My host mom (I call her Maman) always feeds me dinner. Whenever I have the chance, I like to sit with her as she cooks. Kitchens in Togo are set up differently than American kitchens. They tend to be outside under a shade structure, there's usually charcol or wood fire over which the women cook and much of the cooking is done while sitting down on a stool. So although I think I’m normally quite a good cook, I don’t think I would succeed much as a Togolese cook. I’m not used to the tools, the techniques and even some of the ingredients. Nonetheless, I enjoy watching Maman and learning what I can.
This week, I watched as Maman prepared corn paste with Kapokia leaf sauce, or in, French, pâte ave sauce de kapokia, or in Kabye, moto ne dozi kapokia.
This week I watched my Maman prepare and tried eating corn paste (pâte) with kapokia leaf sauce. Pâte is a staple food in Togo, but it’s something I had never eaten before living here. It’s a plain starchy food that is flavored by a sauce into which you dip it. You make it by slowly beating corn flour into hot water. This week I watched my Maman use leaves from the kapokia tree to make the sauce to accompany the pâte.
