Mali Cuisine is as diverse as its inhabitants. Mali is a West African country that is full of variety in every aspect of life. Cuisine of Mali comprises mostly of corn, millet, and rice porridges served with diverse ranges of sauces. Mali has a number of ethnic groups each with its own form of typical recipe.
Mali Food has its own distinctive nature. Some of the popular Mali recipes are:
- Poulet Yassa – Poulet yassa is a chicken dish, prepared with sliced onions, minced chili pepper, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, cooking oil, and salt and pepper
- Mafe – This is a beef item prepared with peeled-diced-seeded tomatoes, minced onion, minced garlic, natural unsalted peanut butter, oil, stock, and salt and pepper
- Foutou or Fufu - Fufu is a mashed vegetable preparation. It can be made from mashed yams, yucca, or potatoes. Foutou is usually served as an accompaniment for meat items.
- Couscous - Couscous is a kind of semolima pasta having the appearance of a small grain. Boiling water is poured over it, stirred and left covered for 10-15 minutes
- Meni-meniyong - This is a Malinese dessert food. The ingredients are sesame seeds, honey, and unsalted butter
Other popular Mali recipes include 'Poulet Kedjennou', 'Fakoye', 'Saga saga', 'Tcheke', 'Goya', 'Larho', 'Riz', and 'Seri'.
In Mali sauces and tea are important food culinary delights. Malinese inhabitants make sauces from baobab leaves, sweet potato leaves, ground peanuts, okra and baobab. Tea drinking is quite a ritual in Mali. Tea normally is drunk in three rounds: the first for life which is slightly sweet, the second for love which is very sweet, and the third for death which is bitter. Fruits like watermelon, mangoes, banana, and lemons are liked by most of the Malinese.
Food in Mali is prepared by women and eaten with the right hand. Having food with the left hand is not appreciated in this country.
Mali cuisine offers a wide range of lip-smacking dishes. These delightful dishes will certainly satisfy the gastronomic demands of tourists visiting this African country.
