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African Food and Recipe Ideas

Try something new from our selection of hearty African foods. Inspired by traditional dishes from across the continent, African recipes bring you a world of exciting flavours.

African Recipes

African Food: Get Inspired by our African Recipes!

African Food Scene

The African food scene is incredibly diverse, as it encompasses a wide variety of cultures, climates, and ingredients across the continent. Therefore, it's impossible to generalise African food as a whole. However, most traditional African dishes make use of staples such as maize (corn), millet, sorghum, rice, yams, cassava and plantains, as well as incorporating herbs, seasonings and spices, and locally available, often indigenous ingredients, including fruits, vegetables, and unique proteins.
This collection of African recipes celebrates popular dishes from all ends of Africa, including renowned South African recipes such as bunny chow and shisa nyama.

Africa’s Favourite Dishes

Here are some of Africa’s most loved dishes, including African foods spanning the entire continent.
  • Pap en vleis/Shisa nyama, South Africa: Grilled meat paired with maize porridge is a cherished combination among numerous cultures in Southern Africa. Referred to as "Pap en vleis" (translated as "maize porridge and meat"), this term covers a wide range of dishes combining various starches with either grilled or stewed meats, accompanied by zesty gravy, relish, or chakalaka.
  • Kapenta with sadza, Zimbabwe: Crispy, fried kapenta (freshwater fish native to Lake Tanganyika), were introduced to Lake Kariba and now are a much-loved African food for lakeside populations of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Kepenta is often paired with maize porridge, stewed tomatoes, onions and fresh greens.
  • Jollof rice and egusi soup: You can’t possibly visit Africa without trying jollof rice and egusi soup. Originating in fishing communities of Saint-Louis, this African recipe is popular at parties, and comprises of rice, tomatoes, onions and pepper.
  • Bunny chow, South Africa: Bunny chow is a hollowed-out half of white bread loaf, filled with curry, and is one of South Africa’s most treasured street foods. It certainly saves on the washing up!
  • Muamba de Galinha, Angola: A zesty and slightly oily stew, crafted using oil or butter, infused with garlic, chilli peppers, and okra. Across the Congo River region, you'll encounter diverse variations of chicken muamba, all frequently accompanied by cassava leaves and white rice.
  • Nyama na irio, Kenya: A true comfort food, nyama na irio is an African recipe made of mashed-up potatoes, peas, beans, corn and onion, most often served with spiced roasted meat.

African Recipes

Stretching from east to west, north to south, the origins (and variety) of spices, ingredients and flavours found in African recipes are as vast as the continent itself. Made almost exclusively from locally grown vegetables, fruits and grains, along with dairy, chicken and lamb, African recipes are rich, hearty and often spicy too.

African curry and stew recipes: If you’re looking for comfort food to warm you up, an African soup or stew will definitely do the trick. With a cuisine as diverse as the cultures that make up the continent, it’s hard to pin down one signature African dish or flavour. But no matter the region, a hearty stew or warming curry laced with delicious spice blends and rich flavours will give you a satisfying taste of what African recipes have to offer.




Whether you experiment with African food, or try another cuisine such as French, Italian or even Thai recipes, HelloFresh have you covered.

How to Use Freekeh in African Recipes

Freekeh is an ancient grain that has been used in African recipes for centuries. Thanks to its delicious nutty flavour and light and fluffy texture, it’s quickly becoming a popular ingredient in our recipes at HelloFresh. Here’s how you can incorporate this staple African food into your own diet.
  1. Rice substitute: Freekeh can be used as a starchy base for soups or stews in place of rice. What’s great about this substitute is that the ancient grain is a source of both protein and dietary fibre.
  2. In a salad: Freekeh offers a wonderful nutty flavour and texture. Add it to a salad to transform it from a side dish into a balanced main.
  3. As a porridge: Give breakfast an African twist. Freekeh porridge can be served as a savoury dish by adding veggies and a fried egg. For a sweeter version, top your porridge with honey and chopped fruit like apples or berries.
  4. Pilaf: Freekeh is the perfect grain for a wholesome pilaf thanks to its fluffy texture and relatively high fibre content. Try this Spiced Freekeh Pilaf from the HelloFresh recipe archive and see for yourself.

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