| 
The
Soul of A New Cuisine
A
Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa
by
Marcus Samuelsson
 |
Marcus Samuelsson’s latest book, The
Soul of A New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors
of Africa, is a personal reflection of his reconnecting
with the land of his birth—it focuses on the rarely
highlighted cuisine of the African continent. Born in Ethiopia
and raised in Sweden by adoptive parents, the chef/co-owner
of Aquavit in New York City bridges cultures through his cooking. His
book features more than 200 recipes peppered with stunning
photographs capturing everyday life. The project took five
years to compile and sent him from South Africa to Morocco,
from the famous spice island of Zanzibar to the fish markets
of Senegal. As Samuelson writes, “To understand African
cooking, you have to understand Africa.” Not an easy
task in a continent comprising more than 55 countries with
a panoply of tastes and techniques that arrived by way of
Europe, India and Asia. Just as European cooking uses salt
to give dimension to dishes, African dishes use spice blends
and rubs to vary flavors. Many spices found in African cooking
are found in pantries around the world but a number of ingredients
are out-of-the-ordinary such as fenugreek seeds, merguez
sausage, morning glory and shiro powder.
His
mission, very similar to what he did for Swedish food in
his first book, Aquavit
and the New Scandinavian Cuisine, was to find the
heart of the cuisine. With that in mind, Samuelsson made
it a point to try the staples of every country he traveled
to, sampling traditional recipes handed down through generations
and creating his own interpretations. The wildly varied
recipes include: injera (sour, spongy bread from
Ethiopia), snapper wrapped in banana leaf with morning glory
(West Africa), shrimp piri piri (piri piri
is the Swahili term for chili and the national dish of Mozambique),
duqqa-cured venison loin (duqqa is derived
from the Arabic word “to pound” and is a rub
made from nuts and spices) and koesisters (a South
African doughnut).
He
stresses a communal approach to cooking, best described
as ubuntu, a South African term meaning “I
am what I am because of who we all are.” Connections
to other people should be the centerpiece of a meal, the
mixer should be replaced with the mortar and pestle and
the foods should be enjoyed African-style—with your
hands. And while the dishes might not come together very
quickly, it’s more about savoring the adventure of
exploring a new culture. Much like a stew simmering in a
Moroccan tagine, it takes a little time and patience.
Reviewed
by Eliza Gano
|
