Kenkey (''also known as kɔmi, otim, kooboo or dorkunu'') is a

staple dish A staple food, food staple, or simply a staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for a given person or group of people, supplying a large fraction of energy needs an ...

similar to

sourdough Sourdough or sourdough bread is a bread made by the fermentation of dough using wild lactobacillaceae and yeast. Lactic acid from fermentation imparts a sour taste and improves keeping qualities. History In the ''Encyclopedia of Food Microb ...

dumplings Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, ...

from the Ga and Fante-inhabited regions of

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali ...

, usually served with pepper ''crudaiola'' and fried fish,

soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ing ...

stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. A stew needs to have raw ingredients added to the gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables and ...

Description

Kenkey is produced by steeping grains of maize in water for about one week, before they are then milled and kneaded with water into a dough. The dough is allowed to ferment for four days to a week before part of the dough is cooked.

Variations

Areas where kenkey is eaten are

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and ...

, eastern

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre ...

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its ...

, western

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

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown Guyana, Georgetown. Guyana ...

, and

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispanio ...

. It is usually made from ground corn (

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn ( North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. T ...

), like

sadza Ugali or Posho or sima (for others, see ) is a type of maize meal made from maize or corn flour in several countries in Africa. Sima is sometimes made from other flours, such as millet or sorghum flour, and is sometimes mixed with cassava flour ...

and

ugali Ugali or Posho or sima (for others, see ) is a type of maize meal made from maize or corn flour in several countries in Africa. Sima is sometimes made from other flours, such as millet or sorghum flour, and is sometimes mixed with cassava flour ...

. It is popularly known as kɔmi (pronounced kormi) by the Gas or dokono by the Akans in Ghana. It is also known in Jamaica as dokunoo, dokono, dokunu, blue drawers, and tie-a-leaf. In Mexico, there is a version called "Tamale". Kenkey can also be found in an area of Northern Ghana whose capital is called Tamale. In Guyana, it is called konkee. In

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

it is called "paime" (pronounced pay-me) and differs in that it does not contain plantain but may include

pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus '' Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes us ...

and

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or th ...

. In the cuisine of the Caribbean, it is made with

cornmeal Cornmeal is a meal (coarse flour) or a cell membrane ground from dried corn. It is a common staple food, and is ground to coarse, medium, and fine consistencies, but not as fine as wheat flour can be.Herbst, Sharon, ''Food Lover's Companion'', ...

, plantain, green banana,

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable. The young sh ...

(Asante and Jamaican version, which came from the Asante version) or cassava, wrapped in banana leaves. The food is derived from African cooking traditions. Fante kenkey 2

Unlike ugali, making kenkey involves letting the maize ferment before cooking. Therefore, preparation takes a few days in order to let the dough ferment. Corn meal is mixed with

cornstarch Corn starch, maize starch, or cornflour (British English) is the starch derived from corn ( maize) grain. The starch is obtained from the endosperm of the kernel. Corn starch is a common food ingredient, often used to thicken sauces or ...

and water is added until a smooth and consistent dough is obtained. It is covered and left in a warm place for the fermentation to take place. After fermentation, the kenkey is partially cooked, wrapped in

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distin ...

leaves,

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. T ...

husks, or foil, and steamed. There are several versions of kenkey, such as Ga and Fante kenkey. The Ga kenkey is more common in most parts of Ghana. Ice kenkey is a meal made from kenkey mixed with water, sugar, powdered milk, and ice.

Gallery

Ga_Kenkey.jpg , Ghana Kenkey Ga_Kenkey_%26_Shrimps.jpg , Ga Kenkey with Shrimps Ga_Kenkey_with_Pepper.jpg , Ga kenkey with pepper and beans

References

External links

* Phil Bartle
"Kwasi Bruni; Corn and the Europeans"
VCN.org.

West Africa Secondary School, Accra, Ghana. PBS Kids.

Food-info.net. Wageningen University, The Netherlands. * Fran Osseo-Asare (March 28, 2007)

Betumi.com.
"Studies on kenkey : a food product made from corn in Ghana"

''Daily Express'' (Trinidad & Tobago), 3 September 2010. *Acceleration of the fermentation of kenkey, an indigenous fermented maize food of Ghana. *Microbiological and Aromatic Characteristics of Fermented Maize Doughs for Kenkey Production in Ghana. *Nutrient Content and Survival of Selected Pathogenic Bacteria in Kenkey Used as a Weaning Food in Ghana. {{African cuisine Ghanaian cuisine Ivorian cuisine Beninese cuisine Togolese cuisine Jamaican cuisine Trinidad and Tobago cuisine Guyanese cuisine Dumplings Swallows (food) Fermented foods Caribbean cuisine Maize dishes

Description

Variations

Gallery

See also

References

External links