Africa is a continent rich in natural
resources and food is no exception. The continent is blessed with
a wide variety of food items. Food preparation and cooking plays
an important role in the African tradition. It is an expression
of the culture.

Many
Africans believe that “the way to people’s heart is through their
stomach.” A good cook wins a lot of “hearts”.

“My
Cooking” is comprised of cuisine’s originating from Nigeria in West-Africa.
These cuisine’s are common all over West-Africa though prepared
differently and are sometimes called different names due to language
and other factors.

I
feel that there is a need for a cookbook with simple but authentic
recipes, which introduces both Africans and non-Africans to the
variety of African cuisine. To Africans, particularly Nigerians,
this book may serve as a reminder of forgotten dishes and to others
it will be a pleasant adventure.

Africans
take a lot of pride in food preparation and cooking – to them it
is as imperative as knowing how to perform some of the ceremonial
rites.

Traditional
dishes vary from tribe to tribe. Many African traditional dishes
are characterized by the use of various seasonings and hot pepper.
There is an idiomatic expression among West-Africans that “pepper
is the staff of life and the man that eats no pepper is weak”.

This
is one of the reasons why most Africans favor hotly spiced food.
There is also the belief by some Africans that pepper serves as
a cleansing system to the body,
improves the taste and flavor of food and serves as a natural food
preservative.