Saka Saka: South of the Sahara—Adventures in African Cooking

Cocagne (a chef, a television host, and artistic director of Afro Cooking magazine) combines her French culinary training and sub-Saharan cuisine in her debut cookbook. She highlights recipes from Gabon (her home country), Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Congo, and Ethiopia and explains the ingredients these cuisines require. Cocagne’s delicious recipes (from street food to weeknight staples) list prep times and offer cooking tips to put novice chefs at ease; the cookbook also has tips for sourcing ingredients and suggests substitutions for those that are hard to find in the U.S. Cocagne’s informative text goes beyond flavors to discuss sub-Saharan cultures; even more enjoyment comes from the profiles of artists, musicians, and writers (including Cameroonian poet Capitaine Alexandre), who share food memories and their favorite dishes. Princet’s vibrant photography delivers energy. Cocagne says that her dream is to bring African food to every kitchen, and she delivers with a cookbook that educates, dazzles, and—most importantly—is delectable.