Spiced Lamb Balls and Savory Beancakes

Whenever we draw a West African country for our chosen country-of-the-month, we always tend to take a deep sigh in the angst over our perceived notions of its sparseness.  Africa, that vast continent, is an enigma for which most Americans tend to know almost nothing - especially in terms of cuisine.  And in a city with a plethora of the world's fare within grasp, we could sadly count on one hand the number of African restaurants which reside here (most of which are Ethiopian, Moroccan or South African - clearly NOT a West African option).  So, when we chose Burkina Faso, I must honestly admit that my heart sank a little and I deemed it something we would take on "later."  That lack of urgency carried me to the very last day of the month before I finally made a Burkinabe meal.  It's a terrible shame to admit such procrastination...especially when the result is so mouth-wateringly good! 

Spiced lamb balls, the West African equivalent of traditional meatballs, are an even more flavorful variation in that they use an addition of six spices to add an exciting depth to their flavor.  And the savory beancakes also possess depth, though they are a bit heavier than I really cared for in a large portion.  After a few bites, the bean flavor was a bit overwhelming.  However, the meal was filling and better than expected.  At the end, a simple banana posed as our dessert (okay, so this might be cheating, but after combing the internet for weeks in search of a non-existent Burkina Faso dessert recipe, a banana was really the only logical and seemingly appropriate choice).  All in all, our meal a la Burkina Faso was a success.  The meatballs will definitely be put into a steady rotation in our house.  The beancakes, not so much.  But, at least we tried something new....as always, that is better than the alternative.

Spiced Lamb Balls - Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 pounds ground lamb
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

Instructions:

1. Saute onions, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, red pepper, coriander and salt in oil until the onion is soft.  Cool and combine with ground lamb. 
2. Add eggs and crumbs to meat mixture.  Mix well.  Form into small balls.  Chill for 1 hour. 
3. Bake or saute until browned (if baking in the oven, bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, turning a couple of times).  Serve warm.

Savory Beancakes - Ingredients:

• 1 can of black-eyed peas
• 1/2 of an onion, chopped
• 2 small carrots, chopped
• 1 egg
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• flour for coating beancakes
• oil for frying

Instructions:

1. Drain the beans and rinse.  Place the beans, onions, carrots and egg into a food processor or blender and season to taste.  Blend until it becomes a smooth paste. 
2. Shape the mixture in flour until a small patty is formed.  Shallow fry in a skillet, cooking until brown on both sides (about 10 minutes) turning occasionally.

(The original recipe for spiced lamb balls came from this site: http://recipes.wuzzle.org/index.php/26/136)
(The original recipe for savory beancakes came from this site: http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-burkinabe-savoury-beancakes)

Burkina Faso

Capital City - Ouagadougou
Currency - West African CFA Franc
Population - 15,746,232 (2009 estimate)
National Language - French, though Mossi and Fulani are also spoken unofficially
Type of Government - Semi-Presidential Republic
Leaders - Blaise Compaoré (President); Tertius Zongo (Prime Minister)
Country's Motto - "Unité, Progrès, Justice" - Translates to mean "Unity, Progress, Justice."

Location - Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa.  It is surrounded on the north by Mali, on the east by Niger, on the southeast by Benin, on the south by Togo and Ghana and to the southwest by The Ivory Coast.  Warm savannas cover the northern part of the country and woodlands border the southwest.

Climate - As with all tropical locations, Burkina Faso has two very distinct seasons: the dry season and the wet season.
Religion - A popular saying in Burkina Faso says that "50% are Muslim, 50% are Christian, and 100% are animist."  This saying shows how closely people of all faiths are still connected to their more tribal ancestral roots, still practicing their indigenous beliefs.  The real statistical numbers indicate that about 60% of the country practices Islam, with the majority of those individuals belonging to the Sunni branch.  Of the remaining 40% of the population, 19% are said to be Roman Catholics, 16% follow traditional indigenous religions, and 5% are Protestant Christians.  Athiesm is virtually nonexistent in Burkina Faso.

Cuisine - The cuisine of Burkina Faso is typical west African cuisine in that it centers around the traditional staples of sorghum, millet, rice, corn, peanuts, beans, yams and okra.  Chicken eggs and fish are the most commonly used forms of protein. 

Most Famous Landmark - A relatively agrarian nation, Burkina Faso has no man-made structures of significant note.  However, the Sylvo-Pastoral and Partial Faunal Reserve of the Sahel is the largest space of protected land in the country.
If You Learn Only One Thing About Burkina Faso, It Should Be This - Burkina Faso, which was formerly known as the Republic of Upper Volta until 1984, is one of the top 20 poorest nations in the world.  In addition to this, they also have one of the lowest literacy levels in the world - only about 12% of the population can read.  However, they have one of the highest HIV rates in the world - 7%.