Koki is made with various tubers (like cassava or potato), legumes (including cowpeas and black-eyed peas), and cereals (particularly corn) cooked en papillote, seasoned with palm oil then optionally stuffed with leafy vegetables such as taro and macabo. The paste is wrapped in a banana or cocoyam leaf and then steamed. Koki can also be made into fritters.[3][4] Koki was traditionally eaten with the hands, but in modern contexts it is more commonly consumed with forks or spoons. It was also originally wrapped exclusively in banana leaves before being boiled, but nowadays paper and aluminium foil are sometimes used as alternatives.[5]
Background
The term 'koki' is etymologically related to the form ekó̱kí, which itself is derived from ko̱ko̱, meaning to pound, grind or crush in the Duala language. Thus, 'koki' means ‘that which is crushed’ or simply ‘culinary paste’. The term can more generally signify 'cake'.[3] The Bazou gastronomic term kekua comes from the gastronomic term koki. A very similar dish is found in Nigeria among the Efik and Yoruba peoples, with the only difference being that it is made from fresh corn.[6]
It is generally claimed that koki originated from a group of peoples in the Littoral, South-West and West regions in Cameroon. This is acknowledged and recorded as such by the Ministry of Arts and Culture, as part of the 111 elements of Cameroon's national intangible cultural heritage, decreed on 21 February 2021. However, the definition used in this document refers only to the variety made with black-eyed peas. This variety of koki is by far the best known and most widespread.[7]
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