He’s one of the foremost proponents of African cuisine, the praises of which he’s been singing to the rest of the world for more than 30 years. Known for putting fonio on the world’s food map, he has made it his mission to change the world’s perceptions about African cuisine and to elevate its makers in the process. Indigenous to the Sahel region that straddles the width of Africa between the Sahara Desert and the Sudanian savanna, fonio is gluten-free, rich in iron, and amino acids, can grow in nutrient-poor soil, and requires very little water, which makes it the ideal crop in the fight against climate change. Thiam’s latest book, The Fonio Cookbook, was published in 2019 and offers a comprehensive range of uses for “the most nutritious grain you’ve never heard of,” as described by National Geographic.
SOURCE: QUARTZ AFRICA