By Okon Ekpenyong

Ohio is the newest state to join African Restaurant Week, a global event that spans 23 cities worldwide. It will be during the week of August 17-27, 2023, with New Americans magazine’s Associate Editor Okon Ekpenyong coordinating a special edition of the event.

In Central Ohio, Nigerian, Senegalese, Ethiopian, Morocco, Liberian, and Somalian cuisines are popular and will be available. Also, Popular Liberian dishes include cassava leaf, plantain, bitter ball, and green potatoes. 

Typically served with pounded yams, egusi soup is a staple in West African culture. 

It is a versatile dish that can be adapted to suit different tastes. Jollof rice may be a popular West African dish. However, which country produces the best, between Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, and Senegal, is often a topic of discussion when Africans gather from different countries. 

Africans eat lots of soup, meat, vegetables, fruit, seafood, and organic food and prefer cooked from scratch. 

African cuisine also consists of dishes from all over the continent, expressing each country’s culture, roots, heritage, and traditions of the region. With each meal, one can expect a variety of flavors and textures. 

Portuguese, French, and Italian cuisine heavily influence African dishes, and since Islam is Africa’s second-largest religion, some meal choices exist because of religious background. 

Also, a vast majority of ingredients and flavors from West Africa, such as Nigeria, Cameron, and Ghana, is influenced by various cultures. 

But we can’t forget to mention the influence of North African countries’ meals, like Morocco, Egypt, and Tunisia, Central African countries like Ethiopia and Rwanda, and South African countries like Mozambique and Angola. 

Traditionally, African cuisine uses spices such as cumin, coriander, saffron, cinnamon, and ginger, as well as traditional foods such as peanuts, plantains, cassava, sweet potatoes, and yams. 

Also, most African countries enjoy rice and beans, as well as Injera, the world’s tiniest grain, commonly in Ethiopia, Eritrea, and other East African countries.

Cities such as Paris, Toronto, Los Angeles, London, New York City, and Minneapolis are already part of the African Restaurant Week. So, to add Ohio to this list means the world since a majority of African immigrants or refugees live throughout Ohio. 

Many African restaurants exist in Whitehall, Columbus, and other Central Ohio cities because it has a sizeable African Presence living there. So, the first-ever Ohio African Restaurant Week will live up to the hype. 

Visitors and local food lovers will discover and enjoy restaurants at a fixed expenditure during Restaurant Weeks. Food lovers will find new restaurants near them, support small businesses, travel for dining deals, and discover what their city offers.

Intercontinental Nigerian Restaurant in Columbus, Somalian-owned Afra Grill, Eriteria and Ethiopia own Lalibela Restaurant in Whitehall, Teranga African Restaurant in Cincinnati, Chemtag African Kitchen in Dayton, and Arike African Cuisine are some of the popular ones in the state. 

We hope to reach out to all African restaurants, including Fork in Nigeria, the most popular African Foot truck in Central Ohio,†an African Restaurant Week organizer said. Aside from the Food Truck, the owners opened a store at Columbus East Market. 

The Organizers hope it will feature over fifty restaurants, cafes, and bars in multiple cities across the state. It will be a celebration of African/Diaspora Cuisine and culture. 

Find Restaurant Weeks:

According to Find Restaurant Weeks, restaurant weeks happen throughout the year and sometimes twice a year. Local food trucks, bars, and restaurants are encouraged to participate. Anyone visiting a restaurant included on the list, whether through social media or word-of-mouth, is encouraged to share their experiences on their social media handles to inspire others as a way to support local businesses. 

Support the New Americans magazine to continue to serve our community with precise news that affect the new American, immigrant and refugee community. https://paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=8LHFS78NRNJJY&source=url