Beet & Fonio Salad with Spicy Pickled Carrots

Hundreds of nutritious fruits, vegetables and grains are indigenous to the African continent, where the cuisines of each country and region are as diverse as the crops that grow there. Our series, African Heritage Diet as Medicine: How Black Food Can Heal the Community, explores the African Heritage Diet and highlights some of the most nutrient-dense foods found on the African continent and treasured by the diaspora. This dietary pattern—introduced by Oldways—promotes health outcomes associated with longevity and increased vitality and features foods that are most likely to be available worldwide.

What Is Fonio & How to Cook It

As a kid, summer vacation visits to my grandparents always meant exciting food experiences. At their home, they ate a grain called fonio. Where I grew up, in Dakar, you couldn't find this grain—so I vividly remember the few times I encountered its nutty, earthy flavor. Many years later, as a young chef in New York City, I looked for inspiration in my food memories. Although I had gone decades without tasting fonio, it was the grain that distinctly took me back to my childhood.

If you are looking for a substitute for whole grains like quinoa and brown rice, fonio might just be it. This tiny grain, about the size of couscous, has a particularly delicate texture. In Western Africa, where it has been cultivated for more than 5,000 years, its nickname is the "grain for royalty" and it's often served to guests of honor.

An ancient grain from the millet family, fonio has a fairly neutral, if slightly nutty, flavor, which makes it quite versatile. In addition to its delicate flavor, fonio is quite nutrient-dense. Fonio is particularly rich in two amino acids—cysteine and methionine, both of which can help strengthen hair, skin and nails. It has 3 grams of protein and 1 gram of fiber per ½-cup cooked. Furthermore, fonio scores low on the glycemic index, meaning it can help stabilize—rather than spike—blood sugar, which is why, in West Africa, it is often recommended for people with diabetes.

Fonio is also a climate-friendly crop. It is drought-resistant, thriving in the arid area known as the Sahel, located south of the Sahara desert. Its deep roots help prevent soil erosion and trap carbon in the ground.

A popular adage of the Bambara (an ethnic group in native to West Africa) says that "Fonio never embarrasses the cook." Indeed, fonio is easy to cook, and it cooks up fast. Using a 1-to-2 ratio of fonio to liquid, my preferred method is to bring the water to a boil, add the fonio, stir once to mix, reduce the fire to low heat, and tightly cover the pot. Within 5 minutes, the liquid will be completely absorbed and the fonio cooked. You can then gently separate the cooked grains with the prongs of a fork, and enjoy your fonio served alongside any sauce or stew of your choice. Fonio loves its sauce, so you can be as generous as you wish; it will soak it up and still keep the grain's spongy consistency.

Come winter, I like to turn fonio into a comforting porridge. In this case, use four times as much liquid as grain, and allow it to simmer, covered, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Fonio porridge can be either sweet or savory and can be served at any time of the day. A flavorful broth will yield a moist polenta- or grits-like result, whereas if you cook it in coconut milk with chocolate, you can make a creamy pudding.

One of my favorite breakfasts is to cook fonio in some dashi (Japanese fish stock) with shiitake mushrooms and grated ginger. Once the fonio is cooked and the liquid almost absorbed, I fold a lightly whisked egg into the hot porridge, and top it with chopped scallions. If you enjoy a little heat, try cooking fonio in a spicy curry broth and serve it with fried fish for a wonderful dinner.

Another way to enjoy fonio is to mix the fluffy grains with plenty of vegetables to make a delicious salad. Simply mix it with a vinaigrette and chopped vegetables, like tomatoes, peppers, radish or cucumber to name a few, or beets and pickled carrots, like I do here. However you prepare it, cooking fonio is good for you and for the planet, so make it often and allow yourself to be creative. Because, remember, fonio never embarrasses the cook.