African culinary artists redefining traditional cuisine 


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Chef Wandile Mabaso

 

Cooking is like magic. Particular ingredients are brought together at specific temperatures to create a dish that is greater than the sum of its parts. But that is not where the magic lies. The true alchemy is in the meal’s power to unite people. In preparing a meal rich with history and tradition, it is possible to communicate directly with one’s ancestors in a language they would understand. Chef Wandile Mabaso understands this better than most. The South African’s love of cooking blossomed in his mother’s kitchen and carried him across the globe. He’d find his way to New York.

But the call of home never left. In 2019 he opened Les Créatifs in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg where he works his magic combining fine dining techniques with local flavour sensations.

“The concept of a meal has to tell a story, to have meaning to it,” he says. “The food I am preparing represents African unity as we will bring together people from different regions to one table.”

 

The culinary arts, as one of Culture & Conversations Africa’s (C&C Africa) pillars, aims to galvanize chefs from across the continent. To achieve this, C&C Africa hosted under the theme “A journey across the African continent through the culinary experience,” during Africa Day 2021 where authentic African dishes got a contemporary twist to meld long standing values with a bold new vision of the future.

In collaboration with Chef Wandile Mabaso was guest chef Fatmata Binta along for the journey, a self described “modern nomadic chef.” Born and raised in Freetown, Sierra Leone, she draws on her heritage for inspiration: “Community is very important as food goes from farm to the mat, where people eat the food, and that means a lot.” Binta has her roots in Fulani culture – a group of people that stretch across borders and cover the width of the African continent. She has spent years studying the cultural history of food, spices and agricultural products from West Africa, including millet, soya and fonio. These ingredients form part of the region’s identity and have a history that connects not just to the culture of its inhabitants, but to migration and trade with other parts of the continent.

Fonio is of particular interest to Binta. This ancient grain not only tethers the plate to a geographic location but will also forms the foundation block for one the two dishes she will be preparing on the night. Handling the entree and dessert was Mabaso whose food seeks to challenge convention in the way he uses classic South African ingredients. Savoury sorghum and cabbage chutney melds with pan fried lamb kidneys and serves as a precursor to slow braised goat and sautéed okra. Close your eyes and you’re transported back to your childhood table. By using food to celebrate African unity, this intimate gathering shifted perspectives and facilitated integration. Every mouthful was an opportunity to reflect and consider African food practices that have been inspired by the diversity and development of an entire continent, encompassing over 2,000 languages spoken in 54 countries but united by a love of sharing a table groaning with sumptuous courses.

 

 
Africa Month is traditionally a time for celebrating African unity, and there are few better ways of achieving this than through food. Amid the challenges of shifting tastes in favour of fast food, the present moment offers a chance to reflect and consider ways to sustain traditional African food and the cultural practices inspired by these meals. C&C Africa is proud to lead this effort in conjunction with these talented African chefs to redefine and elevate traditional African cuisine. This initiative is part of C&C Africa’s 54 Flavours of African Culture series which aims to facilitate regional integration through cuisine, the visual arts, fashion, sports, music and tourism.