
Akara
Akara is a fritter of peeled, ground beans, whipped until light and deep fried, and it is one of the most widely eaten breakfasts in West Africa. It is thought to have originated with the Yoruba of Nigeria and is now made across the region and beyond, under names including kosai in Hausa and akara in most of the rest. It crossed the Atlantic. Acarajé in Bahia, Brazil, is the same dish, carried there by enslaved West Africans, and it holds a sacred role in Candomblé as an offering as well as being sold as street food. That direction of travel is worth stating plainly, because the source has it backwards: the dish went from West Africa to Brazil, not the other way round. Two things make good akara. The beans must be peeled, which means soaking and rubbing the skins off, and the paste must be whipped hard enough to hold air, traditionally in a mortar with a pestle. That aeration is what makes akara light rather than dense, and it is why the mixture should be ground with as little water as possible, since a wet paste will not hold air. It is eaten with pap, agidi or bread, and Saturday morning is when Nigerian households most often make it.
Nigeria2 hr 20 minBeatrice





















