The Popularity Of West African Restaurants.

 People are noticing how good West African dishes are. The food can be tasty and quickly made, perfect for today's hungry customers. It seems that these places are popping up all over, introducing an ancient and flavorful cuisine.

Regular contributor Kayla Stewart wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Food section. West African immigrants are coming in large numbers to the US. In 1980 there were only about 40,000 West Africansliving here. By 2019 the mumber was 890,000, mostly Nigerians living in the bigger cities of Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, new York City and Washington D.C.. This means a growing need of restuarants that offer fast and casual dining that appeal to everyone.They're proliferating everyhwere, from shopping centers to strip malls to food halls. Second generation owners are showcasing traditional and family recipes.They're also trying to reach out to non-African diners as well.There are also some well established myths that chefs such as Pierre Thiam, onwer of Manhattan's Teranga restaurant are trying to dispel. He sees people think of the African continent as a place of scarcity.It isn't,. There is an abundance of ingredients and creativity. Chef Thiem shows this by creating lush grain bowls , full of jollof rice, sweet potatoes, black eye peas, chicken and shrimp. 

Some second generation chefs have incorporated the American influences that they've grown up with into their dishes.At Suya Suya West African Grill in Philadelphia chef Dera Nd-Ezuma who developed a love fo tacos believes in this.Chef Nd-Ezuma uses them to hold such Nigerian traditional recipes like steak marinated in yaji spice, a fiery blend of ground chiles,ginger garlic and onion powders along with ground peanuts and a crushed bouillon cube. He feels that the reason for his success is that people want to experience it in a way that feels comfortable. He even feels overwhelmed when going to other African eateries. He can only imagine how non Nigerians feel. Germine Awad , a psychology professor at the University of Michigan calls this "openness to experience" -  which means piquing a potential customer's customer rather than how something is served. Yet many of the first generation Africans have a problem with the "Americanization" of  their dishes. Many chefs ignore this criticism. They want to showcase their talents and bring their version of traditional dishes and flavorings to the world.It's just finding a balance with adding avocado kale to suya bowls.

West African food is now a part of the American table. It's a joyous fusion of traditional and non-traditional ingredients and flavors. The dishes are becoming popular with everyone.

Sharing Cuisines And Backgrounds

 What we eat tells other who we are. It's a glimpse into our histories and traditions. A plate of rice or yams can explain our pasts and who are ancestors were. Our recipes are a mirror of us, passed down for generations in some cases.

Regular  contributor Yewande Komolafe wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Food section. She tells of her own roots in Lagos, Nigeria in her new monthly column. Like Marcel Proust  with his madeleines, ,  Chef Komolafe reminisces about the aromas and taste of her past, She tells how diasporas shape and will always shape the American cuisine. The broader region of West Africa has also been responsible for the way America eats.Our barbecues and gumbos, fried fish and rice dishes are all part of the gifts the enslaved brought to America. They brought over fried foods along with okra and yams to add to the North American diet. Her own recipes made for guests, explains who she ; her background and her ideas on food. WE all do this , letting friends and colleagues into a slice of our lives and our histories. These dishes connect us to our our pasts and to those ancestors where we inherited those recipes.

Chef Komolafe also offers up a side dish - roasted carrots with yaji spice relish. Yaji is an essential pantry spice that should be in every kitchen. It's a homemade and simple blend of toasted peanuts, ground ginger, smoked paprika, onion and garlic powders combined with fine sea salt. All of this is then pulsed in a spice grinder but you can also use a mortar and pestle to create it.Chef Komolafe roasts the carrots on a sheet pan at 400 degrees Farenheit after coating them in a neutral oil such as vegetable or grapeseed.The relish , made with yaji , grated lemon, grated ginger and chopped scallions. Parsley and more oil is added.The carrots are then tossed with the relish in a large bowl. Toasted peanuts are scattered over the carrots. This would be a good side with roasted chicken for a Sunday meal or a a small Saturday get together. It could even be used for grilled vegetables too such as broccoli and cauliflower.

How we cook instantly telegraphs whop we are and where we come from. This is evident in CHef Komolafe's cooking and the ingredients she uses. They reflect her and her family's past while letting her guest know who she is ,