Couscous de mil
The cereal ball at the heart of northern meals
Aussi écrit : boule de mil, couscous de sorgho, nyiiri (fulfulde)
What is it?
A stiff paste of sorghum or millet flour cooked in water, then shaped into balls. In Diamaré the most common ball is made with sorghum; it is also prepared with maize flour. It is eaten by hand, dipped into a sauce.
Where does it come from?
Associated people(s) : Peoples of the North and Far North; described in detail among the Fulani (Fulbe) of Diamaré
In Cameroonian French, "couscous" means a ball of stiff paste, not the rolled, steamed semolina of the Maghreb or Senegal. The caption of a Wikimedia Commons photo nonetheless mentions steaming: the cooking method may vary from household to household.
Main ingredients
- Sorghum or millet flour
- Water
What to eat it with
A sauce, preferably a slimy one: okra, baobab leaves, jute mallow or other leaves. The sliminess helps the ball go down.
Origin and tradition
The ball is the basic cereal preparation of the northern peoples, who are major millet and sorghum growers. In Fulfulde the word nyiiri, which names the ball, has come to mean the meal itself. It is also made from muskuwaari, a transplanted sorghum grown in the off-season, a technique that came from the Kanuri.