Djibril Tamsir Niane at the table

In the Senegalese-Guinean home, meals are not served on individual plates: a wide base of cereal (rice, millet, fonio) is laid out in a large calabash or communal dish, with sauce poured in the center. Everyone sits in a circle, eats with the right hand from the portion in front of them, and the eldest pushes the best pieces toward the guests. The meal is an act of hospitality and conversation as much as nourishment; drink (flower juice or fresh water) is passed around, and the kola nut seals the welcome.

Roasted peanuts then pounded into a thick paste: it is the fatty, umami soul of Sahelian cuisine, the binder that turns a simple sauce into a festive dish. By the 20th century it was everywhere, from Senegal to Manding Guinea where Niane conducted his research.