REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

Commission on Higher Education

Region V (Bicol)
Province of Albay
LIBON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Libon, Albay
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
A/Y 2021-2022
1st Semester
INTERNATIONAL CUISINE
MODULE 8

INTRODUCTION
Mabuhay! Welcome back future teacher and manager, here is the 8th edition of our module. Now let’s
have a new modular discussion and exciting activity in The Countries of Africa.

LESSON OVERVIEW

Archeologist believe people inhabited eastern Africa two million years ago. Those early Africans were the
first humans to roam the earth, and this the beginning of civilization. Evidence shows that, later, Stone Age
people lived in Africa and that cereals, grains, and tubers played a major role in their diet.

Here are the learning objectives that will help you to explore, relate, and perform the task easily;

OBJECTIVES:
1. Identify various areas of Africa and the types of foods consumed in those areas.
2. Explain soups and stews domination in the African diet.
3. Discuss the role of starches and fat in the African diet.
4. Relate on the weather conditions that impact the cuisine of Africa.
5. Prepare and present variety of dishes from different African
PRE- TEST
ACTIVITY 1: Discuss the following
1. What historical and geographical influences contributed to the contrasting cuisines of Northern Africa
and the rest of the continent?
2. What will be the factors created the differences between these regions?
3. What is one-pot cookery, and why is it so prevalent in Africa?
PRE-QUESTIONS:
1. What is the background of Africa regions/countries?
2. What are the prevalent foods that consumed in African diet?
3. What is the importance of soup and stew in the African diet?
4. What is the role of starchy, and fat foods in Africa?
5. How does the weather influence various regions in Africa?
LESSON CONTENT
THE COUNTRIES OF AFRICA
TOPOGRAPHY
Africa reigns as the second largest continent. Desert cover two-fifths of Africa; another two-fifths
consist of grasslands; forests and other land types occupy the remaining one-fifth. The equator runs through
central Africa, so tropical, hot, and humid climate predominates. In fact, 90 percent of the country lies in the
tropics. Although some of the areas are situated near the equator, high elevations cause a temperature rather than
a tropical climate. This is apparent in parts of Ethiopia and Tanzania.

WATERWAYS
 Africa contains about 20, 000 miles of coastline, with borders on the Mediterranean Sea in the north, the
Atlantic Ocean in the west, the Indian Ocean in the east, the Red Sea on the northeastern side. This yields ample
seafood for the areas with coastline. Two larger rivers the Nile and the Congo, provide freshwater fish. The
longest river in the world, the Nile flows for more than 4,000 miles. In addition, several large lakes in eastern
Africa, Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Malawi, provide abundant fish. In areas with access to the
waters. Fish and seafood provide the main source of protein for inhabitants.
TRADE ROUTE
In the quest for spices, Phoenicians rounded the Cape of Good Hope as early as 600 B.C. situated in the
Pacific Ocean between Europe and the Spice Islands, Africa became an important part of the trade route that ran
between Asia and Europe about 1,000 year ago. Like several port cities in Italy, port of cities of Africa
developed into major trading centers during this time. The heavy Middle Eastern influence that arrived then is
still apparent in the cuisine and culture of northern Africa.

NORTHERN AFRICA
Further archeological evidence indicates that as early as 6000 B.C. people lived in communities near in
Nile River (in Egypt), raised animals, and built large structures. The first written history tells of Egypt’s
civilization, settlement along the Nile river, and Egypt as a unified state in about 3000 B.C.
The yearly flooding of the Nile River deposited rich fertile soil on the land, which yielded bountiful
crops. Using the excess from their harvest, these Egyptians traded for other foods and needed.
Alexander the Great entered Egypt around 330 B.C. under Greek rule the port city of Alexandria was
established on the Mediterranean Sea, and it became the capital city of Egypt as well as a thriving port and
center for trade.
Around the year 100 A.D., the Romans came to northern Africa, and they spread Christianity throughout
the area. In the 700s, the Arabs came into northern Africa and introduced Islamic culture and religion.
Although Arabic heritage dominated the areas north of the Sahara, inhabitants south of the Sahara
consisted of Blacks from more than 800 different ethnic tribes. Each tribe possessed its own culture, religion,
language, and cuisine, and this great diversity still exists throughout Africa.
CURRENT SITUATION
Today, there are more than 50 countries over 900 million people on the continent of Africa. With a huge
number of tribes and cultural backgrounds, more than 1,000 languages are spoken in Africa.
Throughout history and into the present, two factors are responsible for widespread hunger and
starvation in many areas of Africa. First, a number of the countries experience poverty and poor living
conditions as a result of poor soil and unfavorable growing conditions. Second, numerous natural disasters
routinely plague the continents, including droughts, flood, and insect infestations. These create huge crop loses
the ensuing devastation of land and life.
SAHARA DESERT
The largest in the world, the Sahara lies across northern Africa, forming a barrier separating the northern
and southern portions of the continent. The resulting isolation has led to very limited mixing cultures and
cuisine on either side of this arid divider.
SOUTH OF THE SAHARA
The western part of Africa contains rain forest, lots of palm trees, and generally tropical conditions. The
Niger river runs from east to west across Nigeria. The southern side of Nigeria borders the Atlantic Ocean. With
so many water sources, seafood remains the mainstay here.

