Contest Alert ⚠️ 1 Picture 1 Story

Steem greetings guys from the motherland, Cameroon and welcome to another Session with the contest “one picture one story”

My story is about a Cameroonian staple food called koki. This is a savoury pudding made primarily from a special breed of white beans and palm oil mixed and wrapped in plantain leaves and well-cooked.

Preparing this meal requires the 4 most important ingredients which include but are not limited to beans, palm oil, plantain leaves and salt (seasoning cubes are optional)

To prepare this special pudding, you have to soak the beans in water and allow them to soak for about 45 minutes and then wash off the peelings. Grind the beans into a paste and mix with hot palm oil, add your salt and seasoning to taste, then pour into plantain leaves and wrap and cook till your pudding is ready to be consumed.

The result of this mixture will give you a protein-filled flavour dish that meets your taste.

Culturally, this delicacy is usually prepared during traditional ceremonies, during family meetings and festivals. It is usually cooked communally because it is time-consuming and energy-sapping to wash the beans and properly peel them and stir after grinding.

Koki is one of the meals Cameroon is culturally identified with in the diaspora with pride. Those at the center of this meal are mostly women and they passed it down to generations to come.

The meal has its origin dates back since precolonial cuisine in West Africa whereby most dishes at the time were legume-based as a result of the agricultural patterns practiced in the region at the time. This is why the dish is also a staple food across other west African cultures like in Nigeria.

Today, Koki is not limited to a traditional food but is seen as a favourite meal nationwide. It is common to find it as a street food as women cook it and carry it along the street to sell. It is also available in restaurants. It is no longer limited to festive season or family gatherings. Koki is usually eaten with either boiled cassava, sweet potatoes, or plantains and miondo.

I'm inviting @pelon53, @shiftitamanna and @crismenia to participate in the contest.