Book report1

 I'm so sorry for my late posting. Although this is my first time to make a blog, I'll try my best to make a blog that everyone can enjoy.

 This time, I'll write the introduction and outline of the book "Food Culture in Sub-Saharan Africa." I chose this book to read because, since I'm a runner, I'm quite interested in the food and culture in Africa such as Kenya and Ethiopia, where most top middle and long distance runners were born, grow, and live.

This book mainly focuses on two parts
1. the similar and different points of cultural and culinary              landscape in sub-Saharan Africa
2. the conflict between the needs for keeping the traditions and      for flexibility and adaption in culinary realm

 Although there are many things that are unfamiliar for westerners (and surely for Asians), there are many cooking methods which are introduced by sub-Saharan African and which we use nowadays, such as deep-frying, slow cooking, the use of ingredients like peanuts and okra. On the other hand, the food form the new world, such as corn and tomatoes, are essential for sub-Saharan African cuisine and culture. This food is called, "Colombian Exchange."

 The most interesting feature of sub-Saharan Africa's cooking is the fundamental format of a meal. It usually consists of a thick starch or porridge, and people eat them with sauce or stew. Another feature is the multipurpose reliance on the humble gourd or calabash, which have been used for hundreds years or more in sub-Saharan Africa.

On the next post, I'll write about "Western Africa."