Ugali, by golly or gunfo, by gum

Sometimes, life is so serendipitous as to be almost magical, especially when it is about something trivial and unexpected. Something like cornmeal and water.  How ordinary. I wrote about mamaliga in Moldova and described it as close kin to the Italian polenta.  Both are cornmeal boiled in water at a ratio of 1 part cornmeal to 2 parts water, with a little salt added, cooked to a satisfying density on the stove, then shaped, or sometimes baked, and eaten with sauce, cheese, or even as a breakfast porridge with sweeteners,  almost like grits, though the corn is processed into hominy in grits.  In all these examples,  corn is transformed into a simple traditional comfort food, widely consumed but each dish with a national or regional identity.

So imagine my aha moment when I ran across embedded traditions that are non-western but as ubiquitous in their own lands as mamaliga or polenta are in their respective national consciousness.  Cornmeal mush and its variations seems to rule the world.  In Kenya, it is known by its Swahili name, ugali.  It is found throughout Africa, at traditional tables from South Africa (mealie pap), the Congo (fufu), to West Africa (fufu corn). From there, trade and slavery carried it to the New World and the Caribbean region, where it is known as coucou in Barbados and funche in Curacao and other island cultures. So regardless of its names, cornmeal has fed many and continues to feed hungry populations around the world.

One might conclude that this cornmeal tradition is a kind of invasive species, like the Japanese beetle or an unintended consequence of the melting pot culture we celebrate in the USA. Actually, corn as we know it, or maize, was only introduced to the Old World by Hernan Cortes in the 16th century, brought back from his travels to Mexico, along with potatoes, tomatoes, and avocados, pineapple, and zucchini. The Old World brought the New World onions, garlic, and carrots.  Less benign exchanges included  smallpox from the Old World to the New World and syphilis from the New World to the Old World.  In the 21st century, we talk about "fair trade" but that notion was not a selling point in the Age of Exploration.  Still, the cornmeal pathway has come full circle, from Mexico to Europe to Africa and back to the Caribbean and some haute cuisine restaurants in New York, L.A., and points between and beyond.

We as New World people might want to pat ourselves on the back for bringing this hearty and hardy foodstuff to a hungry world, but we must remember that most of us mark our origins in the Old World, at least into the 16th century.  Before the arrival of maize, people (mostly peasants..mostly us) stewed up a variety of grains into mush as a staple of the diet outside the palace walls. Maize was added to the old European diet and became polenta and mamaliga, as well as chicken feed.  Within the palace walls, royalty added the fruits of trade with Eastern and New World cultures, incorporating chocolate and vanilla from Mexico and warm spices from India and the Middle East to make it all better. European missionaries and slave traders in Africa introduced maize as a foodcrop there, hence the development of corn-based porridges throughout the continent. The productivity of maize horticulture in the difficult soils and climates of Africa has fundamentally changed the cuisine of many African societies.

Meet Gunfo

But.... not all of Africa was colonized by European interests.  Ethiopia, an ancient kingdom and culture, was never successfully colonized, though the Italians tried. In Ethiopia, you will find a more ancient and embedded culture and cuisine than in colonized Africa.  There is maize but in Ethiopia, teff reigns, with barley, millet and legumes playing their traditional vital roles in feeding the highland culture.  Teff, a nutritious grain, is made into injera, a spongy pancake used with savory stews as daily fare. The cuisine is complex and delicious. Now, hubby and I lived in Ethiopia for two years and came to love the food. Somehow, we missed one of the staples, used mainly for breakfast, a porridge made from barley called "gunfo".  And this is where a silly serendipitous connection plays itself out...the gunfo connection, if you will.  Two years ago, I visited an Ethiopian friend, who took me to a traditional celebration for the birth of a baby. The women gathered and ate gunfo, a dense porridge shaped into a volcano like cone with deep wells for pools of niter kibbeh, clarified spiced butter, recipe to follow.

This food would strengthen the mother's back. It was different but good, if you like spices.  Then, child of ours in Peace Corps shared a blog by a volunteer in Ethiopia where he talked about gunfo which led to another blog by another PCV who discussed gunfo at length, both of them wishing for less of it.  I was puzzled, called my Ethiopian friend and got the recipe.  Exactly the same as mamaliga, polenta, and ugali, but using barley instead of corn.  I cannot give you the recipe for gunfo, except for the two ingredients. My friend could only tell me "small, small water, stir until very stiff". A Google search suggests the 1 part barley flour and 2 parts water of the other recipes. Try it if you are inclined. The signature flavor comes from the niter kibbeh and berbere'.  The barley mush conveys these complex additions nicely like mashed potatoes and gravy.

Niter Kibbeh

1 pound unsalted butter. Put in saucepan and melt slowly.

 Then add:
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 inches peeled sliced or minced gingerroot
4 cardamon pods, crushed slightly
1 3 " stick of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of fenugreek


Simmer this on lowest heat possible for one hour. Pour the clarified butter into a bowl, leaving the solids to be discarded. Refrigerate to store. You can use 2 cups of vegetable oil in lieu of butter, for vegans or fasting days, but butter is better...

This has been a long journey,  in words and distances.  It is funny how a small thing can make such a difference.