INGREDIENTS AND FOODS COMMONLY USED THROUGHOUT THE CUISINE OF AFRICA

  Beans, Tomatoes, Fish and seafood.
 Yams, rice, millet, and corn.
 Greens, cassava, pepper and chilies.
 Bananas and plantains, cilantro and cumin.
 Okra, peanuts, palm oil, coconuts and tropical fruits.

COOKING METHODS
The most frequently used cooking methods are braising, frying, and grilling. One-pot cookery is
prevalent throughout Africa, a remnant of cooking over an open fire. Benefits of braising (one-pot cookery) are
twofold: it extends the small amount of available meat and tenderizes tough meat through the slow cooking
process. As a result, the African mainstay remain stews and soups.
With plenty of oil available, frying continues as an often-used cooking technique. Besides providing a
frying medium, the oil also functions as a significant source of calories in a land that often yields too little food
for its inhabitants. In some areas, cooks add oil to a dish at the end of cooking. This creates a dish with layer of
oil floating on top, but it adds needed calories and helps to fill the diner.
Like one-pot cookery, grilling is another carryover from cooking over an open fire. Baking and roasting
occur infrequently. With unpredictable growing conditions due to either too much or not enough rainfall, salting
and pickling continues as two methods of preserving foods in many African countries. These preservation
techniques are important because the condition of the next crop is always an unknown.
CASSAVA- is an edible root widely consumed as a starch. Sometimes cooked whole or as pulp, it is most often
used in powder form. The granulated or powder form is called manioc in Brazil, tapioca in America, and Gari
in Africa. Although not high in nutritional value, cassava is an important, filling staple in the diets of many
countries in Africa as well as Brazil and the Caribbean.

NORTH AFRICA
The countries north of the Sahara Desert bear more resemblance to the countries of the Middle East and
Mediterranean than to the rest of Africa. Most inhabitants claim middle easter ancestry; in fact, Arabic is spoken
in much of this area, and the Islamic Religion dominates. Many dishes served in northern Africa are the same or
a variation of those served in the Middle East.
North Africans use many spices and herbs, they lean toward the aromatic rather than the spicy, hot
flavorings preferred in much of the south.

North African dishes:

 Tagine - a meat stew often containing fruit, is associated with Moroccan cookery. This dish is named
after cooking pot that has a cone-shaped lid with a hole in the top that allows some steam to escape
during cooking.
 Couscous- is actually tiny pasta made from durum wheat semolina. Moroccans consume ample amounts
of wheat products, including flatbreads. Regional variations of couscous abound. Some prefer couscous
plain, some like it sweet, and others combine it with meat or vegetables.
WEST AFRICA
Although the hot, humid climate prevailing in western Africa is conducive to the production of abundant
agriculture, most of the land consists of poor soil, resulting in meager crops. A profusion of tropical fruits
thrives here, in spite of the poor soil. Stews appear most often. They have the advantages of using any available
foods, as well as extending the volume of limited food supplies. Generous use of chili peppers produces the hot,
spicy food served in much of this area. Besides their use as a seasoning, peppers are highly valued for medicinal
purposes.
The most common foods found in Nigeria include beans, plantains, bananas, yams, okra and cassava. Primarily
Muslim, the diet in northern Nigeria centers on beans. These people often use salted and dried fish astounding
amount of hot chilies are eaten here, often too much for the American palate. Okra stew appears frequently in
this part of Africa.

EAST AFRICA

The famous safaris and Mount Kilimanjaro hail from the eastern section of Africa. Parts of this area
experience temperate rather than tropical climate due to the high elevations. Like other areas of Africa, the lack
of rainfall in some years creates severe droughts that severely limit the food supplies in this regions. The basis
of the diet consists of stews and soups accompanied by starch, usually rice, corn, and /or bananas.
The cuisine of Ethiopia developed without the addition of sugar. Before that time, Ethiopian added salt
or spices to coffee in the way we use sugar. Ethiopians developed a spicy seasoning called berbere, which
contains cumin, coriander, ginger, cardamon, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, paprika, fenugreek, salt, pepper, and
cayenne. Berbere flavors many Ethiopian dishes.
A similar seasoning mixture, piripiri, is a commonplace in Mozambique. Hot spicy food remains the
norm in both of these countries. Wot, the Ethiopian term for stew, is served regularly eaten with hands and
scooped with the flatbread, injera. here: pork consumption violates Islamic religious law.

