Tastes of Togo

Making bean beignets

No matter where you go, food plays a vital role in your everyday life. We need food to survive. Food
has cultural significance; it brings people together. Food can serve as a form of art. It provides a livelihood for many people: from farmers, to chefs, to butchers, to nutritionists, etc. As an athlete, my view and relationship to food changed drastically. I viewed it more as a source of energy and a daily chore rather than something to enjoy and experiment with. During my time in Togo, my relationship with food has changed once again. So enjoy a food blogpost from someone who is far from a foodie, as I share my experience growing, harvesting, conserving, preparing, and eating food in Togo.

First and foremost, the food I eat on a daily basis here is nothing like the food I eat at home. One must search far and wide to find a pizza or burger, and when you do, manage your expectations to the Togolese interpretation of American cuisine. That being said, Togolese dishes are quite tasty and usually spicy.

Typical meals can be classed into several general dishes. You can never go wrong with the classic rice and beans (called watchie in my village) topped with a fish and pepper sauce. Interestingly, spaghetti is easily found wherever you go in Togo, served with a spicy red sauce. You can also find rice or couscous cooked in a tomato sauce and served with meat and sliced vegetables (riz or couscous au gras). However, this dish is typically served at special events, along with the classic Togolese salad: lettuce, onion, tomatoes, carrots, and beets served with a mayonnaise and fish dressing. My personal favorite is pounded yam, also known as fufu or sokorro. The yams are peeled, boiled, and then pounded by hand in a mortar and pestle, no easy task. Fufu is served with a variety of sauces and eaten by hand. Lighter breakfast and snack items found in most villages include bouille (porridge made from corn, millet, or sorghum); fried beignets; roasted peanuts; crackers made from peanuts, corn, or soy; and degue, a yogurt dish often mixed with couscous.

Enjoying fufu with volunteers Paul and Sue

But of all the Togolese dishes found throughout the country, one thing is clear: pâte is king. Pâte (or moe-toh in local language) directly translates to paste in English. And this is an accurate description. Pâte is simply corn that has been dried and milled into flour and then prepared into a paste by mixing it with hot water. The dish is always served piping hot (seriously, scientists should conduct a study on the insulation properties of pâte) with different sauces made from vegetables and local plants. Pâte is eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and you will NEVER hear a Togolese person complain about "pâte for dinner again?" While I find the paste rather flavorless, the sauces are quite tasty, and the dish certainly fills you up and keeps you feeling full for a long time, which is why I think most people prefer pâte over rice or spaghetti. I am always amused by the look of horror that appears on people's faces when I tell them we don't eat pâte in the US. I watch as they begin to question their beloved American dream as they imagine a life without pâte.

Two different sauces served alongside pâte

While most people are not starving in Togo, malnutrition is a major problem. Most people's diets are carb heavy, and they lack protein, as well as vitamins and nutrients from fruits and vegetables, which are either highly seasonal or simply eaten in small quantities. Most animal products are expensive, meaning meat, eggs, and cheese are mostly consumed on special occasions. Fish, beans, and soy products are cheaper and more common sources of protein for people. While large fish are saved for special occasions, small fish are typically crushed into a powder and added to sauces. My favorite source of protein is tofu (wagash) that is typically served fried and with a spicy pepper sauce. While sauces contain vegetables (mostly tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, and ginger) and leaves of local nutrient-rich plants, the sauce to starch ratio is quite low, meaning people are not consuming enough vegetables to meet daily nutrient requirements. Fruits are seasonally and geographically limited. In my region, fruits are scarce most of the year with the exception of orange season in October and the beloved mango season in March. However, in other regions, one can find bananas, plantains, avocadoes, pineapple, papaya, citrus and more year-round.

Massive mango I bought in Lome

Food takes up a large portion of one's day in Togo. Most meals are prepared over wood fires or charcoal stoves, causing cooking to take 2-3 times longer than back home. Most people do not have refrigerators, so food preservation techniques look quite different in Togo, and all meals must be served hot. Meal preparation often starts with women buying fresh ingredients in the market and prepping food throughout the day (shelling nuts, milling or crushing grains, washing and sorting leafy greens, etc). You will often find a group of women sitting around socializing while simultaneously shelling peanuts or sorting beans. While most families cook their own meals, certain women in the village run food stands throughout the day, allowing for a quick breakfast or lunch. These stands are often frequented by young men who do not want to cook during the day and me. Other women make money by preparing and selling specific food items such as beignets, porridge, or fried tofu. On a good day, when I'm not too tired and my house doesn't feel too much like a sauna, I will buy porridge and a beignet for breakfast, enjoy watchie prepared by a well-experienced maman, and cook my own dinner using fresh ingredients I purchased at the evening market after soccer practice. When I cook for myself, I often prepare what one might call Togolese American infusion cuisine. Common dishes I make include a version of fried rice, spaghetti, couscous au gras, and stir fry with local ingredients. I have never considered myself much of a cook, and cooking in Togo feels even more like a tedious chore due to the limited variety of ingredients I can find and the fact I feel like I'm cooking myself alive as I work over a gas stove in my cement house.

My creation: bean patties

Similar to back home, food plays a social and cultural role in Togo. Households often prepare and share meals together, and most events and celebrations include food. I have been amazed by a group of women's ability to plan and prepare food for a party that feeds what feels like the entire village. That being said, "sharing a meal" looks slightly different in Togo terms. You will rarely find a Togolese family sitting around a dinner table sharing a meal together, talking about their day (partly because most people don't own a dinner table). Rather, each household member will take their respective plate (the kids often eat collectively out of a single large bowl) and return to their corner of the compound to quickly eat their meal. People eat fast and they eat a lot in a single serving. While I think people put thought into the dishes they make and like to eat tasty food, I think they view food more as a means to fuel themselves and fill themselves up rather than something to simply enjoy. While I have encountered people who have turned down certain dishes because they don't like the taste, parents are certainly not preparing a second meal for a child because they're a picky eater--the concept would be absurd here. Finally, nothing goes to waste. If you can't finish your meal, you hand your plate to the person sitting next to you, or the kid who's been eyeing you in the corner, and they'll finish the job. Anything that truly isn't edible to humans is fed to the animals that are always nearby.

Our volunteer Thanksgiving meal this year

I have had the opportunity to enjoy many meals with people in my community. From sharing meals in the field, being invited over for dinner, eating at a food stand in town, having family dinner in my compound, or enjoying a meal at a party, I have spent many hours in Togo with people as we prepare or share a meal together. While it is common to sit and eat a meal in silence, there is something about sitting and sharing a meal with someone that is unifying and makes me feel like part of the community. While there are days I could really go for a barbeque or classic Midwest casserole, living in another part of the world where the food and cooking process is so different has been a unique and interesting experience that has introduced me to many different foods and activities I never would have encountered otherwise.