Makayabu is the Lingala word for Bacalhau (Portuguese) or Bacalao (Spanish) also known as dried and salted cod. Salting food is probably the world’s oldest known food preservation method, which is probably the reason why dried and salted cod has been over centuries one of the most used ingredients in almost every part of the globe.
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While Irish might have Pub food, Congolese have NGanda food. Nganda is the Lingala term for rustic restaurants or taverns that is common to see in popular neighborhoods in Brazzaville. The food that you will usually find there are mostly grilled meat cooked on charcoal. Continue reading
A game night without chicken wings is certainly not a game party as far as I’m concerned. Chicken wings are to sports events what turkey is to Thanksgiving i.e essential. And once you taste these grilled chicken wings, it’s going to become your favorite spicy grilled wings recipe.
We are already in August and I decided for this month to introduce you to some of my favorite dishes, especially the African ones. And today, I’m making MBika cakes with Shrimp and smoked fish. MBika (the word used in Lingala) is commonly called Egusi in West Africa and Pistache in Cameroon. In West and Central Africa, Egusi seeds, protein-rich seeds of certain cucurbitaceous plants, like squash, melons or gourds, are ground into flour whose texture is similar to almond meal.
Happy Cinco de Mayo! For the occasion, I decided to celebrate Mexican food by making pork tacos with homemade tortilla. Even though it wasn’t my first time making tortillas on my own, it was my first time making them with Masa flour. Usually I make my tortillas with all-purpose flour, but this time I decided to try to make the classic corn tortillas. The taste wasn’t quite the same as the ones with all-purpose flour; however I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. I think the next time I will probably try to make a recipe with both masa flour and all-purpose flour just to see if there is a difference.
If I was asked to name one of my favorite spices, I would without a doubt choose ginger. It’s an aromatic root that adds additional flavor to basically everything from stir fries to smoothies. Maybe that’s why this ginger cake recipe is one of my favorite desserts. It’s a very simple cake with a lot of flavor thanks to the combination of spices used in the batter. Disclaimer, if you aren’t not an adept of spices or spicy food; you would certainly not enjoy this recipe as much as someone who tolerates spices would. However, give it a try and you will not be disappointed. It’s a perfect cake that goes well with a cup of coffee as well with a cup of tea. But I enjoy it better with coffee.
Rita's Notebook 