Dambou (also Dambu) is a dish native to the Zarma and Songhai of Southwestern

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesMoringa Moringa may refer to: * ''Moringa'' (genus), a genus of plants * ''Moringa oleifera'', or just moringa, a plant species native to the Indian subcontinent * ''Moringa stenopetala'', a species in that genus commonly known as the African moringa Se ...

. It is consumed at any time but mainly during festive occasions such as

outdooring In Ghana, an Outdooring ( Ga: ''kpodziemo''; ak, abadinto) is the traditional naming ceremony for infants. Traditionally this ceremony occurs eight days after the child is born where parents bring their newborn "outdoors" for the first time and gi ...

s and

wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

s. This dish is also common among the

Dendi people The Dendi are an ethnic group located in Benin, Niger, Nigeria and northern Togo mainly in the plains of the Niger River. They are part of the Songhai people. Derived from the Songhay language, the term "Dendi" translates to "down the river." Th ...

of North

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

and other West African cities. It is also common in the

Zongo Settlements Zongo settlements are areas in West African towns populated mostly by migrants from the northern savannah regions and the West African Sahel, especially from northern Nigeria. Common features of the zongo communities are their use of Hausa langua ...

where the Songhai and Zarma travel.

Ingredients

(from a French version of the dish) #Fine

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

semolina Semolina is coarsely milled durum wheat mainly used in making couscous, and sweet puddings. The term semolina is also used to designate coarse millings of other varieties of wheat, and sometimes other grains (such as rice or corn) as well. Etymo ...

or couscous #

Spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed either f ...

(or

moringa Moringa may refer to: * ''Moringa'' (genus), a genus of plants * ''Moringa oleifera'', or just moringa, a plant species native to the Indian subcontinent * ''Moringa stenopetala'', a species in that genus commonly known as the African moringa Se ...

leaves) #

Onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...

# Aji Dulce capsicum (or similar, like the ''sweet Martinique pepper'' or ''Grenada seasoning chile''), or substitute

green bell pepper The bell pepper (also known as paprika, sweet pepper, pepper, or capsicum ) is the fruit of plants in the Grossum Group of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange ...

(optional) #

Salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

#Stock cubes #

Cooking oil Cooking oil is plant, animal, or synthetic liquid fat used in frying, baking, and other types of cooking. It is also used in food preparation and flavoring not involving heat, such as salad dressings and bread dips, and may be called edible oil. ...

Preparation

Dambou is prepared according to the desire and will of the cook. For a simple dish, cooks mostly use either: rice flour or fine hard wheat semolina (couscous semolina) or millet, wheat or corn couscous. The cereals is steamed for about 20 to 30 minutes and added the already boiled moringa leaves. Finally, the other ingredients are added in their raw state: i.e onion, chili, salt, broth, peanut, vegetable oil, meat or fish as a side dish.

References

Nigerien cuisine {{Niger-stub