West African Cuisine at the Heart of New Fortification Clinical Trial Led by UC Davis
By Lisa Howard
Bouillon is a staple ingredient in West African cuisine. The cubes are used to flavor soups, stews, gravies and rice. Popular dishes include Red-Red, a bean stew made with red palm oil and fried ripe red plantain, and Jollof Rice, a spicy rice dish prepared with tomatoes, peppers and onions.
Seth Adu-Afarwuah’s favorite dishes are soups. “There’s groundnut soup, made with peanut paste. There’s also a light soup, basically tomato and maybe garden eggs. It’s light, not thick.”
Adu-Afarwuah is a UC Davis alumnus. He received a Ph.D. in nutrition and is now a senior lecturer in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Ghana, Legon.
“To start preparing the soup, the meat or fish goes in first, then the onion, the bouillon and then tomatoes and peanut paste or palm fruit pulp are added,” said Adu-Afarwuah. “A lot of the meals that are prepared use bouillon.”