Culinary Genesis
Growing up, Mum always insisted that we be present in the kitchen when ever meals were being made. We would grumble(My brother and I) and she’d retort saying, “Its better if you can make your own meals when you grow up, than to always depend on a wife who isn’t that good at it.” We would shut up and just go to the kitchen. We lived in a house that had an outside kitchen, so we would take turns fanning the fire and going to bring ingredients from the main indoor kitchen. The mosquitoes and sun flies also had their fun serving themselves to our young adolescent blood. I guess all parties had to be fed. But it was not until i turned 11, that i finally fell in love with the art of making food.
My mum was very particular about us eating outside and only allowed us to purchase food if and only if she could not afford to cook for us. This made us rarely eat anything that wasn’t from home but at an end of school year party in primary school, I tasted a friends food and then it finally hit. Not everyone could cook as well as my mother. I finally understood what she meant by it was possible to eat food that “did not cut it.” As a kid with the need to best my mates at anything I set out to do, I decided to take cooking more serious.
Gradually, I graduated from fanning the fire to blending ingredients for soups and stews. In about a year, after many cooking sessions of watching and asking questions (a technique I developed after knowing what science meant), I was granted the opportunity to cook my initial dish. I quite remember mum saying, “ I’d like you to cook the rice today.” Man! The moment had finally come. I was scared and excited at the same time. Surprisingly, it was “easy”. I cooked the rice as though i had been doing it for a while. Mum was impressed and I was subsequently given more roles in the kitchen.
It may seem I’ve been a good cook since forever, but I’ve had horrible moments with food. I once burnt a whole pot of Jollof because Iwas overconfident in my knack for timing the cooking period. I once over salted the rice for my dinner and my mum forced me to eat it cos she said it would make me , in her own words, “scared of food.” But my worst mistakes were made while trying to cook the meals I saw on food network (yes, since 2010, Food network has been my MTV). Mimicking those meals taught me 2 main lessons. First, who you are cooking for is very essential . Second, Flavour is defined mainly by culture.
Who you are cooking for is essential because everyone has a preference to how they like their dish/meal. Take steak for example. There is a range of Rare to Well done when it comes to cooking steak. Most people in my circle choose well done, but some of my friends are also medium rare lovers. Should I make all the steak I’d make at a dinner party be “well done”, I’d upset those who prefer medium rare and vice versa . Knowing the preference of who you are cooking for is paramount in ensuring satisfaction.
Flavour is a whole other concept though. I grew up eating Kenkey with Fish and Ground Hot Habanero sauce( Ground Pepper ). That was and still is one of my favorite meals but I doubt a Texas man would have the same sentiment. He would kill for Honey Glazed Smoked Ribs with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. This would not appeal to the average Ghanaian as our taste palette does not include sweet and savory. Its why food can be broadly categorized according to continents and further sub categorized by even countries.
Put these two lessons together and you will most probably satisfy all parties those you are feeding and yourself. For a cook, true satisfaction can only be reached if those partaking in your meal are satisfied.
This is the first of many more posts to come. I will be sharing recipes and food stories that have changed my life, recipes that have changed the lives of those I have cooked for, and recipes I hope will change your life.
Your Food Bard,
Kiko Reborn
