Cuisine of Niger

Culinary traditions of Niger

The cuisine of Niger draws on traditional African cuisines. Various spices are used and meals include grilled meat, seasonal vegetables, salads, and various sauces. Meals in Niger usually start with colorful salads made from seasonal vegetables. Moringa leaves are a favorite for a salad.^{[citation needed]}

Typical Nigerien meals consist of a starch (rice being the most popular) paired with a sauce or stew. The starches eaten most often are millet and rice. Staple foods include millet, rice, cassava, sorghum, maize and beans.^[1]^[2] Couscous is saved for special occasions. Porridge, wheat dumplings, and beignets are some of Niger's popular snacks.^[3]

Plant agriculture production in Niger is significantly reliant upon rainfall to provide water for plants, and droughts have adversely affected Niger's agriculture production in the past, threatening the country's domestic food supply.^[4]

Tea is a popular beverage in Niger.^[5]

Spices

Some spices were brought to Niger by Arabian travelers, and include ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, saffron, and cloves.^[1]^[6] Hot spices are also used in Nigerien cuisine.^[6] Sometimes spices are used to marinate meats to add flavor.

Common dishes

Jollof rice
Dambou, dish made from cereals and moringa leaves
Moringa, prepared with leaves of the "drumstick tree", the pods and flowers of which are also edible
Stews and soups
Millet porridge
Palm nut soup

Common foods

Millet^[8]
Sorghum^[7]

Kilishi in Niger
Millet grains
Fried plantain
Sorghum grains

References

Notes

^ ^a ^b Hope for a Better World – Monique Mitchell. p. 110.
^ Niger – Rabah Seffal. p. 115.
^ Cuisine in the Sahara FoodSpring.com Retrieved 2012-03-22
^ Von Braun 1995, p. 176.
^ "Niger food and drink guide".
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e The Recipes of Africa – Dyfed Lloyd Evans. pp. 101-103.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Stirring the Pot: A History of African Cuisine - James C. McCann. p. 112.
^ ^a ^b Farmer-based Financing of Operations in the Niger Valley Irrigation Schemes. p. 5.
^ Stirring the Pot: A History of African Cuisine - James C. McCann. p. 133.

Bibliography

Von Braun, Joachim (1995). Employment for Poverty Reduction and Food Security. Intl Food Policy Res Inst. pp. 174–196. ISBN 0896293327

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