SOUTHERN AFRICA
The southern African cuisine shows influence from United Kingdom, Malaysia, Holland, and Northern
Europe. Reflecting significant British, Indian, and Malaysian influences, curries are widely consumed in
Southern Africa. A stew containing lamb or mutton, onion, and other vegetables, bredie appears often in South
Africa.
Like much of Africa, great diversity in the diet is often based on person’s wealth. For example, in South Africa,
poor people consume lots of mealies, a porridge made from corn and bourewors, a popular Afrikaners sausage
dish. The wealthy have access to a large quantity and a wide variety of foods.

CENTRAL AFRICA
The central part of Africa lying south of the Sahara consists of poor soil, high plateau, some rain forests,
and occasional fertile growth regions. Poor growing conditions and poor soil result in sparse food supplies and a
narrow range of available ingredients. The people of this region subsist on any available food, and as a result,
they eat a repetitive diet, consuming the same foods over and over. The primary staple, corn appears everywhere
in this area. Combined with any obtainable vegetables or meat, corn functions as the major portion of the diet in
the poorer areas of the central region. Much like cornmeal mush, samp is prepared alone or combined with
other ingredients such as peanuts or beans. With the exception of Congo and Gabon, the dishes in central Africa
are not spicy hot. In those countries, abundant chilies regularly appear, and the heat level even surpasses that of
western Africa.

CUISINE
Africa’s economy remains poor for a number of reasons. Much of the soil is poor and yields meager
crops. Unpredictable weather conditions lead to droughts and floods. Insect infestation often destroy crops.
Many farmers produce only enough food to feed their families. Starvation remains a reality in Africa and
accounts for numerous deaths.
AVAILABLE INGREDIENTS
Corn, beans, okra, cassava, plantains, yams, green, and dende ( palm oil) remain staple ingredients in many of
the African countries. Whether mixed with coconut milk, combined with meats, mixed into cornmeal mush, or
added to one of the many other preparations large quantities of green are consumed by Africans.
ONE-POT DISHES
 Some of the one-pot dishes commonly served throughout Africa include tagines from the north,
groundnut stews (containing ground nuts, often peanuts) from the west, and curries from the east and south.
Accompanied by appropriate grains or bread from the region, these one-pot dishes function as the complete
meal. The cuisines of the countries in the western portion of Africa use more seafood, while meat consumption
is higher in eastern Africa legumes, however are widely consumed in all of Africa.
FAT
Many of the African cuisines include a lot of fat by American standard. At the beginning of cooking,
meats and vegetables are sauteed in fat before adding liquid. In addition, Africans often incorporate into the dish
fat. Although food supplies remain sparse in many of these countries, oil from palms, peanuts and other
vegetables are abundant throughout tropical Africa. By weight, fats contain bigger a higher number of calories
than other foods, and those extra calories are needed to augment the meager calories obtained from normal diet.
MEAL
Because of limited food, inhabitants in many areas south of the Sahara consume only one meal a day
with the snack at other times. Meals usually consist of one-pot dishes except in the extreme north and south of
Africa.
Breakfast is a robust meal consisting of beans and rice or other food that we normally think of as
entrees. Africans believe that people need to consume a hearty breakfast containing ample calories before
departing for work. If available, both the afternoon and the evening meals typically consist of soup or stew
served with a starch. In northern Africa, guests receive feast like meals; however, families, still consume the
one-pot dish and a starch.

ACTIVITY 2. STOP AND REFLECT (30 points)

(Reflection, activity will send via google classroom)

Directions: Create a table that shows a summary of what you have learned from the discussion
above. Write your answer in your accomplishment sheet.

AFRICAN REGION COOKING METHOD PREVALENT FOOD/DIET

ACTIVITY 3: Write your own perception and implication on the following questions below:( 20 points).

1. Explain the role and importance of starches and fats in the African diet?

2. Explain the differences in cuisine between North, South, East, West, and Central portion of Africa?

3. Why is it hunger and starvation is a widely problem in the African continent? What do you think the
cause of that famine?

4. How the people of Africa mitigate the problem in their lives, what is your realization in this situation?

5. How does the weather influence the foods and cuisine of Africa?

REFERENCES: International Cuisine, 2nd edition, Heyman Patricia A., 2012.

Prepared by:
Benjamin S. Taduran Jr.
Instructor