Friday, May 7, 2010

Koki and piment: a spicy mush that is most likely clogging my arteries as we speak…er as I write this.

So I just had my market – day usual: a delicious 100 cfa filling of koki and piment which amounts to about 20 cents. During my training in the south I tasted the koki and absolutely hated it. Couldn’t even imagine how people could stomach this oily mess. But since moving to the North and becoming more accustomed to the Cameroonian staples, my hatred has transformed from ‘I wouldn’t even feed that to my dog that I don’t have’ to ‘okay I can eat this occasionally’ and then to ‘I really enjoy this and will start buying it every market day.’ Now my likeness toward koki has blossomed to a full-blown love of it. I crave the spiciness and count the days down to the next market day where I can buy this orange blob again. I am just not sure if the koki and pimont ensemble share the same feelings.

To explain, the koki is made up of finely grounded white beans mixed with a whole lotta palm oil, which a red thick oil. Piment peppers, salt and other spices are added to the mix before boiling for a while. Then I eat it with piment – a very spicy, oily sauce. It doesn’t seem to have much nutritional value just the fact that it fills the belly up quickly and cheaply. I don’t want to have to judge my weekly serving but I can’t see how it could be beneficial for my heart arteries. So I might not have any more nutrients or vitamins in my system, but don’t worry mom and dad, I am keeping the weight on!

Bon appetit!