All posts filed under: Eats & Drinks

what’s to eat #16

Many Good Things come from the fruit of the néré tree, and earlier this week I had a taste of one. In the village of N’korobougou, around 9am, children pranced and flopped about, munching on bright yellow balls nearly the size of their heads. I needed an explanation, and a bite. Turns out the balls were made from the sandy, bright yellow pulp of néré tree pods. The pulp is extracted, sifted, cooked with water and salt, and packed into tight balls that keep for days and days. A bit like a savory rice crispy treat, made of cornflakes. Excellent, really excellent. A sticks-to-the-ribs sort of breakfast, apparently also good for warding off malaria and bacterial infections. I suggested a touch of honey, but I was not taken seriously by the powers cooks-that-be.

what’s to eat #15

Surprise of the day: these apple-y looking fellas are cashews. the cashew nut (seed) attached to the cashew apple (fruit), pulled from a cashew tree (tree). The apple tastes like a proper Concord grape, with a bitter bit at the end; the nut is toxic until heat-treated. Ten points and a round of applause to Nature: Excellent work! Ferekoroba Village, Mali

what’s to eat

Tomato tartes, tagliatelle with zucchini and shaved parmesan, gazpacho… goat cheese and pesto ravioli, beef filets with frîtes… and on and on… Nary a complaint heard… in fact, not much heard at all, as mouths were already working overtime, and forks flying. Le Comme Chez Soi Hippodrome, Bamako, Mali +223 74 44 22 22

what’s to eat #14

A “double-coeur” cake worth writing home about, to end an enrollment campaign in gratitude to 9 hard-working staff who recruited upwards of 1,000 village farmers in a matter of weeks. I asked who took a bite out of the bottom–ha. From Restaurant Amandine (top-notch people-watching in BKO) Badalabougou – Ave de L’oua Porte 622 Bamako, Mali (+223) 20 22 11 71