Patates (Fried Sweet Potatoes)

Fried potatoes are nothing new to my American palate.  Though my intention is to avoid them like the plague, french fries somehow have a way of sneaking into our house at least once a month.  And, though I scoff at their presence in these moments of our collective household weakness, I must admit that more than a couple of these greasy starch sticks find their way into my mouth.  What can I say - they are one of the four basic food groups of my generation (soda, burgers and candy bars being the remaining three).  So, naturally, when I learned that the people of Guinea are just as fixated with the frying of starchy vegetables as we Americans are, I figured it would be a good way to join the two worlds. 

In lieu of the potato, Guineans have found an affinity with the use of sweet potatoes and plantains.  Hoping to add some color and a speck more of nutritional value to my meal, I opted to use sweet potatoes.  The recipe only lists oil as an ingredient but doesn't list the quantity needed.  Simply, that is because it will vary depending on the pot you use to cook the sweet potatoes.  I used a medium sized pot, therefore needed a bit more oil than a small batch would require.  About an inch of oil in the pot should be all you need to make the patates.  Vegetable oil was my oil of choice because, honestly, it is cheap.

Ingredients:

3-4 medium sweet potatoes
oil
salt, to taste

Instructions:

1. Cut sweet potatoes in long 1/2 inch wedges.
2. Heat oil until very hot in a fry pan or electric fryer.
3. Put a little salt on plantains and fry until done. The sweet potatoes will be a deep orange and should be crisp.

A similar variation of this recipe, called "Loco" in southern Guinea, calls for large chunks of plantains to be fried in a pot of palm oil.  Patates and Loco are snack foods that are commonly found in markets and on streets all over western Africa. They are often served with a very oily onion, tomato and dried fish sauce.  For Americans, however, they taste just fine with a dab of ketchup and a sprinkle of salt.
 
(The original recipe came from this site: http://friendsofguinea.org/aboutguinea/recipes.shtml#yassa)

Sugar Peanuts

For years, my dad and I have been trying to duplicate the wonderful sugar-coated quality of a certain brand of store-bought nuts, to no avail.  Alas, this wonderful recipe - the only sort of dessert recipe I could find for the country of Guinea - was what I had been looking for all along.  Funny how things magically appear in your life when you least expect them to.

A simple process of stirring sugar, water and nuts (plus or minus cinnamon, at your own will) in a large skillet until the nuts just look "done" is all it takes.  Of course, I should note one important fact: though these things seem to take forever to get to their end stage, you really have to watch them closely because they can burn pretty quickly if you blink at the wrong moment.  In other words, it's very important to stick around.  No running off to check your email or read a magazine (as I did one time, with another recipe - long story short, wok fires are scary!).  Watch your skillet like a hawk, stand over it and give it constant love; and, in return, you will be rewarded with the best, most simple (and seemingly healthy - though we all know better) dessert from Guinea.

Ingredients:

5 cups peanuts with skins
3 cups sugar
2 cups hot water
1/8 tsp cinnamon, if you want

Instructions:

1. Combine in pan, cook and stir until syrup is hard to stir, about 30 to 45 minutes.
2. Spread on a greased cookie sheet or wax paper to dry.

(The original recipe came from this site: http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/SUGAR_PEANUTS)

Kansiye (Guinean Stew Served Over Rice)

Terrible but true, when I think of African food the images that generally come to mind are ants on a twig or some sort of carrion eaten as a starving person's last resort for life.  And, even though most people in Guinea are only able to afford one meal a day (a statistical average), my ridiculous assumption of their culinary skills is indeed far from fact.  A nation that thrives on okra and peanuts, they have found a way to make do with the items at hand in a tasty and filling way.  This meal of Kansiya, a Guinean stew served over rice, was no less adequate in that way.

