Cuisine of Niger
{{Short description|Culinary traditions of Niger}}
{{Distinguish|Nigerian cuisine}}
The cuisine of Niger draws on traditional African cuisines. Various spices are used and meals include grilled meat, seasonal vegetables, salads, and various sauces. Meals in Niger usually start with colorful salads made from seasonal vegetables. Moringa leaves are a favorite for a salad.{{cn|date=August 2023}}
Typical Nigerien meals consist of a starch (rice being the most popular) paired with a sauce or stew. The starches eaten most often are millet and rice. Staple foods include millet, rice, cassava, sorghum, maize and beans.[https://books.google.com/books?id=tn4DljJVXtQC&q=Cuisine+of+Niger Niger – Rabah Seffal]. p. 115. Couscous is saved for special occasions. Porridge, wheat dumplings, and beignets are some of Niger's popular snacks.[http://foodspring.com/content/niger/ Cuisine in the Sahara] FoodSpring.com Retrieved 2012-03-22 One popular food is jollof rice.[https://travelfoodatlas.com/niger-foods] Retrieved 2024-5-1
Plant agriculture production in Niger is significantly reliant upon rainfall to provide water for plants, and droughts have adversely affected Niger's agriculture production in the past, threatening the country's domestic food supply.Von Braun 1995, p. 176.
Tea is a popular beverage in Niger.{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldtravelguide.net/guides/africa/niger/food-and-drink/|title = Niger food and drink guide}}
Spices
Some spices were brought to Niger by Arabian travelers, and include ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, saffron, and cloves.[https://books.google.com/books?id=dOIubf0ZAPsC&pg=PA110 Hope for a Better World – Monique Mitchell]. p. 110.[https://books.google.com/books?id=FJxlWwrVcKcC&pg=PA101 The Recipes of Africa – Dyfed Lloyd Evans]. pp. 101-103. Hot spices are also used in Nigerien cuisine. Sometimes spices are used to marinate meats to add flavor.
Common dishes
- Jollof rice
- Dambou, dish made from cereals and moringa leaves
- Moringa, prepared with leaves of the "drumstick tree", the pods and flowers of which are also edible
- Stews and soups
- Millet porridge
- Palm nut soup
Common foods
File:Jáhlová kaše.jpg porridge]]
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- Beans
- Black-eyed peas
- Cassava root
- Chicken
- Chickpeas
- Dates
- Fish
- Goat
- Coarse grains
:* Millet[https://books.google.com/books?id=KpCRvFEg0FAC&pg=PA5 Farmer-based Financing of Operations in the Niger Valley Irrigation Schemes]. p. 5.
:* Sorghum
- Groundnuts[https://books.google.com/books?id=CAhgpbXzq0oC&pg=PA112 Stirring the Pot: A History of African Cuisine - James C. McCann]. p. 112.[https://books.google.com/books?id=CAhgpbXzq0oC&pg=PA133 Stirring the Pot: A History of African Cuisine - James C. McCann]. p. 133.
- Maize
- Mango
- Onion
- Beef
- Camel meat
- Guinea fowl
- Mutton
- Tiger nuts
- Fonio
- Rice
- Squash
- Cooked yams
- Yogurt
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File:Niger kilishi.JPG|Kilishi in Niger
File:Hirsekoerner.jpg|Millet grains
File:Fryingplantains10-28-06.jpg|Fried plantain
File:Sorghum.wild-India-Tamil word27.1.jpg|Sorghum grains
See also
{{Commons category|Cuisine of Niger}}
{{subject bar|portal2=Food|portal3=Africa}}
References
=Notes=
{{reflist|30em}}
=Bibliography=
- Von Braun, Joachim (1995). [https://books.google.com/books?id=7q1ZUsatasIC Employment for Poverty Reduction and Food Security]. Intl Food Policy Res Inst. pp. 174–196. {{ISBN|0896293327}}
{{Cuisine of Africa}}
{{Cuisine}}
{{Lists of prepared foods}}