Presenting: The 2021 Feast Afrique Reading Challenge

A monthly reading challenge focused on West African & Diasporic culinary heritage, from books to essays and more. The goal is to share, collect and document literary works across a range of categories. Each week, I’ll share an example from each category, special recipes, insight and anything else there is on Feast Afrique.

I'd like to explore West African & Diasporic culinary history, literature, language and to explore other ways of enjoying food, beyond eating and the table. I know the books I want to read/ mention in each category and I'd love to learn and see what other people are reading and thinking of.

You’ll be able to ‘borrow’/ read many of the books from the Feast Afrique Digital Library - for FREE.

Join the challenge on Storygraph, and share what you’re reading. If you want, use the #ReadingwithFeastAfrique everywhere you can.

This list will keep growing as ideas come. Also, what are some challenges you’d like to add/ see on the list?

Here’s the list:

1. The Oldest West African or Diasporic Cookbook You Like, Know or Own?

   Personal exploration - the age of the book and other events that might have happened at that time

   Recommendations - Practical West African Cooking (1910) by G. Ruxton, S. Leith-Ross

   Available in the Feast Afrique Digital Library? Yes

2. Comprehensive cookbooks describing a country’s culinary collection

   Personal exploration - these might give a reader insight into what books to explore based on your recommendations

   Recommendations - Nigerian cookbook (1982) by M. Isoun, H.O. Anthonio
   Available in the Feast Afrique Digital Library? Yes

3. Literature featuring food traditions

   A great way to learn about how food and culture intersect, from festivals to traditions and rituals and more

   Recommendations - The African Trilogy with Things Fall Apart, etc by Chinua Achebe

   Available in the Feast Afrique Digital Library? Yes

4. A book with intersections of Afro-...... food and history

   Exploring diasporic connections, for instance the journey of West African food in Brazil and its enduring presence/ legacy

   Recommendations - Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon (1958) by Jorge Amado

   Available in the Feast Afrique Digital Library? Yes

5. A book based on Afrofuturism that has elements of food 

   Recommendations - Who Fears Death (2014) by Nnedi Okorafor

   Available in the Feast Afrique Digital Library? No

6. A book featuring Jollof rice

   Exploring the symbology of this spiced red rice dish and noting its presence in ceremonies, traditions is interesting

   Recommendations - Purple Hibiscus (2003) and Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

   Available in the Feast Afrique Digital Library? Yes

7. A cookbook from a different era in Black culinary history. It would be great to relate that era to a country/ region for instance Nigerian colonial era, post-Independence in Ghana, etc

   Recommendations - The Kudeti Book of Yoruba Cookery (2002) by CMS, Nigeria

   Available in the Feast Afrique Digital Library? No

   Available to buy in Lagos/ Nigeria

8. Beautiful writing on Black food culture

   Recommendations - Longthroat Memoirs: Soups, Sex and Nigerian Taste Buds (2016) by Yemisi Aribisala

   Available in the Feast Afrique Digital Library? No

   Available to buy around the world

9. Ingredient-focused piece/ book

   Ingredient-focused pieces take us on journeys that explore emotion, heritage and more

   Recommendations - Yaji (2011) by Mohammed Naseehu Ali; The Problems With Palm Oil Don’t Start With My Recipes (2020) by Yewande Komolafe; Free Okro (2015) by Siddharta Mitter

10. A read that has helped you develop a better relationship with food

    Recommendations - Women, Food and God (2011) by Geneen Roth

    Summary: Love in the Time of Fat (2012) by Ozoz Sokoh

    Available in the Feast Afrique Digital Library? No

11. A book that makes you want to cook

    Recommendations - The Groundnut Cookbook (2015) by Duval Timothy, Jacob Fodio Todd, Folayemi Brown

    Available in the Feast Afrique Digital Library? No

    Available to buy around the world

    Six recipes from The Groundnut Cookbook, The Guardian

12. A book that has food/ food experiences you adored as a child

    This book left a generation of readers craving midnight feasts

    Recommendations - Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer: A Golden Treasury of Classic Treats (2008) by Jane Brocket. and the St Clares and Malory Towers Series by Enid Blyton

    Available in the Feast Afrique Digital Library? No

    Available to buy around the world

13. New ‘...........’ cookbook

    A reimagination/ reinterpretation of cuisine

    Recommendations - Hibiscus (2017) by Lope Ariyo

    Available in the Feast Afrique Digital Library? No

    Available to buy around the world

    Three recipes from Hibiscus, The Independent