Bouille
Malian dishes vary from region to region, but the staples are normally rice, millet, sorghum and fonio (a fine-grained cereal found in Africa). These are served with sauces of fish, meat or vegetables. Grains are often used to make porridges; for example, many Malian’s eat bouille for breakfast, a sweet milk and cereal dish which is a little like runny rice pudding.
Malian dishes vary from region to region, but the staples are normally rice, millet, sorghum and fonio (a fine-grained cereal found in Africa). These are served with sauces of fish, meat or vegetables. Grains are often used to make porridges; for example, many Malian’s eat bouille for breakfast, a sweet milk and cereal dish which is a little like runny rice pudding.
Tiny balls made from a mixture of different grains, drying in the sun
When the grains are dried, they are gathered and...
... packed in various plastic bags for easy shipping
It is then cooked with water, and sugar and powdered milk (if available) by the women, and presented to the men for eating, for special occasions
Dried Mangoes
When produced on a large scale, mangoes are desiccated in large ovens. Steps are illustrated here:
Achat/Recolte --> Transport --> Murissement --> Triage --> Lavage --> Epluchage --> Tranchage/Coupe --> Mise en Claie --> Sechage --> Claieage --> Triage/pesage --> Conditionnement
Drying Ovens
The finished product (ginger powder on the left, dried mangoes on the right)
Cashew Apples
Did you know that cashews actually came in this form? People in the village tend to eat the fruit, and throw out the top part, which is the cashew... Given how labor intensive it is to have to harvest cashews, I now understand why they are so expensive!
