Peanut stew facts for kids
Maafe
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| Alternative names | Groundnut stew |
|---|---|
| Type | Stew |
| Place of origin | Mali |
| Region or state | West Africa |
| Main ingredients | Meat (lamb, beef, or chicken), tomatoes, onions, garlic, cabbage, leaf or root vegetables, peanuts |
Peanut stew, also known as groundnut stew, is a yummy dish popular in West Africa. People call it maafe (in Wolof), sauce d'arachide (in French), tigadèguèna or domoda. It's a type of stew that started with the Mandinka and Bambara people in Mali.
In the Mandinka language, the proper names are domodah or tigadegena. Tigadegena means 'peanut butter sauce'. Tige means 'peanut', dege means 'paste', and na means 'sauce'.
Domodah is also a sauce used by people in The Gambia. In Senegal, domoda can mean a soup thickened with flour. This is different from mafe, which uses peanut paste. Maafe is a favorite dish for many groups in Senegal and Gambia. As groundnut farming grew during the colonial period, maafe became popular all over West Africa. You can even find it in places like Cameroon and France!
What is Maafe?
Maafe is a hearty stew that's a main meal in many West African countries. It's very similar to groundnut soup. You can make it with different kinds of meat, like lamb, beef, or chicken. Some versions are even made without any meat at all! In Ghana, people often eat this stew with fufu, a dough-like food.
What's in Maafe?
The recipes for maafe can be quite different, but they usually include some key ingredients. These often are chicken, tomatoes, onions, garlic, cabbage, and other leafy or root vegetables.
Other ingredients that can be added include okra, corn, carrots, cinnamon, hot peppers, paprika, black pepper, turmeric, and cumin. People also add other spices to make it taste even better.
How is Maafe Served?
Maafe is traditionally served with different foods depending on the country.
- In Senegal, Mauritania, and Gambia, it's usually served with white rice.
- In Mali, people eat it with fonio or to, which is a dough made from millet.
- In Northern Nigeria, Niger, and Northern Ghana, it's served with tuwo or omo tuo. These are also doughs made from rice or millet.
- In Sahelian countries, where West Africa meets the Sahara Desert, it can be served with couscous.
- In more tropical areas like the Ivory Coast, it's often eaten with fufu and sweet potatoes.
There's a special type of maafe called Um'bido that uses lots of greens. In Ghana, maafe is sometimes cooked with boiled eggs. A version of this stew, called "Virginia peanut soup," even traveled to North America with enslaved Africans.
Maafe in The Gambia
In The Gambia, a type of groundnut stew is called Domoda. It's made with ground peanuts or peanut butter, meat, onion, tomato, garlic, and fresh vegetables. People consider Domoda one of the national dishes of The Gambia. It's usually served over rice. Sometimes, it's also served over findi, which is a grain similar to couscous.
Images for kids
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Groundnut stew prepared with fried groundnut paste, fish, eggs and hot palm oil
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Domoda served with rice
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