A Taste of Guinea: Fufu

Guinea or formerly known as the Republic of Guinea is an underdeveloped African country bordering Liberia, Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, and Guinea-Bissau. A nickname of Guinea is Guinea-Conakry to not confuse visitors with Guinea-Bissau. The Republic of Guinea is a place of major diversity, with the main language being French and various types of races such as Fulani, Mandinka, Soussou, etc. The dominant religion is Islam due to islamization in the 19th and 20th centuries, with majority being Sunni Muslims. The Republic of Guinea has been heavily influenced politically and although they do have democratic elections, the military overthrew the government in 2008 and now rules over Guinea. There has been many social influences for food, mainly because of the social castes in Guinea. One important rule is to always eat in big groups, because most people will eat out of the same bowl to not waste food. In Guinea, people eat little or no meat because of their religion or cost. The main staples of food are rice, millet (small-seeded grains), cassava (root vegetable), and sorghum (grain). One very popular staple meal is fufu or porridge, which is a thick paste made from boiled cassava or bananas. It has a texture and taste similar to mashed potatoes that is usually added with tomato or fish soup. Here is a recipe to make your own fufu dish:

Ingredients

2½ cups cassava (also called manioc or yucca); do not use very center of cassava
5 plantains; do not use very center of plantains

Prepare the cassava and plantains by peeling them, slicing them lengthwise, and removing the woody core. Then cut the cassava and plantains into chunks and place in a large saucepan. Cover with water.
Heat the water to boiling, and then lower heat to simmer. Simmer the cassava and plantains until tender (about 20 minutes). Drain.
Return the pan to low heat and pound, mash, and stir the mixture, using a wooden spoon or potato masher. Add a sprinkling of water to keep the mixture from sticking. Continue pounding and mashing for 15 minutes, until the mixture is smooth.
Form into balls and serve.

Enjoy!

sources: http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Guinea.html, http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-guinea-fried-sweet-potatoes