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Togolese & West African cooking
West African food guide
The dishes and pantry staples behind the Noor Kitchen catalogue — what they are, how they are traditionally eaten, and which product to order to make them at home in the United States. Recipes vary from one family and region to the next; these are the common versions.
What is Djinkoumé?
Also spelled or known as: Djenkoumé, Djikoumé, Djinkoume
A Togolese cornmeal dish from the Ewe and Mina cooking tradition. Corn flour is cooked into a firm, smooth paste in a seasoned broth of tomato, onion and spices, which gives it its reddish colour and savoury taste.
Usually served with fried or grilled fish or chicken and a spicy pepper sauce.
Shop: Djikoumé Corn Flour ($15.00)
What is Aklui?
Also spelled or known as: Aklui Zogbon
A traditional porridge from Togo and Benin made from small granules of fermented corn dough (aklui zogbon), cooked in water until thick.
Eaten warm, often at breakfast, usually sweetened and sometimes flavoured with lemon or ginger.
Shop: Dehydrated Aklui Zogbon ($20.00)
What is Akassa?
Also spelled or known as: Akasa
A fermented corn dough from Benin and Togo, cooked into a firm, slightly tangy paste that is traditionally wrapped in leaves.
Served as a staple alongside sauces, stews and fried fish.
Shop: Akassa – Traditional Corn Preparation ($15.00)
What is Dèguè?
Also spelled or known as: Dégué, Degue, Thiakry, Chakery
A West African dessert made from millet couscous mixed with yogurt or curdled milk and sugar. Known as thiakry in Senegal, it is popular from Burkina Faso and Mali to Togo, Benin and Côte d’Ivoire.
Served chilled as a dessert or a refreshing snack.
Shop: Dèguè Pearl Millet Couscous ($12.00)
What is Puff-Puff?
Also spelled or known as: Puff puff, Bofrot, Beignets
Sweet, fluffy fried dough balls loved across West and Central Africa, made from a yeasted flour batter.
Eaten as a snack, at breakfast or at parties, plain or dusted with sugar.
Shop: Puff-Puff Mix Flour ($7.00)
What is Atchomon?
Also spelled or known as: Atchonmon, Atchomon “petit cailloux”
A crunchy fried snack from Togo and Benin made from small pieces of wheat-flour dough — the small, round “petit cailloux” (little pebbles) are a classic shape.
Eaten by the handful as a snack or with tea, and shared at gatherings.
Shop: Atchomon “Petit Cailloux” Crunchy Snack – 1 L ($12.00)
What is Azingokui?
Also spelled or known as: Azingokouin, Voandzou, Vaouzoo, Bambara groundnuts, Bambara beans
A hearty vegetarian Togolese dish made from Bambara groundnuts (voandzou), a dried legume related to beans with a mild, nutty flavour. The hard dried seeds are soaked overnight, then boiled for two to three hours until meltingly soft; a few seeds are mashed at the end to make the cooking liquid creamy.
Served with a spicy fried tomato-and-onion sauce (sometimes with ground smoked shrimp), sprinkled with gari, or tucked into bread as a hot breakfast sandwich.
Shop: Voandzou ($15.00)
What is Akpan?
A fermented corn pudding from Togo and Benin with a smooth, yogurt-like texture and a pleasantly tangy taste.
Served chilled, loosened with water or milk and sweetened, often with ice.
Not in the online catalogue right now — ask Maman Noor on WhatsApp.
What is Tapioca (West African style)?
Also spelled or known as: Tapioca
Granulated cassava starch. In West Africa it is a quick, comforting breakfast or dessert.
Usually soaked in water or milk and sweetened with sugar, sometimes with peanuts.
Shop: Tapioca – 1.5 L ($15.00)