1 1/2 cup corn/maize meal
1/2 cup soy flour
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)
1 sugar to taste
1 cup water
1 oil
1 salt and pepper
Directions
Corn/maize was introduced to Africa from Latin America by the
Portuguese, mainly to provision their slave ships. The grain was
quickly accepted because it grew rapidly and undemanding in
cultivation. The name 'maize' comes from 'mahiz', the word used by
the Caribbean Taino Indians from whom the Europeans probably first
learned about the crop. in North American the English settlers were
shown it by local Indians. 'Corn' was a general name given to any
grain, so they called it simply 'Indian corn'.
Columbus noted that maize was "most tasty boiled, roasted or ground
into flour". And in southern Ghana today a common food is 'kenkey',
fermented corn/maize flour balls, wrapped in corn/maize leaves and
steamed. Akpith, this recipe, is more straightforward.
DIRECTIONS: =========== In a large saucepan, boil the water and then
in half of the corn/maize meal and all the soy flour to make a thick
porridge. Add the baking powder, chili powder if using and sugar;
season.
Cook this for 10 minutes over a low heat, stirring constantly. Then
remove the pan and set aside to cool for 10 minutes or so.
At this point, mix in the remaining corn/maize meal and combine
thoroughly, adding water to produce a stiff dough.
Now pour enough oil into a pan or wok to give a depth of around 2
inches (5 cms), and heat up. While it is warming mould the dough
into balls about 1 inch (2.5 cms) in diameter.
With the oil sizzling hot, slide 4 or 5 balls carefully into the pan
and cook for 2-3 minutes until they are golden brown.
* Source: The World in Your Kitchen - by Troth Wells * Typed for you
by Karen Mintzias
Servings: 6 servings
Akpith (Corn/Maize & Bean Flour Snack) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Appetizer; Bean
The History of Recipes
Written recipes as a concept can be observed way back into antiquity, in truth as far back into history as ancient Egypt, and maybe further still. Having said that, in the main part, these ancient cookbooks were just primitive pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing food.
In an interesting twist, the most ancient recipe found, according to Professor Solomon Katz, are a few stone tablets in ancient Sumerian describing the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making people feel wonderful and blissful. Much later, in Roman times a roman called Apicius compiled a few scripts which described recipes enjoyed by wealthy roman citizens. In his scrolls, he tells us how the roman meals were separated into hors d`oeuvre, main meal and desserts, a style of dining still practiced today. This early Roman chef recounts how the early Romans were skilled in the use of many different spices and herbs, including a few that will be familiar to modern chefs for example bay, fennel and parsley. Later on, in the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought us many new foods and herbs from the Middle-East, including basil and coriander. These new foods and spices caused an eruption in books on cooking, many of which are kept safe in private collections. When we get to the twentieth century, cookery books were increasing in popularity mostly as a result of increased literacy, people having more leisure time and being a little richer. The TV revolution brings us celebrity chefs and the recipe books that accompanied them. Which brings us neatly up to date and the internet revolution, permitting everybody to access massive numbers of recipes like those on this site. |
We hope you enjoy this Akpith (Corn_Maize & Bean Flour Snack) recipe.
