Finally, a book about African cookery that is a genuinely inspiring introduction to the diversity and uniqueness of the continent’s cuisine. Editor Alexander Smalls, a chef and restaurateur, has done a sterling job of selecting a wide range of contributors for The Contemporary African Kitchen, and the result is that regional ingredients and flavours really shine through. From a Senegalese chicken cassava leaf and peanut butter stew to a fried whole fish dish from Kenya, these recipes may prompt a few culinary travel trips. Dishes such as buttered bambara with vegetables, rodo oil and toasted egusi relish, from Nigerian chef Ikenna Akwuebue Bobmanuel – who is currently based in Dakar, Senegal – present a variety of fresh ingredients and flavours to a culinary world that would do well to spend some time investigating African cuisine in considerably more attentive detail. Robyn Alexander
