Wearable Art

Just a note that celebrated seamstress/designer Abbamaku in Ghana just designed some "artist wear" for my sister without ever meeting her. Will she really wear these fabulous outfits to paint in?

 

     

Lost and Found: Barbara Baeta's Historic Recipe Cards

In the 1960s and early 1970s,  Willis E. Bell was a celebrated photographer in Ghana, West Africa. In 1972, he photographed a dozen "cookery cards" for a popular Ghanaian chef and caterer, Barbara Baëta. This was the same woman featured in Laurens van Der Post's  influential  African Cooking in the Time-Life series of cookbooks of the world" featuring in a photo: "Barbara Baëta, one of Ghana's leading culinary experts", "at a Baëta buffet at Jimmy Moxon's Black Pot Restaurant."

They were copyrighted by Moxon Paperbacks in Accra, Ghana, and printed in Great Britain.I have always treasured my set, and occasionally featured them at my BETUMI website.

In early April, 2018, I received an invitation from Aperture in New York to lend them my set of cookery cards to be a part of the cookbook section of their upcoming travelling exhibition "Feast for the Eyes: the Story of Food in Photography" as they had not been able to locate any to purchase. 

I had the cards appraised, and duly sent them to be included in the traveling exhibition, at that point, in Louisiana, Baton Rough; FOAM, Amsterdam, and Berlin, with more sites to be added.

The terms of the loan agreement, were to have them throughout the tour, from the time I sent them, May 3, 2018, until the exhibition closed in March 2021. However, I was never able to contact Aperture due to covid. 2021 came and went. Their offices were closed so I could not telephone them and received no reply to my letters/emails. The organizer of the exhibit, Charlotte Chudy, was no longer at Aperture, and I could not reach her despite several attempts also to call and email her. I have continued periodically trying to reach the New York Aperture office, unsuccessfully.  Finally, as 2022 was ending, I was able to hit every button on the phone and connect with Annette Booth, the current Director of Exhibitions Management, who apologized profusely and speedily located the cards and returned them to me. Whew!!

I am vastly relieved and grateful.

Sister Linda recently sent me a painting that she started as a rough sketch and turned into a lovely reminder of four books I have written on/about Africa, and Ghana in particular: 

• A New Land to Live In: the Odyssey of an African and an American Seeking God's Guidance on Marriage (Intervarsity Press, 1977), written after my marriage in Ghana to Kwadwo Osseo-Asare in 1972;
• A Good Soup Attracts Chairs: A First African Cookbook for American Kids (Pelican Publishing Company, 1993), written as I was teaching my own children--first Abena, Masi, and DK [and later adopted nephews Sam and Ernest, and children in pre-school, kindergarten, and various elementary school children in PA] to cook Ghanaian food; 
• Food Culture in Sub-Saharan Africa (Greenwood Press, 2005)
• The Ghana Cookbook, (Hippocrene Press, 2015), with collaborator Barbara Baëta

 I should mention, too,  my unpublished dissertation, which provided background and context for much of my writing:

• We Are Magicians: Chronic Stress and the Economy of Affection in Africa (Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, The Pennsylvania State University, 1991)

 So what IS tiger nut flour?

Ghana’s popular “tiger nuts,” are also known as chufa nuts. They are not actually nuts, but come from a nutsedge plant with tubers that grow underground (cyperus esculents).  In Ghana the tubers are chewed freshly picked (but not swallowed, like sugar cane) or made into a delicious traditional  “tigernut pudding" (atadwe milkye)  

 

More recently, tigernut flour made from ground tigernuts, is being embraced as a delicious gluten-free powder with a natural sweet taste.  

It contains no lactose or fructose, along with no gluten.   The chufa is said to be a good source of vitamin C and E,  and a good source of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and iron. Chufa also contains starch, non-animal proteins, and enzymes that help with digestion.

 

What’s not to love?

