Africa

Food Culture:  Across more than 50 countries, the cuisine of Africa is as diverse as the continent itself. Each geographic region has a unique cultural cuisine that predominately reflects ingredients found locally. From fufu in the West to ugali in the East; and from couscous in the North to biltong in the South, the foods of Africa offer a wide variety of flavors to explore.

The cuisine of North and West Africa bear the most telling and identifiable characteristic: heat. A typical meal includes extremely hot chile peppers—the Scotch Bonnets and the pilli pilli, which are respected by the most dedicated chile aficionado. West African food has much more seafood due to availability but uniquely combines that with other meats in many dishes such as stews.

South Africa’s unique cuisine is a combination of culinary concepts from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Arab States merged into one to create the flavors of South Africa. The cuisine continues to be heavily meat-based, which has initiated the social gathering known as braai. South Africa has become a producer of many great wines, with some of the best vineyards lying in valleys around Stellenbosch, Franschoek, Paarl and Barrydale. Taste the Culture of Africa!

Africa boasted one of the most prominent civilizations in ancient history: the Egyptians. For nearly 2,000 years, the Egyptians consolidated their power and the wealth of the Nile River into an empire the likes of which had never been seen.

Centuries later, countries in northern and eastern Africa began to feel the cultural and political influence of Islam, leading to slave trade with Arab nations. Slave trade would ultimately spread to the 'new' world across the Atlantic, thus African culture is evident throughout the western hemisphere.

Throughout the 1800s, European countries attempted to claim African lands, however, the colonies eventually won their independence. Today, Africa is a continent rife with war and revolution as the countries begin to develop economically and socially. To learn more about Africa, please see the Research the Continents page.