Gumbo is a Louisiana favorite. No Mardi Gras season would be complete without the thick soup. Containing a combination of vegetables and meat or seafood, gumbo must be thick and must have rice.

Show Producer Fatima Fofana hails from Sierra Leone.  We have known each other so long that we have grown up together having been roommates in college.   One of the best things for me culturally as far as the world of food was having a roommate from Guyana and West Africa.  There in our humble apartment in Baltimore, I watched her cook Cassava leaf stew.  The Cassava leaf soup is also very popular in Liberia but the recipe differs a bit.  Cassava leaf stew is a wonderful dish to consider preparing for the holidays.- Crystal Johnson, MCCN Editor

The Karamu Feast is an important part of Kwanzaa and is celebrated on December 31. During this special day the Kwanzaa Unity cup takes center stage. Usually filled with grape juice, water, or wine, the Unity cup symbolizes the unity of African nations and is used by Kwanzaa observers to perform ancestor-praising libations.

Show Producer Fatima Fofana hails from Sierra Leone.  We have known each other so long that we have grown up together having been roommates in college.   One of the best things for me culturally as far as the world of food was having a roommate from Guyana and West Africa.  There in our humble apartment in Baltimore, I watched her cook Cassava leaf stew.  The Cassava leaf soup is also very popular in Liberia but the recipe differs a bit.  Cassava leaf stew is a wonderful dish to consider preparing for the holidays.- Crystal Johnson, MCCN Editor

July 26^th marks Independence Day for the people of the Republic of Liberia. Aided by the American Colonization Society, Liberia was colonized by freed Blacks and slaves in 1822.

Here at the MCCN we champion events that combine both food and charity. On May 8, 2010 the inaugural Brothers Who Can Cook pre-Mother’s Day Love Affair will take place in Baltimore, MD. Touted as an expression of love, the event promises to pamper attendees with food, live music, poetry, and comedy. The event will benefit the Ujimma Rising Mentoring Project and Baltimore’s homeless. Recently, MCCN’S food history editor Catrina Sally interviewed the program’s Chief Visionary Officer Bri Ward (Ujimma Masani). Here’s what he shared:

Akara’s are traditionally fried in palm oil but you can use half palm oil and half vegetable oil or replace it all together with vegetable oil. If you don’t wish to remove the skins from the black eye beans simply puree them in a food processor thoroughly.

Show Producer Fatima Fofana hails from Sierra Leone.  We have known each other so long that we have grown up together having been roommates in college.   One of the best things for me culturally as far as the world of food was having a roommate from Guyana and West Africa.  There in our humble apartment in Baltimore, I watched her cook Cassava leaf stew.  The Cassava leaf soup is also very popular in Liberia but the recipe differs a bit.  Cassava leaf stew is a wonderful dish to consider preparing for the holidays.- Crystal Johnson, MCCN Editor