Since lamb is a little more rare to find in our markets, I opted to use beef.  Any rough or cheap cut will do - the hour of cooking time will create nice and tender pieces of meat in the end.  My husband initially scoffed at this recipe when I told him that tomato sauce was to be mixed with peanut butter.  However, since the end result formed such a rich sauce, similar to that of a curry, he was happy.  He even came back for seconds.  And, so did I.

Ingredients:

1 lb beef or lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 Tablespoons oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon thyme
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups water
3 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups of cooked rice, to serve

Instructions:

1. Brown meat in oil in 10-inch frying pan.
2. Add onion, salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, parsley and clove.
3. Combine tomato sauce and 1 cup water, add to meat mixture and stir well. Dilute peanut butter in remaining cup of water and add to mixture.
4. Cook over medium heat for 1 hour, or until meat is tender. Serve hot over the cooked rice.

(The original recipe came from this site: http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Kansiyeacute-Traditional-Recipe-from-Guinea-West-Africa-310432)

Guinea

Capital City - Conakry
Currency - Guinean franc
Population - 10,057,975 (as of July 2009)
National Language - French
Religion - 85% of the country is Muslim, 8% are Christian, and the remainder are made up of traditional beliefs.
Type of Government - Military Junta
Leaders - Sékouba Konaté (Acting President); Jean-Marie Doré (Prime Minister)
Country's Motto - "Travail, Justice, Solidarité" which means "Work, Justice, Solidarity."

Geographical Highlights - The Republic of Guinea is a country in western Africa. It is bordered to the north by Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and Mali; to the east by Ivory Coast; to the south by Liberia and Sierra Leone; and, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Guinea is divided into four geographical regions: the Basse-Cote lowlands, the mountainous region of Fouta Djallon (which is the source of the Niger River), the northeast savanna, and the southeast Guinea Highlands.  The country contains many diverse habitats including mangrove swamps, open grasslands, tropical savanna and rainforests.

History - The northeastern Guinea plains were included in what was the medieval Empire of Ghana.  In the 12th century, the region was dominated by the Mali Empire; and, by the 15th century, the Songhai Empire had taken control of the land.  This empire, originally founded in 700 A.D., was very powerful due to its control of most of the trade in western Africa.  Its power only began to weaken as a result of factional in-fighting.

By the mid-15th century, the Portugese explorers arrived and the slave trade soon began.  From the 17th century onward, many other European nations also became active in the slave trade in Guinea.  In the early 18th century, the Fulani brought about a jihad and took control over the Fouta Dhallon region.  After a series of wars, France won control of the entire country and, in 1891, made Guinea a French colony.  France soon found fortune in mining bauxite.

In 1958, Guinea voted to become an independent nation and France severed aid and relations.  Its first president, Sekou Toure, embraced Marxism and Pan-Africanism as ideologies.  Opposition parties were banned and individuals with different ideas were suppressed.  Following an invasion by Guinea-Bissau, the death of Toure and a military coup, the country began to improve relations with the West by introducing free-enterprise policies.  The country instituted a multi-party system; however, more recently, a military junta under the command of Moussa Dadis Camara took back control of the government.  Camara ordered the junta to attack any opposition by means of rape, mutilation and murder.  In 2009, an aide shot Camara and he was removed as leader of Guinea.  During a six-month time of transition, Sékouba Konaté has been placed in a position of power.  Once the period is over, an election will be held to appoint a true president.  Due to economic and political turmoil, Guinea has received the classification of a "low-income" developing nation.

Landmarks -

• Kinkon Falls - Breathtaking waterfalls outside of Pita, between the cities of Dalaba and Labé, offer a beautiful landscape.
• Kakimbon Caves - In the village of Ratoma, a suburb of the capital city of Conakry, the awe-inspiring caves are said to be of religious significance and local legend for the Baga people. 
• Guinea Countryside - Quite simply, the entire country, with its variety of terrain including mountains, plains, savannahs and forests, offer a brilliant view of nature and diverse habitats. 

Interesting Trivia -

• Guinea was the first French African colony to gain its independence.