This Go-To Dish From Slavery Is Now A Nationwide Sensation

When it comes to this traditional West and Central African staple, forget the silverware. Fufu is literal finger food that absorbs the flavor of whatever it’s paired with. So while dipping some fufu in egusi soup, let’s dip into some history.

Africans brought the recipe for fufu to the Americas in the early stages of enslavement. Starchy vegetables like yams, plantains, and/or cassava are boiled and pounded into a mash. The version made with cornmeal was called “turn meal and flour.” The mash is then served with spicy okra or another kind of soup.

Yams and cornmeal were some of the very few foods enslaved Africans had access to, so fufu became a Southern staple. Later on, they used heated blades from gardening hoes to fry them. These “hoe cakes” were the precursors of today’s pancakes.

Africans spread the fufu recipe around the world, inspiring popular Latin dishes like Puerto Rico’s mofongo and the Dominican Republic’s mangu.

Fufu has been and will always be part of our diaspora. But what’s important is that we continue to protect these historical traditions so we can empower the future.