Andrew Zimmern Predicts African Cuisine Will Explode In US Popularity

Chef, author, and television host Andrew Zimmern has been to all corners of the world and has introduced his viewers to foods that were once largely unknown and misunderstood. His experience in the culinary world and travel sphere has helped give him an absolute wealth of knowledge that most people wouldn't have discovered on their own. He is endearing and engaging, and has drawn in many fans, many of whom flock to his YouTube page to ask him questions, which he occasionally answers for his viewers. In a recent post, he's asked what he believes is the next big food trend. Without hesitation, he names African cuisine as the fare that will soon be catching hungry people's eyes in the United States.

Zimmern notes that he's personally been to over 30 countries in the vast continent of Africa and has nothing but praise for the various foods he's enjoyed in each of them. He specifically names Ghana, Liberia, Senegal, Morocco, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Egypt as having utterly amazing cuisine. He notes that, despite being pieces of the same land mass, the foods in each country couldn't be more different. Zimmern notes some excellent and well-known chefs that are already incorporating African ingredients into their own cuisines here in America including Gregory Gourdet, Eric Adjepong, Kwame Onwuachi, Erick Williams, and Nina Compton.

Zimmern specifically praises the seafood in both Senegal and Egypt. He notes the food in Alexandria in Egypt as being "mind-boggling," melding the cuisines of the Mediterranean and Africa together. Alexandria is located on the northmost tip of Egypt in northern Africa, right on the Mediterranean Sea, so it makes sense that the region is so rich in the fruits of the sea. The waters around the ancient city are full of fish such as gray and red mullet, sole, seabass, bluefish, and much more.

Meanwhile, in Senegal, located in the northwestern part of the continent where the northern and southern Atlantic oceans meet, the food is influenced in large part by French, Portuguese, and North African cuisine. The national dish of Senegal, called Thiéboudieune, includes rice, tomato, white fish, and peppers.

One practice that's likely to come with any influx of African cuisine in America is eating with your hands, which is common in many African countries. Anyone who has eaten in an Ethiopian restaurant has probably experienced this, as the dishes are typically served with a pillowy flatbread called injera. The idea is to tear off a piece (or rice, grains, or other flatbreads, depending on the country) and scoop up portions of the dish you're eating. So, if Zimmern's prediction is correct, be extra sure to keep those hands extra clean and get ready to immerse yourself in some very exciting and delicious dishes.