Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is a poor African country. Her name in the local language means “land of honest people”. It is located in West Africa and has no access to the sea. The tools of labor found in the northwestern part of Burkina Faso are evidence that its lands were inhabited 14,000 years ago by hunters and gatherers. Between 3 600 and 2800 BC, farmers’ settlements were formed. In 1904, the country was conquered by the French and included in French West Africa under the name of Upper Volta. In 1960, its independence was declared. In 1983, through a coup, power was seized by Captain Toma Isidore Noel Sankara, whose main goals were to fight corruption, AIDS, poverty and hunger, advocate for afforestation and women’s rights, and oppose Western imperialism in a socialist manner. The name of Gorna Volta was replaced by Burkina Faso on the anniversary of the start of the reign.

The country is economically underdeveloped. The basis of the economy is agriculture. Most peanuts, sorghum, corn, rice, and cotton are grown. Cattle breeding, cattle, sheep, goats play a leading role. The industry is underdeveloped and is mainly represented by agricultural processing enterprises. In recent years, the extractive industries – gold, phosphates, bauxites, copper, vanadium – have developed relatively dynamically. One of the largest manganese deposits in the world is located right here.

The main kitchen products in Burkina Faso are sorghum, millet, rice, corn, peanuts, potatoes, beans, yams and okra. Vegetables are popular – potatoes, carrots, onions, tomatoes, beets, zucchini, pumpkin, cucumbers and spinach. A wide variety of banana varieties are used in both sweet and savory dishes. Mango, papaya and coconut grow in the country. Burkina Faso is also known for its delicious strawberries. Meat is a luxury in the kitchen of Burkina Faso. The most commonly consumed is lamb or poultry meat and is cooked over an open fire. Eggs and fish caught in the country’s rivers are the main source of protein for the population. Hot peppers and cinnamon are used for marinating meat. Soumbala is a typical spice for Burkina Faso cuisine. It is known for its strong odor. It is obtained by fermenting the fruits of Nere (néré), a tree also called African carob or purple mimosa. Salsa gombo is a popular okra sauce. The most popular soup is made from peanuts and sweet potatoes. Riz au gras is a traditional Burkina Faso dish: rice cooked with meat, vegetables and tomatoes to give the dish a red color. It is worth noting here: if you decide to cook this dish, try to find Oryza glaberrima rice, it has the unique taste required for this dish. In Burkina Faso drink sorghum beer.

Once again, I’m hitting a rock in finding a cake for an African country. I admit that after a two-week search, I gave up. 🙁 Finally, I decided to make the simplest French dessert possible because of the common history of the two countries. And why simple? Because, after all, it is a poor African country. I somehow didn’t dare to make a rich chocolate cake for a country where people rarely even have meat at their table. So – I present to you Tart Tatin. French dessert that is extremely simple and easy to cook at home. According to the story, his appearance is due to negligence in the kitchen. In a small town, Monsieur Tatin’s daughter forgets the apples, butter and sugar on the hob and they caramelize. To correct her mistake, she put a sheet of dough on top and baked the pastry. He then turns it with the apples upwards and serves it even hotter to the guests of the hotel, which is owned by her father. Surprisingly, the guests are very fond of it and today it is one of their favorite French desserts. Here’s what you need to prepare it at home:

220 grams of flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

120 grams of cold butter

3-4 tablespoons ice water

a few apples

120 grams of butter

150 grams of sugar (I put half the amount of white sugar and the other half dark brown sugar for a richer caramel taste)

Steps of preparation:

We start with the dough. In a blender or by hand, mix the flour, salt and diced cold butter until crumbs are formed. Do not overdo it with the kneading to prevent the oil from melting from the warmth of your hands. Then the ice water is added and the dough is mixed quickly. Wrap in fresh storage foil and refrigerate for 30 minutes. It’s time to prepare the apples and caramel.

There are two ways to cook it – on the stove or in the oven. I chose the second one. We spread the pan in which we will bake a lot of butter and sprinkle sugar everywhere. We peel the apples and cut them into quarters.

No need to try to be exactly the same pieces. The good thing about this dessert is that it is cooked in rustic style and we are not looking for perfection, only good taste. Arrange as your imagination dictates the pieces and leave either a medium-hot stove or in an oven at 190 degrees for about half an hour until the apples are caramelized.

Then roll out the dough on a crust about 1 cm thick and slightly larger in diameter than the baking pan.

Using a rolling pin, move it over the hot apples and caramel and gently push it past the apples along the edge of the tray. Return to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes at 190 degrees. It is important that the oven is warm when you place the baking pan in it.

When the crust turns a beautiful golden color, remove the cake from the oven and place on top a serving platter. Carefully turn the pan over the plate because the caramel is hot and may you burn. If an apple is stuck, just peel it off the tray and place it in place of the sweet.

Serve while still warm. I added sour cream for a little taste contrast, but you can only serve the cake. The taste is simple, but there is so much warmth and coziness in it that we can use it as a synonym for home. 🙂 Try it too. The difficulty scale is 2 out of 10, but the taste scale is 10 out of 10.

Next destination – Burundi.