Food much like music and culture continues to help build a bridge of understanding and appreciation between Africa and the world. We cannot deny the impact of afrobeats and amapiano on world culture, and so it ’s safe to say that our food is also having a simlar renaissance.
While social media is not necessarily the sum of the total, it’s a useful yardstick to gauge the zeitgeist of this generation. It is interesting to see millions of chefs, cooks, creators as well as ordinary people – particularly Gen Z and Millennials – engaging with African cuisine with earnest interest and a keen appetite to savour new flavours and aromas. A quick search on any of the platforms will show millions of results in text, images and videos of many trying out and eventually mastering – OK, at least getting close – to an authentic fufu, ugali, jollof or chakalaka recipe.
There is a growing interest in global cuisines and African food is particularly exciting as it hasn’t been explored as much as other foods from across the world.