African Peanut Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is African peanut soup made of? ›

This West African-inspired peanut soup recipe is a creamy and comforting, spicy vegan soup. Made with a simple combination of peanut butter, tomato paste and collard greens, this soup comes together quickly and would be a great weeknight meal.

This peanut stew has a similar flavor and ingredients profile, but it originated from the Mandinka and Bambara people of Mali. A huge reason for its popularity throughout Africa is due to the cultivation of groundnut -- or peanuts -- throughout the continent during the colonial period.

Groundnut stew, also known as peanut stew or soup, is a traditional African dish that has been enjoyed for centuries. Its origins can be traced back to West Africa, where groundnuts have been a staple food for centuries. The dish is also known as Maafe in Cameroon, where it is a popular traditional dish.

Groundnut soup is also a native soup of the Benin (Edo) people in Nigeria and it is often eaten with pounded yam. Some of the essential ingredients used in making it are Piper guineense (uziza seed) and Vernonia amygdalina (bitter leaf).

In many parts of Africa, peanuts are usually known as groundnuts because the nut pods grow underground. Peanuts play an important nutritional role in many parts of Africa since they have good fats and contain 7 grams of protein which helps combat child malnutrition.

“Fonio is the oldest cultivated grain of Africa.

The peanut originated in Bolivia and was brought by conquistadors to Africa during the fifteenth century. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock. The sandy soil of West Africa was primed to farm peanuts. As the popularity of the legume increased, so did the need for labor.

History. The roots of native African cuisine goes back to thousands of years to the Bronze Age in Northeast Africa, when early civilizations began cultivating grains such as barley and wheat. Part of North Africa is in the Fertile Crescent where settled agriculture was practiced by the Ancient Egyptians in this area.

The peanut plant probably originated in Brazil or Peru, although no fossil records exist to prove this. For as long as people have been making pottery in South America (3,500 years or so) they have been making jars shaped like peanuts and decorated with peanuts.

After the colonisation of the New World, Portuguese and Spanish sailers (who valued peanuts as they were easy to store on board ships) carried peanuts to Africa where they became common in the western tropical region. They were also introduced into East Asia from where they made their way into China in the 1600s.

What is peanut butter soup made of? ›

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Soup

Aromatics - Green Bell Pepper, White Onion, Fresh Ginger, and Garlic cloves. Seasonings - Curry Powder, Red Pepper flakes, and turmeric. Veggies - Sweet Potatoes, carrots, okra, and squash. These veggies have a natural sweetness and texture that brings so much flavor to the stew.

Ofe Owerri is one of the richest and most enjoyed soups from the south-east region of Nigeria where the Igbos originate from. Ofe Owerri is usually served with any swallow of choice (eba, semovita, fufu, pounded yam).

Egusi Soup

The soup is made from the seeds of melon, an oil-rich plant. Egusi seeds are rich in carbohydrates, protein, fibre, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, and many other minerals. The soup is made with a lot of extra ingredients like meat and fish which greatly increases its nutrient components.

Egusi soup, a culinary masterpiece that traces its roots to the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria, has long been celebrated for its exquisite blend of ingredients and meticulous preparation.

It consists of starchy foods—such as cassava, yams, or plantains—that have been boiled, pounded, and rounded into balls; the pounding process, which typically involves a mortar and pestle, can be laborious. Fufu is often dipped into sauces or eaten with stews of meat, fish, or vegetables.

Soup Joumou, a comforting stew traditionally made with beef, pumpkin, pasta, and a bunch of veggies and spices, has become a New Year's Day dish to commemorate Haiti's independence.