Compare and contrast the differences and similarities between traditional African and American dishes.
ANSWER
Compare and contrast traditional African and American dishes’ differences and similarities.
African Traditional Dishes and American Dishes
Beef, turkey, crab, clams, tomatoes, corn, pecans, pumpkins, and grits are common ingredients in American dishes, seasoned with various flavours and spices. The massive migration of people from various regions into America has resulted in widespread changes in cuisine. Fast foods like hamburgers and hotdogs have become popular in America. Tomatoes, Tamarind, coconut milk, pepper, tomatoes, and corn are common ingredients in traditional African dishes. While there are similarities between American and traditional African dishes, they are also very different. The similarities and differences between the two dishes will be discussed in this paper.
Similarities
Various animal meat products such as beef, poultry, goat meat, pork, and mutton are among the major similarities between American and African traditional dishes. Meat cooked in various modes and styles is common in American dishes. Meat roasted directly on the fire or boiled in a herb mixture is common in traditional African dishes. Africans roast while Americans barbecue, but they use similar types of meat, ranging from beef to mutton and pork. A dish without roasted or boiled meat is considered incomplete in an African celebration.
Another similarity is using various animal products, such as milk, eggs, and cheese, to prepare dishes. Africans have traditionally used unprocessed cheese in the preparation of various dishes. This cheese was made from milk using traditional methods, whereas Americans consume processed cheese. Eggs are also widely used in both America and Africa, where they are used to prepare various dishes. Milk is widely used in Africa and America, from making drinks to preparing and flavouring meat. While it was traditionally served as a drink to accompany a meal in Africa, it is now used in various ways in America.
Herbs and spices are another similarities between American and African traditional dishes. African Blue Basil and African Negro Pepper are two herbs frequently used in dishes. Herbs were used in traditional African dishes for their culinary and medicinal value (Asowata-Ayodele, Afolayan & Otunola, 2016). Before colonization, modern medicines were unavailable in Africa, so herbs were used as medicine. In America, however, using herbs and spices for flavouring is common. While traditional Africans preferred unprocessed spices, processed spices are widely used in the United States.
Another similarity is corn, lentils, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, cassava, yams, and arrowroot to round out dishes. Most of these are used to make the main dish in traditional African dishes, while others, such as meat, are used as supplements. For example, in East Africa, stones were used to grind corn into flour and make ‘Ugali’ (Hector, 2014). Posho mills are used to grind corn in the modern world. The corn can also be roasted or boiled whole. Corn is also commonly used in various dishes in the United States, as are other ingredients such as cassava, arrowroots, sweet potatoes, yams, and pumpkins.
Red onions, tomatoes, and coriander leaves, among other vegetables, are used in both American and traditional African dishes. Red onions are commonly used for frying various foods in Africa and America. Again, fruits like bananas, avocados, pawpaws, and mangoes are used to round out dishes in both regions. Fruits are eaten before or after meals in traditional African dishes, but they are part of the dish in America. Avocados and ripe bananas are used to tenderize meat in American dishes, but they are eaten whole in traditional African dishes.
Differences
The use of processes, spices, and products significantly differ between American and African traditional dishes. Processed foods can be found in a variety of American dishes. Breakfast cereals, canned vegetables, meat products, breadcakes, cheese, and savoury snacks are processed foods in American cuisine (Joseph, 2019). Furthermore, most spices, including pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, and cumin, are used in processed form in American dishes. A variety of processed spices is hard to come by in a typical American kitchen. While traditional African dishes contain various products and spices, they prefer to use fresh products and spices. Traditional African dishes, for example, do not include processed meat. Again, fresh herbs and spices are used, such as red pepper, which is common in traditional African dishes.