Amina of Zazzau at the table

The Hausa meal of Zazzau is not divided into starter-main-dessert. It is organized around a pair: tuwo, a firm millet or sorghum paste that satisfies hunger, and miya, a thick, spicy sauce in which you dip rolled bites with your right hand. Around these revolve travel snacks (fura), grilled meats for feast days, and sweet millet drinks (kunu). Everyone eats from a single large shared dish, whether at court or in camp, with rank determining who dips their hand first.

Dark, pungent cakes obtained by fermenting the seeds of the locust bean tree (Parkia biglobosa). It is the umami of the West African Sahel long before any bouillon cube: a pinch transforms a sauce of water and leaves into something deep and meaty. Indispensable in any miya worthy of a queen's table.