The coast of West Africa, from Nigeria to Mauritania, is home to a vibrant array of culinary cultures. While they often overlap and emphasize similar local ingredients, each has its own rich traditions. Three upstart restaurants are transporting diners with tastes of the region.<\/p>\n
Hedzole<\/p>\n
The word \u201chedzole\u201d (pronounced \u201chey-joe-lay\u201d) means \u201cfreedom\u201d in the Ghanaian language of Ga. For owner Candice Mensah, a second-generation immigrant, it refers to her power to express her combined cultural heritage. \u201cIn the United States, there\u2019s a default position on what Black is, and sometimes that overshadows a lot of the nuances that encompass Blackness,\u201d Mensah says. The name also nods to the ability to customize meals at her newly opened build-a-bowl concept in Sixteenth Street Heights. Starting with bases such as jollof rice and the West African ancient grain fonio, diners add a sauce\u2014peppery shito or spinach stew thickened with agushi (ground melon seeds) are favorites\u2014and an optional meat, such as clove-heavy stewed oxtail or adobo-spiced chicken. Aside from the proteins, everything is vegan. Says Mensah: \u201cI wanted to make sure that there weren\u2019t any barriers for folks trying our food.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moi Moi
\n1627 K St., NW<\/p>\n
\u201cEating my food is like taking a history class,\u201d says chef Howsoon \u201cH.O.\u201d Cham. \u201cI\u2019m teaching how Southern cuisine came from foods brought over by people on slave ships from West Africa.\u201d The Gambian native\u2014former chef de cuisine at the upscale soul-food institution Georgia Brown\u2019s\u2014blends traditions from both sides of the Atlantic: strip steak enriched with nutty suya seasoning; berbere-spiced lamb chops and mac and cheese; and flourless chocolate cake with ice cream made from Peak Milk, which he calls \u201cthe caviar of canned milk in West Africa.\u201d Cham is also teaching a lesson in how to upend stereotypes around the food of his homeland: \u201cMany people perceive an African restaurant to be a window where you just take a bag of food and roll out. Moi Moi is a white-tablecloth restaurant by the White House.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spicy Water African Grill
\n2019 11th St., NW<\/p>\n
When Duraine Kouassi began mulling a food concept inspired by his roots in Ivory Coast, he sought a familiar vehicle to introduce unfamiliar flavors. Noting the popularity of Peruvian-\u00adchicken joints, he focused on garlicky charcoal-grilled chicken\u2014popular street-stall fare Ivorians enjoy after long nights of clubbing.<\/p>\n
Kouassi debuted a stall in Eastern Market in 2018, then opened a bilevel brick-and-mortar location in the U Street corridor early this year. His expanded menu includes other grilled meats served in sandwiches and on salads, helping draw Americans curious about West African culture. \u201cIt started with Nollywood [Nigerian Hollywood], then Afrobeat took off,\u201d he says. \u201cNow people want to try the food.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now that he has diners\u2019 attention, Kouassi is starting to introduce more traditional Ivorian fare, such as tomato-\u00adrich jollof rice and the country\u2019s national dish, atti\u00e9k\u00e9\u2014fermented cassava root with the texture of couscous.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Experience the flavors of Gambia, Ivory Coast, and beyond.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":31917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,2,36],"tags":[7,14,38],"class_list":{"0":"post-31920","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"category-featured","9":"category-lifestyle","10":"tag-apie-project","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-lifestyle"},"yoast_head":"\n