Palaver sauce

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Palaver sauce
Palava sauce w- cocoyam leaf (5612472154).jpg
Ghanaian palaver sauce
Alternative namesPalava sauce
Type Stew

Palaver sauce or palava sauce (or plasas) is a type of stew widely eaten in West Africa, including Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone [1] [2] The word palaver , meaning a talk, lengthy debate or quarrel, derives from the Portuguese language; palavra in general use means "speech" or "word", with its origins ultimately from the Late Latin noun parabola, meaning "speech" or "parable". [3] It is unclear how this led to the name of the stew. [4] One theory is that the spices used in the stew mingle together like raised voices in an argument. [1] It has been thought of as having the power to calm tensions, or to cause them. [2] Other names for the dish include kontonmire, kentumere, nkontommire and pla'sas. [1] [4] [5]

Contents

It has regional variations and can contain beef, fish, shrimp, pepitas, cassava, taro (cocoyam) leaves, and palm oil. It is served with boiled rice, potatoes, garri, fufu or yam. [1] [2] Outside of Africa, spinach is often used as a substitute for other greens. [4] The leaves used to make this soup in Liberia are called molokhia or mulukhiyah leaves.

The name "palava sauce" is said to originate from the people of Elmina, on the south-east coast of Ghana. [6] [7]

Kontomire stew with eggs and plantain Kontomire Stew, Eggs and Plantian.jpg
Kontomire stew with eggs and plantain

Ghana

Kontomire stew is a stew made from cocoyam leaves (known in the Akan language as kontomire), commonly prepared in the home and very popular in Ghanaian cuisine. [8] In Ghana, kontomire stew is served with variety of dishes, [9] [10] including steamed rice, cooked yam and plantain. [11]

Preparing kontomire stew

Recipe

The meat is first cut into small pieces and is fried in palm oil in a pan, and to the pan is added onion, pepper and chilli. Next is added the fish, dried or smoked, previously moistened and cut in chunks. The vegetables are sliced and incorporated into the cooking pan (spinach leaves or bean leaves, cabbage, kale, okra), and finally water is poured to help in the cooking and spices for seasoning. The mixture is kept on a low fire until all the ingredients are cooked and the water has reduced. It may be served with white rice.

In Ghana, the stew consists primarily of:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Osseo-Asare, Fran (2005). Food Culture In Sub-saharan Africa. Greenwood Press. p. 23. ISBN   0-313-32488-3.
  2. 1 2 3 Ogunyemi, Chikwenye Okonjo (1996). Africa Wo/man Palava: The Nigerian Novel by Women. University of Chicago Press. p. 100. ISBN   0-226-62085-9.
  3. ↑ "Word of the Day | palaver". Merriam-Webster. 23 October 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "Palaver 'Sauce'". Ghana.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2007.
  5. ↑ "Sauce/Stew". Ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 30 September 2007.
  6. ↑ Gracia, Zindzy (31 January 2018). "How to Prepare Kontomire Stew in Ghana". Yen.com.gh - Ghana news. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  7. ↑ "How to prepare kontomire stew/palava sauce the Ghanaian way". www.pulse.com.gh. 19 November 2015. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  8. ↑ "How to prepare 'Kontomire' stew and boiled yam". www.pulse.com.gh. 28 May 2016. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  9. ↑ "Kontomire Stew - ghanagrio.com". www.ghanagrio.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  10. ↑ Elikplim, Eriq (26 February 2018). "How to Prepare Ampesi and Kontomire Stew". Swiftfoxx. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  11. ↑ "Kontomire with smoked salmon and melon seeds (Palava sauce)". biscuits and ladles. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
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