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The Africa Cookbook

Tastes of a Continent

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About The Book

With more than two hundred traditional and contemporary recipes, The Africa Cookbook is a unique window into the long culinary history of a diverse continent.

From the savory stews of the western savannah to the curries and chutneys of the Swahili coasts, prominent scholar Jessica Harris has assembled a collection of recipes that reflects the modern innovations and rich heritage of kitchens across Africa. Potatoes with Mint Leaves and Garlic from Algeria and Senegal’s classic Theibou Dienn are among the many flavorful dishes that offer a change of pace for contemporary North Americans. Illustrated with archival photographs and peppered with history and anecdote, The Africa Cookbook is a celebration of cultures and individuals whose contributions to the way we eat have long been ignored.

About The Author

Photo credit: J. Pinderhughes

Jessica B. Harris holds a PhD from NYU and taught English at Queens College for more than thirty years. She lectures internationally. She is the author of High on the Hog, which inspired the hit 2021 Netflix show of the same name. She is also the author of a memoir, My Soul Looks Back, as well as twelve cookbooks. Her articles have appeared in VogueFood & WineEssence, and The New Yorker, among other publications. She has made numerous television and radio appearances and has been profiled in The New York Times. Considered one of the preeminent scholars of the food of the African Diaspora, Harris has been inducted into the James Beard Who’s Who in Food and Beverage in America, she received the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, and an Augie Award from the Culinary Institute of America in 2022. She also received an honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University and recently helped the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture to conceptualize its cafeteria.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster (August 17, 2010)
  • Length: 400 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781439193303

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Raves and Reviews

"I like the way Jessica Harris thinks, I very much like the way she writes, and I am a great admirer of the way she cooks. This book is valuable to all thinking, writing cooks."
--Maya Angelou

"Ms. Harris dares the reader to confront preconceptions about the continent...the clearly written recipes...are extremely user-friendly."
--The New York Times

"Harris is an entertaining and informative writer who has traveled throughout Africa for three decades, and this book is worth the price for her narrative alone." --The Chicago Tribune

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