Finding Home Through West African Food and Cooking

In a new monthly column, chef Yewande Komolafe revisits her passion for the West African food of her youth. In the process, she also delves into what the food we cook says about us and our culture. There was a time, just a couple of years ago, when I would invite two dozen strangers over to my apartment for dinner. Twice a month, I would cook and serve dishes like fish pepper soup, seasoned with up to 10 different spices; fork-tender goat, braised for hours in a fiery red obe ata; baobab granitas; and lemongrass coconut soup over springy tapioca pearls — all in an effort to connect with the food I grew up eating in Lagos, Nigeria.

SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES