Exploring The Origin & Beauty Of Soup Making In African Cuisines
Have you ever wondered how African grandmothers from whom we descended, now referred as ancestors were able to apportion the right ingredients that made up the soup you enjoy today? Ever wondered how they carefully selected ingredients that don't pose any threat to the consumer's health? Ever wondered how they knew the right time to add ingredients, the type of ingredients to create a different culinary masterpiece that still serves us till date?
These are little things that we take for granted. In today's world, with the help of technology, you can cook almost every meal for the first time. All you have to do is visit some YouTube cooking channels, follow some chefs on Instagram, or Google recipes and methods of cooking. Again, have you ever wondered how those recipes were invented?
Classic Invention...
Actually, our grandmothers, unlike what we think of them are not primitive people. The cooking inventions they created, especially the art of soup making should be considered among the wonders of the world. It is a classic invention poised in ingenuity. Its inventiveness is very scientific, and it is safe to say that these women were scientists long before we realized it. Over generations, African grandmothers have been cooking soup for centuries, and they passed down recipes and methods of this soup-making to generations, adapting the processes from their surroundings and incorporating ingredients like meat, vegetables, grains, and spices into daily meals.
Some of our African soups trace their origins back to ancient civilizations, where indigenous ingredients were combined to create flavorful and nourishing dishes. African soups are often reflective of the region's agricultural practices and the availability of ingredients. For example, from the tantalizing slimy texture of Okra soup to the delightful creamy palm nut banga soup, and the thick and viscous texture of ogbono soup, then to the colorful and flavorful spinach and tomato-based efo riro, and the fiery and invigorating flavors of pepper soup, down to the distinctive aroma of Oha (Pterocarpus mildbraedii) soup, are all West African soups exemplifying our ancestors' diverse culinary resourcefulness and heritage in the creative use of local ingredients to craft unforgettable flavors passed from generation to generation.
Scientists long before we realized...
Our grandmothers in crafting Bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) soup applied separation techniques to buffer the bitter leaf in such a way it leaves a delicious aftertaste to the taste buds. They went in search of a soup thickener to regulate the viscosity or fluidity of a soup, and they found different thickeners. They understood the biochemical compositions of the bitter leaf long before we went to the laboratory, as they knew its health benefits; including its ability to lower cholesterol levels, its anticancer and antioxidant properties, as well as its potential as a natural remedy for diabetes. These women went ahead to admixture bitter leaf soup with Ogbono seeds to create a culinary delight with nutritional benefits because of the Ogbono seeds' high-fiber content and anti-inflammatory ability.
Every soup they ever made is a meticulous invention that could be proven in the taste of their admixtures. Our grandmothers in Gabon, Tanzania, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, and Zambia knew the cassava soup they were crafting is high in calcium, iron, zinc, β-carotene, total carotene, niacin, and vitamin C.
They had topnotch knowledge about fermentation, and they invented fermented condiments of plant-based proteinaceous seeds that will be air-dried for soup making. Like iru (locust bean) and ugba (Oil Bean). Our African grandmothers also used soup for healing practices. They crafted soups made from medicinal plants and herbs extracts believed to have therapeutic properties. These soups served not only as nourishment but also as remedies for various ailments. One such example is the ofe uda (uda soup) made for nursing mothers among Igbo people in Nigeria. It's not only spicy, the warmth and comfort provided by the soup can be soothing for both the mother and the baby during the delicate postpartum period. While some soups with their unique ingredients help with lactation in nursing mothers, others help strengthen the immune system of the nursing mother and that of the child. They knew which vegetables to prepare as soup that will apparently reduce your constipation drastically.
Remember them!
If beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, value is in the mind of the consumer. When our great great great great grandmothers invented soup many centuries ago, little did they know that their experimental admixture would have such value in their descendants' lives. Admixtures that started from their backyard are today a thing of cultural pride. It is important to state that the soups our grandmothers invented not only satisfy hunger but also evoke a sense of nostalgia and cultural pride, as they represent the heart and soul of African cooking. It reminds us of how out of relative availability, one can create a wholesome masterpiece that will last for generations. I will not delay to propose a World Soup Day if I'm in a position to suggest a world-acclaimed day. Instead of boyfriend or girlfriend day, maybe we should actually canvass for World Soup Day in honor of these resourceful women.
Whether you're cooking African soups at home or enjoying them at a local restaurant, it is important that you remember to say some prayers to our dear grandmothers for gracing your palate with such a delicious gift.
Bon appetit!
Pluritongue Fact Of The Day:
The hottest known spice in Africa is the African ghost pepper Called bhut jolokia ("ghost chilli")