Adapting the peanut was easy for
Africans because they made similar uses of the native Bambara
groundnut. Perhaps because the peanut was easier to grow,
it soon pushed aside the Bambara and also became referred
to as the groundnut, says culinary historian Jessica
Harris. Some American Southerners still call the peanut
a groundnut.
The Bambara groundnut, also
a legume, was traditionally fried or roasted and ground
for use as a thickener. So Africans treated the new groundnut
in many of the same ways. In African cuisines the peanut
is utilized in:
- Peanut oil
- Street snacks
- Stews, as a thickening agent
Dishes such as Groundnut
Stew and Mafé (from Senegal) use ground peanuts (peanut
butter may be substituted) in the thick stewing liquid.
The
Brazilian Xin-xin, a chicken stew with peanut sauce, is
a classic Afro-Brazilian dish that shows the influence of
Africa in Brazilian cuisine.
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