It’s a major ingredient in Betumi’s gluten-free, vegan Ghana-friendly cookie mix.

 

 

Vegan, gluten-free Adinkra biscuits: Okay, here are two more versions: lemon (with lemon juice and zest), and groundnut (peanut) with peanut oil and cream peanut butter).

Yesterday I shared a photo of my gluten-free, vegan, vanilla Betumi Adinkra cookies (biscuits); today it's chocolate. When we had our workshop in Ghana several years ago, (July 2019) the participants challenged me to develop other options, such as lemon- or peanut-flavored versions. I'll try those this coming week. Hope to see you again.

A Long Time Coming

I realized yesterday putting these on a rack to cool, that my 5-year dream of a

gluten-free version of a shortbread biscuit (or, as we Americans say, "cookie") made from non-gluten ingredients available in Ghana and featuring Ghanaian adinkra symbols,  is a reality. Today I'll whip up some chocolate ones ;-)

 November 30, 2022      Never Give Up!

Kwadwo is back in Ghana until January, while I'm still in Pennsylvania. I continue to work on the adinkra biscuits. With Kwanza just around the corner, I wanted to update everyone on where they stand. Once I determined I had to start over printing the stamps with a transparent PLA filament, and stainless steel nozzle, and cover each cookie stamp with a food-safe coating, I had to go back to the printer, so-to-speak. Unfortunately, New Leaf Initiative didn't make it, so I am now working with a local group called The Rivet.

I am beginning production again.

I also need to restock materials for the Ghana-friendly, vegan recipe for making the cookie/biscuits.

I did manage one taste testing, with generally quite positive results--some thought too sweet, some not sweet enough. Go figure.   

 It is slow going, but I'm ready to restock the gluten-free ingredients and start making batches. If you'd like to taste test (for now, only in the US, please), drop me a line at fran@betumi.com. I also hope to develop several other adinkra cutters.

So long for now.

 November 5, 2022

We've been back from Ghana for over a month (though my husband Kwadwo is heading back there in a couple of weeks). I'm now thinking about the holidays--Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Kwanzaa.       

I've been continuing to work on upgrading the adinkra cookie stamps--as you may recall, since 2019 I have been developing a vegan, gluten-free Ghana friendly tiger nut flour blend (also coconut oil, cassava, plantain, cornstarch, sorghum, corn and tapioca, etc.  flours) and simultaneously developing some new adinkra cookie stamps. In addition to the sankofa and gye name versions. I tested them out in Ghana in 2019. That was 3 years ago!

This process has taken an inordinately long time--trial and error, trial and error, repeatedly. Just when I thought I was home free, some folks advised me that I need to "dip-coat" the cookie stamps to seal them against bacteria. I also wanted to streamline the 3D print process so sought out some more help locally.  While I carried some of the new, duly dip-coated stamps to Ghana in August, my stove in Ghana broke down and prevented me from making them there.

I'm back in Pennsylvania now, though, and still plan to start up again in time for the holidays. Check back here to keep updated.

Little by little, the chicken drinks water. . .

 Observations on Ghana after 29 months away

1. Very few people are masked, but most will  put on a mask in our house if asked.

2. There are frequent places with hand sanitizer.

2. 1. It is heartbreaking to see the steep fall of the local currency, the Cedi.

3. The weekday traffic is unbelievable, especially in the evenings. Road conditions are deplorable, and there is little official presence and continuous "roadwork." Cars 

drive  4 or 5 abreast, with no supervsion. Heading to the  Takoradi airport, traffic was    

completely blocked by a huge truck that fell over in what should have been the other lane on a muddy, impassable road, full of 

potholes, and ordinary people just sit passively in their cars for hours.

4.  Official roads are often bypassed  by "shortcuts" through muddy, unpaved, dangerous

      roads that do not really seem shorter,  and "workers" begging for handouts as they

      "work" to keep the roads passable.

