The research project that I have been working on was sponsored and run under the LEG4DEV project at the Ryan Institute involved food preparation and food cultures in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), how food preparation methods have evolved with changing diets as well as legume consumption and preparation with the different cuisines that are influenced by the diverse cultures in SSA.
SSA has rich food cultures that shape diets as well as influence food consumption patterns. The study found that food preparation methods in SSA are passed on from older generations to younger generation through word of mouth as well as demonstrations during cooking, written recipes were hardly used.
Diets in SSA are prepared using simple carbohydrate staple eaten with soups, relishes and sauces which are prepared from a range of foodstuffs including grain legumes. Most of the protein consumption is derived from these staple foods and grain legumes (Noort et al., 2022).
Legumes in SSA are used as a source of food, generating income, feeding livestock and in some very rare cases some legume varieties are used as medicine or fuel (Muoni et al., 2019, Akpalu et al., 2013, Snapp et al., 2018, Powell et al., 2004)
Legumes that are mostly produced and consumed in SSA include: cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea), Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea [L.] Verdc.), soybean (Glycine max), chickpea (Cicer arietinum), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) and African yam bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa) (Stanton et al., 1966).
Legumes are usually consumed as a soup, relish, sauce, stew, or as a snack prepared in different ways (WFP, 2022, De Jager, 2019a).
Legume consumption in SSA is quite reasonable and people consume for many nutritional benefits as well as cultural reasons.
References
Akpalu, M., Atubilla, I. & Oppong-Sekyere, D. 2013. Assessing the level of cultivation and utilization of bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) in the Sumbrungu community of Bolgatanga, Upper East Region, Ghana. International Journal of Plant, Animal and Environmental Sciences, 3, 68-75.
De Jager, I. 2019a. Nutritional benefits of legume consumption at household level in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa: A literature study. Gates Open Res, 3, 936.
Muoni, T., Barnes, A. P., Öborn, I., Watson, C. A., Bergkvist, G., Shiluli, M. & Duncan, A. J. 2019. Farmer perceptions of legumes and their functions in smallholder farming systems in east Africa. International journal of agricultural sustainability, 17, 205-218.
Noort, M. W., Renzetti, S., Linderhof, V., du Rand, G. E., Marx-Pienaar, N. J., de Kock, H. L., Magano, N. & Taylor, J. J. F. 2022. Towards Sustainable Shifts to Healthy Diets and Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa with Climate-Resilient Crops in Bread-Type Products: A Food System Analysis. 11, 135.
Powell, J. M., Pearson, R. A. & Hiernaux, P. H. 2004. Crop–livestock interactions in the West African drylands. Agronomy journal, 96, 469-483.
Snapp, S., Rahmanian, M. & Batello, C. 2018. Pulse crops for sustainable farms in sub-Saharan Africa.
Stanton, W. R., Doughty, J., Orraca-Tetteh, R. & Steele, W. 1966. Grain legumes in Africa. Grain legumes in Africa.
WFP 2022. Minimum Expenditure Basket in Malawi. A Look at Food Prices and Availability in Times of COVID-19. World Food Programme.