Kwanzaa Culinarians

Recipes and Food Stories from the African Diaspora

“Remixing” Family Staples

By John Burton Jr of The Food Cravelogist Growing up in the Carolinas, corn and long–grain rice were staples around my family dinner table. No week was ever complete without an appearance from … Continue reading

December 20, 2014

Fennel, Kale and Spinach Risotto

The more veggies, the better, right? This risotto is a green-veg packed version of an Italian classic, risotto. Onions, fennel, celery and garlic form the base of the dish, but … Continue reading

December 7, 2014

West African Chicken by BlackHealthMatters.com

African Americans have poor health outcomes on nearly every disease index; we’re either at higher risk for developing an illness or we die from it in greater numbers. While access … Continue reading

December 16, 2012

Umoja: Sarina’s Ochro Rice

Umoja/Unity: To strive for a principled and harmonious togetherness in family, community, nation, and world.” What is unity? Is it the sharing of a single purpose, a single outlook? Is … Continue reading

December 26, 2011

Jollof Rice, A West African-Inspired Dish

A West African dish, Jollof Rice, or Benachin,  is similar to Latin American’s Arroz Con Pollo, a Spanish Paella, Louisiana’s Jambalaya or Korean Bibimbap. The ground spices, such as cumin, coriander … Continue reading

December 9, 2011

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Learn more about Kwanzaa

The word "Kwanzaa" comes from the phrase, "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first-fruits." Kwanzaa's extra "a" evolved as a result of a particular history of the Organization Us. It was clone as an expression of African values in order to inspire the creativity of our children. In the early days of Us, there were seven children who each wanted to represent a letter of Kwanzaa. Since kwanza (first) has only six letters, we added an extra "a" to make it seven, thus creating "Kwanzaa." To learn more about Kwanzaa, visit the Official Kwanzaa Website.