Food Critique

I’ve eaten a lot of meals in the Gambia. By my calculations, about 1300. About a third of those have been breakfast, which I provide for myself, but the remaining two thirds, over 800 meals, have been with Gambians, served by Gambians, cooked by Gambians. The vessel to bring much of these meals from bowl to mouth has been my hand. I’ve learned by the smell of an unopened food bowl which delectable mash I’ll be served that evening. And through these hundreds of lunches and dinners, I’ve noticed some trends. So, come and learn with me, as I take you through the slimy, mushy, and carb-filled world of food in the Gambia. As the Gambians say, “Come eat.”

Here in the Gambia, the food pyramid is nothing like the triangular thing of beauty that we all grew up with, and definitely nothing like the weird thing the FDA is trying to make Americans buy now. I spent some time drawing it up, and this is about how it looks.



Here are some common recipes that are cooked here in the Gambia. Try them at home!

RECIPE ONE: Serve at least 9 times per week
Ingredients: Carbs
Oil
MSG
Fish (and especially the bones)

Cook a carb: usually rice, bird seed, or sand.

Cook another carb, usually pasta, and cook it in oil.

Add plenty of MSG.

Fry a fish and throw it in on top of the bowl. (If you can’t afford a fish, at least throw in a bunch of bones to give the illusion that it once had fish… or for a boost of calcium. Or for crunch. Or a challenge, something to search for amongst the homogenous mash)

RECIPE TWO: Serve four to five times per week.
Ingredients: Carbs
Leaves
Oil
MSG
Fish bones

Mash leaves together with MSG. Don’t stop mashing until they’re good and slimy.

Cook in oil until the sliminess is maximized, and all nutrients or beneficial substances in the leaves have been removed completely.

Cook a carb: either rice, bird seed, or sand.

Serve leaves over carbs.

Add fish bones to taste

RECIPE THREE: One time per week ,if you’re lucky.
*These recipes will provide the eater with a bit of protein, an essential element that is absent from all other meals. Since this is the case, if you are ever served this dish, EAT UP.

INGREDIENTS: Ground nuts
Carbs
Oil
MSG
Fish bones

Mash groundnuts (peanuts) into peanut butter. Try to remove all the bugs first, but if you miss a few: meh.

Cook with oil and MSG.

Prepare a carb: either rice, bird seed, or sand.

Serve groundnuts over carbs.

Add fish bones to taste.

Beyond meals, sometimes Gambians snack throughout the day (unless its Ramadan. Or hungry season) These snacks are sometimes a delightful way to introduce some variety to the day to day food options. Snacks depend greatly on the season in which the snacker is snacking.

June – August: No snacks. It’s hungry season. The crops are in the ground, and none have grown tall enough for us to eat yet.
August – October: Carbs on the cob.
November – January: Groundnuts, fresh from the earth, still crawling with pests.
January – April: Groundnuts, now old. Still pests though!
May – June: MANGOES! The only time fruit is added to the everday Gambian diet.

So no matter what time of year you choose to come visit the Gambia, you'll be prepared for the dining options that await.

Bring Clif Bars.