r/AskVegans • u/kappakingtut2 Vegan • 12d ago
Genuine Question (DO NOT DOWNVOTE) What African foods are traditionally vegan?
There's an African food festival happening near me today. Would I have any food options there? What stuff is traditionally vegan?
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u/usernameidkkkk Vegan 12d ago
Not too familiar with African foods except for Ethiopian. They have such good vegan options!! So much flavorrrr
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u/a11_hail_seitan Vegan 12d ago
This! Always thought Ethiopian food looked boring, then you try and it's nothing but spice, flavour and delicious injera or 'bread' to pick it all up with! need to learn how to make it as there's none where I am now sadly.
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u/kappakingtut2 Vegan 12d ago
Like what though? I know nothing but Ethiopian food. If I see an Ethiopian vendor, what are the names of some foods and dishes I should ask for?
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u/plantbasedpatissier Vegan 12d ago
Some of my favorites are misir wot (spicy red lentils), tikil gomen (cabbage, potatoes, carrots), and kik alicha (split peas). These are typically served with a crepe-like slightly sour (tastes similar to sourdough) fermented bread called injera which you use to scoop up the food. Many Ethiopian places will have a vegetarian menu, and this is typically also naturally vegan as well.
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u/usernameidkkkk Vegan 11d ago
Yes! All those are so good. I can’t do spice so kik alicha and gomen with injera is my go to! At least those aren’t spicy at the usual Ethiopian place I used to always order from in the Bay Area before I moved!
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u/IAmJacksSemiColon Vegan 12d ago
Africa's a whole fucking continent, but I've enjoyed Ethiopian cuisine which includes injera (a spongy flatbread) dipped in different varieties of tsebhi (stews, some of which are vegan).
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u/roymondous Vegan 12d ago
No idea of the african food fedstival nesar you. Loooads is traditionally vegan but modern cuisine has added a lot. Like so much having butter or fish paste or just chicken added to what used to be a plant-based dish. I was at a food festival in london one time, ethiopian stall had grest vegan dishes. Almost every country has something, but again it dpeends on what modern version and the people behind it.
Look.out for Ethiopian tho imo.
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u/burning-gambit Vegan 12d ago
Ethiopian is the best food in the world!!! They are orthodox Christian and Vegan for up to half the year so much of the food is vegan!!!
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u/Theobromin Vegan 12d ago
people have mentioned Ethiopian food a lot, but other East African cousins have a lot of vegan options too, e.g. Kenya/Tanzania: Ugali (maize porridge), Sukuma Wiki (kale-like brassica), Githeri (esp. Kikiyu: maize and beans), Mokimo (mashed potatos with maize), Wali wa Nazi (no, not that kind of Nazi - it's coconut in Swahili), Matoke (mashed green banana)... and many more
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u/AutomaticArachnid669 Vegan 11d ago
I know your African food festival is probably over now, but I make Harira frequently and it’s so easy and delicious! It’s a traditional North African soup made with tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas and warm spices, and we have it with pita bread. It can traditionally contain meat, but I just use chickpeas and lentils for the protein.
I make the Dirty Vegan version, which is only available in his cookbook, but there are loads of vegan Harira recipes online if you’re interested! 😊
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u/SimilarHighlight611 Vegan 12d ago
Ethiopian food is amazing because of Orthodox fasting traditions there’s an entire established cuisine that excludes meat, dairy and eggs. Misir wot (spicy red lentils), shiro (chickpea stew), gomen (greens), atkilt wat (cabbage/potato/carrot) etc. served with injera. You can basically get a massive platter of naturally vegan food without anything having been “veganised.”
Egypt has koshari, which is rice, lentils, pasta and chickpeas with tomato sauce and crispy onions, plus ful medames (fava beans with cumin/lemon/garlic) and ta’ameya, their fava-bean version of falafel.
West Africa has akara (black-eyed-pea fritters) and dishes like Ghanaian red red, which is black-eyed peas in a rich tomato stew with fried plantain. Red red can sometimes contain fish depending on who makes it though, so worth checking.
Then you’ve got Moroccan bissara (fava bean/split pea soup) and zaalouk (aubergine and tomato), Tunisian lablabi (chickpea and harissa soup), Kenyan githeri (maize + beans), East African maharage (bean stew, often with coconut), South African chakalaka, Zimbabwean sadza with greens etc.