Visiting Mali Soon? 7 Amazing Malian Dishes you Should try
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Loading... - Roseline Ampofo
- 23 Mar 2022
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Malian dishes are absolutely superb which shouldn’t be a surprise as Mali is one of the most beautiful countries in Africa. The country offers a blissful retreat to the tourists with its unique mélange of bizarre landscapes, beautiful artwork, spectacular mosques made entirely of mud, pink sandstone villages, and long stretches of undulating desserts, and its cuisine is just something else.
The country is definitely one you should visit and we have the perfect food guide to get your belly some new delicious cravings. But first, what is Mali all about?
Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa, formally known as the Republic of Mali. Mali is Africa’s eighth-largest country, with little over 1,240,000 square kilometers, and has a population of 19.1 million people.
The name Mali is taken from the name of the Mali Empire. The name means “the place where the king lives and carries a connotation of strength”. Well, we’re about to see how much of this strength is put into the country’s cuisine.
Mali’s official language is French, which is the result of 68 years of European colonization. Despite the fact that French is Mali’s official language, only about 5% to 10% of the population speaks it. Mali is home to a diverse range of ethnic groupings and tribes, each of which speaks a different indigenous language some of which include; Bambara, Bomu, Bozo, Dogon, Fulfulde, Hassaniya Arabic, Mamara, Maninkakan, Soninke, Songhay, Syenara, Tamasheq, Xaasongaxango.
Mali is a predominantly Muslim country with 94.84 percent of the population belonging to Islam. Of that 94.84 percent, only 0.8 percent is Shi’a versus the greater majority of Sunni Muslims in the country.
The varied everyday culture of Malians reflects the country’s ethnic and geographic diversity. Most Malians wear flowing, colorful robes called boubloveous, which are typical of West Africa. Malians frequently participate in traditional festivals, dances, and ceremonies.
The staples of Malian cuisine, which is mainly focused on cereal grains, are rice and millet. Grains are usually served with sauces produced from a variety of edible leaves, such as spinach or baobab, as well as tomato peanut sauce and grilled meat pieces (typically chicken, mutton, beef, pork, or goat). The majority of the time, loco “plantains” are consumed with tea.
The Malian cuisine differs by region. Fufu, jollof rice, and maafe are also popular foods. New ways of promoting Malian gastronomy are emerging through activities such as the “DIBI festival”. Which is a gastronomic, artistic, and cultural meeting in Bamako, which is held over 3 days with good “Dibi” and show for a pleasant moment.
Fruit juice, rather than alcohol, is the preferred drink among the country’s primarily Muslim population, and the abundance of fresh mangoes and bananas lends a sweet finish to its meals. In Mali, women make all of the meals. And the right hand is used to eat. In this predominantly Muslim country, eating with the left hand is frowned upon. Strong, sweet tea is frequently served to accompany meals. Tea service is a highly ritualized occasion in Mali, as it is in many other countries. The first round is for life, the second for love, and the third for death.
If you are planning to visit Mali soon, or just looking for a new dish to bestow your family with, here are the top Malian dishes.
Top Malian Dishes You Should Try
1. Tiguadege Na
Mali’s national meal is Tiguadege Na, which is made with lamb or chicken. Tiguadege Na literally translates to “meat in peanut butter sauce.”
This peanut butter stew has a rich texture and is really tasty. To improve the flavor of this amazing dish, large chunks of potatoes and carrots are added. Although preparing this dish takes some time, the end result is well worth the wait. Its origin lies within the Malian ethnic groups of Mandinka and Bambara, whose existence dates back to the 13th century.
This Mali dish like a lot of others has a vegetarian version, so plant-based eaters can still enjoy the deliciousness of this meal.
Although preparing this meal takes quite a lot of time, it is absolutely worth it. To prepare this Malian dish, you’ll need beef, lamb or, for the adventurous, goat, cubed, off the bone, or chicken meat in pieces or parts, oil, some cloves, pepper, and spices to taste, both fresh and paste tomatoes, chicken or vegetable broth, peanut butter, some carrots, eggplant, and potatoes.
For the vegetarian version, you’ll be needing; oil, onions, some garlic, fresh and paste tomatoes, vegetable broth, smooth peanut butter, pepper and spices to taste, black pepper, acorn squash, and cabbage.
This Malian dish is so healthy as you can see from the ingredients used.
2. Malian Jollof Rice
Malian Jollof rice is of the most cherished Malian cuisine, served often on special occasions. Rich, hearty, and filling! Jollof rice is a rice dish from West Africa. The dish is typically made with long-grain rice, grass, palava sauce, leaves, water, and banana peels in a single pot, although its ingredients and preparation methods vary across different regions.
There are several regional variations in name and ingredients, for example, in Mali it is called zaamè in Bamanankan. The dish’s most common name of Jollof derives from the name of the Wolof people, though in Senegal and Gambia the dish is referred to in Wolof as ceebu jën or benachin. In French-speaking areas, it is called riz au gras. Despite the variations, the dish is “mutually intelligible” across the regions and has become the best-known African dish outside the continent.
Jollof rice traditionally consists of rice, cooking oil, vegetables such as tomato, onion, red pepper, garlic, ginger, and scotch bonnet chili peppers. To enhance the color of the dish, tomato paste (purée) is added. As for seasoning spices, salt, seasoning/stock cubes (a blend of flavor enhancers, salt, nutmeg, and herbs), curry powder, and dried thyme are used. To complement the dish, chicken, turkey, beef, or fish are often served with the dish, but in Mali, Lamb is the preferred choice of protein.
3. La Capitaine Sangha
Another favorite Malian dish is La Capitaine Sangha. It’s made with Nile perch and comes with whole fried bananas, rice, and a spicy chili sauce on the side. The Nile perch is marinated with spices, then grilled or baked.
The name “La Capitaine Sangha” Is a brief description of the source of the dish. Sangha is a river in Africa in which the Capitaine occurs, and the Capitaine is nothing more than a Nile perch. Read More...
