Saka Saka: Adventures in African Cooking, South of the Sahara, written by Anto Cocagne and Aline Princet, pairs an incredible collection of recipes with beautiful photography and personal memories. A few highlights include Kachumbari Salad, Yassa Chicken, Plantain Fufu, Baobab Crème Brûlée, and Gnamakoudji (Ginger Juice). I will also be sharing their recipe for Bissap following the review.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Interlink Books in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own.
Anto Cocagne and Aline Princet
Anto Cocagne is a chef, restaurant consultant, and recipe coordinator for Afro Cooking. She is also founder of the “We Eat Africa” food festival and star of the TV series Rendez-vous avec Le Chef Anto. Chef Anto was born in France, grew up in Gabon, and is currently based in Paris.
Aline Princet is a food, still life, and portrait photographer. She is currently based in Paris.
Saka Saka
Saka Saka begins with an introduction to the cuisines of Sub-Saharan Africa and the history from the migrations of the Bantu people in 5,000 BC to current favorite dishes and traditions.
Chapters are divided according to course: Bases and Appetizers, Mains, Sides, Street Food, Desserts, and Drinks. The contents list the included recipes with page number for easy reference.
I especially love the focus on the culture and basic principles surrounding mealtimes. Scattered among the recipes are interviews from radio hosts, singers, performers, writers, and artists. This adds an even more intimate connection with the food through childhood and family memories.
The detailed visual pantry guide with photos, descriptions, uses, and cooking techniques is incredibly helpful. Notable and staple ingredients are categorized based on region (West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, and South Africa). Chef Anto even breaks down some of the most common dishes and how they/their names vary based on country.
The photography is provided by Aline Princet. Many of the recipes are paired with a beautifully styled, full-page photo of the finished dish.
Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Titles are written in English and/or the original language. Each recipe includes notes with helpful tips, difficulty, yield, prep and cooking time.
Bissap
I loved the color and flavor of the Bissap recipe in the Drinks chapter. It comes together so easily too for quite the refreshing drink.
Dried bissap (hibiscus) flowers are simmered in water with cinnamon and vanilla. The mixture is then allowed to shortly steep with fresh mint leaves before straining and serving.
The Bissap can be refrigerated for up to a week. Serve chilled.
After making the drink, it can be used in a few other recipes in the book. I also made the Bissapolitan, but can’t wait to try it in a couple of the desserts such as the Poires Belle Hawa (Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce).
Notable Ingredients
Dried Bissap flowers (hibiscus in the United States and Europe, carcadé in North Africa, fleur d’oseille in Central Africa, groseille-pays in the Antilles, and sorel/sorrel or flor de Jamaica in the Caribbean) come from the Guinea sorrel plant (Hibiscus Sabdariffa).
They can be found in markets with African, Caribbean, and Latin American ingredients or online.
Other Dishes
I also made the Beef Baguette, Chinchins, Cashew Nougat, and Bissapolitan.
The Beef Baguette was such a huge hit with the entire family. Chef Anto states there is no set recipe. This street food comes together by pairing a baguette with roasted or grilled meat, fresh vegetables, mayonnaise, and chile. For this recipe, ground beef is cooked with red nokoss (a seasoned red pepper paste) to form quite the flavorful base along with spiced mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and red onion.
When looking through the book with my daughter, she immediately requested the Chinchins. It is one of her favorite snacks and this recipe was perfect. After trying the first one, she asked that I make them every day. A basic dough is flavored with vanilla and cinnamon, then cut into squares and fried until golden and crisp.
I made the Cashew Nougat to use up some leftover cashews. It was so good! Roughly crushed cashews are folded into a caramelized sugar mixture and cut into squares. Chef Anto mentions they are also known as Kongodo in Equatorial Guinea or Nkate Cake in Ghana.
With the leftover Bissap, I made the Bissapolitan cocktail! The flavors were fantastic and created a gorgeous, naturally vibrant color.
Saka Saka is a great pick for those interested in the cuisines of Africa south of the Sahara. There is a nice assortment of dishes from appetizers and snacks to meat, seafood, vegetables, desserts, and drinks. Many of the recipes are also naturally gluten-free, vegetarian, and/or vegan.
Having a market nearby with African and Afro-Caribbean ingredients will be helpful. Some more difficult to locate items may include soumbala, fenugreek, taro, cassava, red palm oil, millet semolina, tamarind paste, placali (fermented cassava paste), orange flower water, baobab powder, sorghum flour, and dried kinkeliba leaves.
Bissap Recipe
Excerpt from Saka Saka
Bissap
Ingredients
- 4 cups (1 liter) water
- 1 1/4 cups (50 grams) dried bissap (hibiscus) flowers
- 2/3 cup (150 grams) sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 bunch mint
Instructions
- Bring 4 cups (1 liter) water to a boil.
- Add the bissap flowers, sugar, and cinnamon stick.
- Split the vanilla bean in half lengthways and scrape the seeds into the pot. Add the empty vanilla bean and cook for 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the mint. Cover and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and pour the infusion into a jug.
- Keep the bissap in the fridge for a week. Serve chilled.
Beth
I have to pick up a copy of this book! I love cooking, and I always enjoy finding new recipes from new parts of the world.
Joyce
Thanks so much for sharing this! I have a bunch of hibiscus flowers to use up and this is the perfect way to use it. I’m very interested in the book. I love trying new things, and sounds like a fun read!