early interest in African history and politics, I was late to the table as far as exploring its many regional cuisines.
Once home I began to do some research and was pleased to
I was not disappointed. It is nothing fancy to the eyes; very reminiscent of small ethnic diners catering to immigrants longing for the tastes of home. A few tables and booths up front and a small kitchen in the rear with the ubiquitous television broadcasts from Dakar. The owners are very friendly and generate teranga, the generous hospitality of Senegal. They are anxious to answer any questions or issues one might have concerning their traditional offerings. They take great pride in welcoming their dining guests.
The only difficulty was trying to decide which of the traditional dishes I would like to try as my introduction to Senegalese cuisine. There was so much to choose from. Since much of the country’s population lives along the Atlantic coastline (Dakar is the western most point of the African continent), fish is very important in Senegalese cooking. Chicken, lamb, and beef are also mainstays although pork is not due to the predominantly Muslim population in an otherwise secular state. I love just about any kind of seafood imaginable and Chez Dior offers caldou, or fish yassa. It is a whole tilapia which has been marinated in a vinegary tomato and onion sauce and then char-grilled before it is returned to the marinade to simmer until serving. It looks quite appetizing, but I have to be honest that I do not think much of tilapia when there is so much quality seafood to be had. Yes, it’s relatively inexpensive and available just about anywhere. I just find it bland and uninteresting and too reminiscent of carp, another bottom feeder. Perhaps the preparation of caldou might improve its taste, but I was not going to gamble with my introduction to Senegalese cooking. Perhaps someday.
Peanuts, the primary crop, as well as plantains, sweet potatoes, various lentils and vegetables, are frequently incorporated into most Senegalese meat offerings which are marinated with herbs and spices and served whole or in stews over couscous or white rice. Once I had perused the menu a couple of times I decided to order the poulet yassa, or poulet au yassa [chicken yassa ]. Why? The answer is very simple.
While our South African Airways jet was parked at the terminal of the Dakar airport in the wee hours of the morning, I happened to notice a food truck parked nearby advertising "Poulet Yassa. L'âme de l'Afrique de l'Ouest" [chicken yassa. The soul of West Africa]. What more did I need to make my selection? Poulet yassa originated in the Casamance region along the Gambia River in the south of Senegal (a region often at odds with the central government in Dakar). Today it is a popular "comfort food" throughout the former French West Africa as a result of symbiotic culinary influences of France, its former colonial master since the mid 17th century; a blending of the old and the new. Senegalese immigrants brought their cuisine to France and I wonder how I managed to miss out when I was traveling throughout that country in the early 1970s.
Traditional yassa incorporates chicken (or fish) which has been marinated for at least eight hours in vinegar and lemon juice mixed with garlic, clove, allspice, salt and pepper. After the meat has been removed from the marinade it can be either char-grilled or pan-fried until it is browned evenly. While the meat is cooking, the onions are removed from the marinade and cooked separately until they are translucent. The meat is eventually returned to the pot of onions along with the marinade and the mixture is brought to a boil and then allowed to simmer with additional garlic and mustard for at least an hour. The sweet-tart chicken is then served over plain white rice. Fufu (a dough-like mixture of crushed cassava and plantains) and couscous are suitable alternatives to rice. The onions are served as a side dish.
Chez Dior’s poulet yassa offers charcoal grilled marinated chicken legs with carmelized onions served on the side along with steamed white rice and an extremely piquant red pepper sauce. It would have been ideal to wash down this tasty offering with a bottle or two of Gazelle or Flag, the popular local Senegalese beer, but unfortunately alcohol consumption is not prevalent in Senegal as the population is 95% Muslim. Chez Dior is dry so I opted for bissap, a mixture of hibiscus-infused water and sugar and mint.
Just so you know . . . I have returned the Chez Dior on a few occasions to sample other dishes and I finally tried the caldou. It is still not my favorite seafood offering, but I will admit that it was moist and rather tasty; the marinade definitely took an otherwise bland piece of fish up a notch or two. Will I try it again? Probably. But the poulet yassa has become my go to dish at Chez Dior. I can’t wait to try it again.
No comments:
Post a Comment