5.  "Uber" in Ghana has proven unreliable. "Bolt" seems a bit better. Several times we have called Ubers who give us an arrival time and state that they are "here" when they are no where to  be found. 

6.  Despite all these things, people in Ghana are gracious, and generous in many ways.

7. They love loud music and have little sense of noise levels, whether during all night prayer

    meetings, workdays, or location (residential or commercial). Chickens crowing, dogs   

   barking at all hours are common.

8. Ghana appears nauseatingly "religious," but it is all too often a facade. Certainly there are good and pious people, but the political leaders and government officials appear to be  largely

     corrupt and out to make themselves rich while duping the public.

9. Loans and "big promises" and projects are a way of life, but there appears to be

    a lack of follow through and integrity.

10. Despite all this, Ghanaians can be unfailingly generous, courteous, cheerful, and kind.

 August 26, 1972 to August 26, 2022

Fifty years ago (!), we married in Ghana. Almost 3 years ago we left Ghana abruptly when then-President Trump threatened to close the US borders.

It's good to be back. We spent several days at Lou Moon in the Axim area, and are now back in Tema at the house son DK (Yaw Dankwa) built decades ago as he began his architecture journey. All 3 children are now grown, along with our 2 adopted nephews, Sam and Ernest. Spouses and partners, and grandchildren (Kumiwah and Danso) have entered our lives.

My (Fran's) love affair with Ghanian cuisine continues, and after several years of covid, I am eager to pick up where I left off--3-d printing a line of adinkra cookie stamps and vegan, gluten-free, Ghana-friendly cookies/biscuits.

And cooking for more people than just Kwadwo and me ;-)

Hope to see you here again soon.

Fran Osseo-Asare

Sankofa and Gye Nyame Cookie Stamps 

 

On Adinkra Stamps     

Here's the latest on the efforts to go online with BETUMI's Kitchen.  It turns out we must redo the original set of Adinkra stamps. To be absolutely sure they are truly foodsafe, we needed to order some FDA-approved, no additives PLA (that's a compostable type of plastic usually made from cornstarch derivatives).

Also, we need to print with a stainless steel nozzle (not brass), and then the stamps need to be properly sealed with a food-grade sealant.

Working on that now, but it'll take a little time--filament and nozzles ordered, and a fellow maker is helping experiment with making a threaded handle so the stamps are interchangeable. Fran is learning a lot about Ultimaker Cura and Blender softwares, and 3D printing. Will keep you all updated.

There has  been a bit of a snag with the Woo Commerce software to run the store, too, but that is being taken care of, as well as working on listing inventory.
As my favorite Twi proverb says: kakakra, akokɔ bɛnom nsuo,” Little by little, the chicken drinks water. 

Little by little, we'll get there.

BETUMI is BACK!

It's been a wild couple of years. I was in Ghana in 2019 and 2020 workshopping BETUMI's Adinkra Biscuits and Gluten-free Cookie Dough when then-president Trump threatened to cancel flights back to the U.S. and I abruptly left.

All  plans for the online store were also abruptly cancelled. Here are some photos taken in July 2019 with a workshop group in Tema.

                        *  *  *  *  *

But. . . to quote e. e. cummings out of context:  "Winter's not forever, even snow melts . . ."
And so, during Black History Month in the U.S. it seems appropriate to celebrate baking with a new West African twist: biscuit (or cookie) cutters stamped with timeless, ancient symbols  for the omnipotence of God (Gye Nyame) and the importance of remembering the past when going into the future (Sankofa) "Go back and fetch it." We are now in the process of reactivating the site and updating it, eager to share what we've learned. 
Check back soon.

Fran Osseo-Asare

They say plagiarism is a form of flattery. 

It is also a blatant form of theft.

The photo at the top right is from a scanning of page 7 of the illustrations in our The Ghana Cookbook. With co-author Barbara Baëta, the book came out at the end of 2015 and has since gone through several printings. 

