Fermented foods have been staples across Africa for centuries—offering more than just taste and tradition. Science now confirms what our ancestors knew: Fermented foods improve digestion, boost immunity and preserve nutrients in a natural way.
Take injera, the spongy flatbread that defines Ethiopian cuisine. Made from teff flour and fermented for two to three days, injera stays sour and soft without preservatives. This fermentation enriches the bread with gut-friendly bacteria while breaking down hard-to-digest compounds. It’s cooked on a flat griddle, and only one side is heated—giving it a unique bubbly texture.
Ethiopians typically serve injera with thick plant-based stews like misir wot, a spicy red lentil dish. To make it, you sauté onions, garlic and ginger, add a generous spoon of berbere spice, then simmer with red lentils. The result is a fiery, fragrant sauce rich in protein and iron, perfect for scooping up with injera.
Farther west, cassava reigns as a daily staple—but it’s not eaten raw. In countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Togo, cassava is grated, soaked, and fermented for several days to remove natural toxins. The fermented mash is then processed into foods like gari, fufu, and lafoun. These foods are not only safer but also more nutritious and shelf-stable.
Gari, a toasted cassava granule, can last up to six months and is eaten with water, groundnuts, or soups. Fufu, on the other hand, is fermented cassava pounded into a smooth paste and served with greens, peanut stews, or okra sauces. In Francophone West Africa, this fermented cassava is known as farine—and the tradition stretches across to Congo and Guinea.
What makes these foods powerful isn’t just their flavor or function. It’s their connection to local wisdom, food sovereignty and resilience. In a time of rising chronic diseases, returning to these time-tested, gut-friendly staples may offer both nourishment and prevention.
■ Dr Bura practises Plant based Dietary Consultancy at Golden Rose Hotel in Arusha from Monday to Saturday 4-6pm. His contact is 0626625471.
