Tag Archives: Africa

What John H. Speke, Explorer, Can tell Us about Gum Arabic, 2 of 3

Posted on 12/07/2015 by dianabuja

As the African explorers Livingston and Burton, the explorer Speke detailed the important uses of gum acacias in local life and in national and international markets.  The potential of gums for colonial powers [read colonial U.K.] reflects the market interests that could … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Agroforestry, Botany, Colonialism, Ethnography, Food, Richard Burton, Sudan | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Livingston’s Adventures with Manioc [Cassava] in Southern Africa

Posted on 30/06/2015 by dianabuja

Yesterday I had for lunch an African dish with fish and cassava [manioc] in a delicious sauce.  This reminded me of the oft negative descriptions of the crop as being something less that wonderful; as written by David Livingston : The … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Africa-General, Crop harvests, Cuisine, David Livingstone | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Sacred Huts and Magical Aspects of Food

Posted on 01/04/2015 by dianabuja

Robert Nassau, as David Livingstone before him, was a missionary, explorer, and recorder of people, geography and customs in the areas through which he traveled and lived.  Also, as Livingstone, he was a product of the colonial era of the … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Africa-General, Cuisine, Food, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants, Magic, Missionaries, Recipes, Robert Nassau | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Magicality of Cuisine 4: A Special Dish for a Woman Cultivator, 19th Century Liberia, West Africa

Posted on 13/02/2015 by dianabuja

As with other ‘magical dishes’ in this series, it is the context and activities associated with the dish that render it effective – not merely the specified ingredients: Pre-modern cuisine in many parts of the world can be more fully understood … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Africa-West, Agriculture, Cuisine, European colonizers, Food, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants, Organic Gardenig, Robert Nassau | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

An Account of the Plague in Barbary, North Africa, 1799 – Part I

Posted on 10/02/2015 by dianabuja

Plagues have been important – and often deadly – aspect of long distance trade and travel for millennia.   As we enter into the 21st century plague that is now gripping West Africa, what can be learned from reports of ‘the plague’ … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Africa-North, Africa-West, Caravan routes, Colonialism, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants, Niger River | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Christmas in Burundi: Celebrations in the Nearby Village of Kajaga-Kinyinya

Posted on 17/12/2014 by dianabuja

Updated 17 Dec. 2014> Related articles and recent events: African Beef Stew with sweet potatoes and mangos, cooked and served in a Pumpkin (dianabuja.wordpress.com) Using the Fruits of the Earth: Feasting in Burundi (dianabuja.wordpress.com) Notes on Dairy Goats and Artisan Cheese … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Burundi, Christmas, Contract-Farming, Cuisine, Food, Hotel Club du Lac Tanganyika2, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants, Lake Tanganyika, Living here, Wild honey | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Magicality of Cuisine 1: Meat Cooked in Plantain Leaves as a Love Philtre, 19th Century Gabon, West Africa

Posted on 07/11/2014 by dianabuja

Pre-modern cuisine in many parts of the world can be more fully understood not simply as a technical  ‘recipe’ to be constructed – but also in relation to the context in which it is situated.  Hence, there may be social, sexual, political, religious … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Africa-General, Cuisine, Food, Indigenous crops & medicinal plants, Magic, Missionaries, Recipes, Robert Nassau | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments