Home to 55 countries, over 1.4 billion people and more than 2 000 languages, Africa is far from being a monolith. It’s a dynamic, historically abundant, rich continent. The Contemporary African Kitchen: Home Cooking Recipes from the Leading Chefs of Africa, edited by Alexander Smalls with Nina Oduro and published by Phaidon, marks a pivot in Africa’s culinary identity. Centred on celebrating contemporary African cooking as not only food from a region, but as a vastly multicultural collaborative movement, the book combines ancestral food preparation practices with modern methods and ingredients.

Chicken, cassava leaf and peanut butter stew from Senegal

Editors Alexander Smalls and Nina Oduro have compiled and organised 120 delicious, soul-warming recipes and anecdotes from 33 chefs and culinary voices from all over the continent. The anthology divides Africa into five regions: northern, southern, eastern, western and central Africa.

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Alexander Smalls is an acclaimed chef and restaurateur known for his innovative take on black American and Southern cuisine. A former opera singer, Smalls transitioned to the culinary world, bringing with him a passion for storytelling through food. He is the chef-owner of The Cecil, a renowned Harlem restaurant that combines African, Caribbean and Southern influences. Smalls’ work has earned him numerous accolades, including the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: New York City in 2011. He is also the author of the cookbook Between Harlem and Heaven: Afro-Asian-American Cooking for Big Nights, Weeknights, and Every Day, which celebrates his diverse culinary influences and the cultural connections that shape his approach to cooking. Smalls is widely regarded for his commitment to preserving and elevating the flavours and traditions of black American cuisine, while also pushing the boundaries of modern gastronomy.

M’encha from  Morocco

Nina Oduro is the founder of Dine Diaspora, a platform dedicated to exploring, celebrating and sharing the richness of African cuisine and culture. Through her work, Oduro has created a space where food becomes a vehicle for storytelling, cultural exchange, and community engagement. She is passionate about spotlighting African food traditions, particularly in the context of the diaspora, and works to amplify the voices of African chefs and culinary influencers. Oduro’s platform and culinary ventures highlight the diverse and vibrant culinary heritage of Africa, bridging gaps between continents and showcasing the evolving landscape of African food. She is recognised for her efforts in both the culinary and cultural sectors, using food to foster deeper connections and understanding of African traditions globally.

Buttered bambara with toasted egusi relish

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The cohort of chefs, restauranteurs, caterers, writers and cooks brought together by Smalls and Oduro in The Contemporary African Kitchen are champions of rich culinary tradition, combining generations of African flavours with simple techniques. This diverse library of contemporary African cooking promises to make recipes locally accessible with ingredients and dishes rooted in ancestral linkage, then executed with modern flair. Described by Smalls as kinship on a page, bringing Africans closer and closer to home, this book illustrates the steady progression of the continent and its growing global impact.

Fried whole fish from Kenya 

Ripe tomato stone fruit salad with jollof vinaigrette, twice-fried plantain with hibiscus pickled onions and chicken cassava leaf stew are just a taste of the playful yet evolved way in which Africans are approaching food while staying tethered to the foundations of their cuisine.

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This contributory effort is by no means exhaustive of the culinary narrative and offering of Africa, it’s but a snapshot into a continent’s history and its interaction with the now, as told by its carefully selected collaborators. This cookbook exudes an uncanny sense of familiarity and an overall feeling of comfort and warmth. From hearty bowls of sweet millet porridge and Egyptian okra stew to plates of spicy pan-roasted garden eggs and protein-rich egusi pudding, The Contemporary African Kitchen serves as a global invitation to experience the flavours that bind us and celebrate our diverse set of traditions that ultimately bring us lovingly together.

Tamarind-and-coffee mocktail from Ghana

The recipes in this article were extracted with permission from The Contemporary African Kitchen by Alexander Smalls and published by Phaidon.

Photographer: Rich Kissi