Fakou, also known as Fakou Foye or Fakoye, is a traditional soup of the
Songhai and
Tuareg
The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym, depending on variety: ''Imuhaɣ'', ''Imušaɣ'', ''Imašeɣăn'' or ''Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group, traditionally nomadic pastoralists, who principally inhabit th ...
people in
Niger
Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...
and Northern
Mali
Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
. This dark green, slightly thick soup is made from jute leaves scientifically known as
Corchorus olitorius
Jute mallow or Jew's mallow or Mallow leaves or Nalita jute (''Corchorus olitorius'', also known as "Jute leaves", "Tossa jute", "Mloukheyeh" and "West African sorrel") is a species of shrub in the family Malvaceae. Together with '' C. caps ...
, commonly referred to as
Mulukhiyah
Mulukhiyah (Arabic: ملوخية, romanized: mulūkhiyyah), also known as mulukhiyya , molokhiyya, melokhiyya, or ewédú, is a type of jute plant and a dish made from the leaves of ''Corchorus olitorius'', commonly known in English as jute, J ...
in North Africa and ''Ayoyo'' in
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
.
Ingredients
Fakou is typically garnished with
lamb or
beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...
, with the defining ingredient being the jute leaf. The traditional choice of oil used is
cow butter (“''Hawji''” in
Songhai)
Preparation
To make Fakou sauce, the jute leaves is transformed into a semi-fine dry substance. Key ingredients include Kabé (Mousse Renne), Cumin powder, red pepper, black and white Penja pepper ("fêfê" in Songhai), Selim pepper, soumbala, dried small fish, date paste, cinnamon powder, green anise, nutmeg, and cow butter. The seasoning is adaptable to personal preference. The preparation involves adding water to a pot, incorporating the ingredients, boiling the mixture, and then introducing the Corète potagère.
Fakou is commonly served with rice.
Distinctive traits
Fakou sauce's culinary appeal is marked by visible oil on the surface during cooking, enhancing the dish's taste and quality.
References
{{reflist
Nigerien cuisine
Malian cuisine
Songhai people