Recently,  I was appalled to see on Amazon.com several books all purporting to be "new"  or "essential" or "ultimate" "Ghana Cookbooks" by unknown-to-me authors.
I am generally thrilled when new West African books appear  on the scene, usually by respected African culinary experts like Pierre Thiam or Zoe Adjonyoh.  

However, it irritates me when folks with no credentials (or  else, bots?) crank out dozens of copycat books on popular topics.  It took me decades of learning to gain my knowledge.

I first noticed Amazon.com listing several dubious books claiming to have expertise on Ghana's cooking--all seem to be by individuals who crank out dozens of books on a variety of unrelated subjects.  I noticed the first one because it blatantly appropriated one of my personally taken photos from The Ghana Cookbook. "Wilfred Dawson" also plagiarized freely from my work. 

I sure don't feel flattered.

Akpi Seeds

There has been a continued interest in locating an online source for akpi seeds.

This morning I discovered over a dozen replies in the comments section of my postings

by a source I can neither confirm nor deny, but for all who are interested, here it is:
"You can order Akpi seeds, Wholesale/Retail @NATURYTE (Call/WatsApp +2347080890865 or DN www.instagram.com/naturyte)"

Good luck.

Oh, Happy Day! A New (Ethiopian) Cook in Town

Ever since Nigerian Sore Shields moved from State College to go back to school and closed The African Market (near Websters, back around 2009), State College has boasted no source for authentic Ethiopian cuisine. Sore used to sell frozen stews to Ethiopian students. Even then, there was  NO local source of authentic locally made teff injera, the wonderful but perishable stable of Ethiopian meals.

That has  all changed with the arrival of Chef Etayehu Zenebe in Centre County! Etayehu has been in the area over a year now, and quietly begun preparing and selling her injera to individuals and groups, requiring only that orders be placed 4 days in advance (to allow proper fermentation of the  dough), AND that customers pick up their orders themselves since she works out of a rented commercial kitchen. She is very hard-working and generous.





She prepares both vegetarian and nonvegetarian dishes, as well as injera. I envy her her skill which far surpasses my own. Here is a typical example of some vegetarian dishes she shared with us yesterday (from right to left).

Tikur Gomen (black cumin seeds with collard greens)
Tikil Gomen (cabbage)
Misir wat (red lentil stew)
Azifa (green lentil dip)

And, of course, Injera (Ethiopian sour flatbread) at the top.

Her food has been featured at  Tap Root Kitchen. 



For more information, she may be reached by phone at 717-618-2346 or email at   zenebeetayehu@gmail.com.

Finally

Hello, friends, for an update on the BETUMI adinkra cookie stamps, check http://betumi.com/betumi-market/. A Limited Edition selection of the stamps are currently available. 

Workshop Tomorrow, July 23rd!

Naomi helping get ready today. I had more requests than I could accommodate, but expect 10 folks to come for the 2-hour workshop. 

Wish us luck! I've never actually baked the biscuits/cookies in Ghana before (never even used my electric oven), so it will be exciting to see how it goes.

Mawusi (the seamstress staying here) helped out with the pot holders and some of the aprons. It's a cooperative project.

Biscuit Project Update

I feel kind of like that old saying "all dressed up and nowhere to go," except it should be "all set up and no way to start."

After a several day delay (due to United and South African airlines), I arrived in Ghana determined to discover why the solar panels and inverter were not working at my house. It's a long process, and the power has been off twice in the interim.

I'm reluctant to go ahead with the workshop until I know we have reliable power for the refrigerator and oven, so . . . someone is coming again tomorrow  (Saturday) to take the 8  batteries to be charged (at least a 3-day delay) and we can investigate further. I'm still here for 2 more weeks, so IF we get the power issue fixed, will schedule the workshop sometime during the week of the 22nd of July to the 27th. Let me know if you have a preference for the day and time. Right now, I'm very flexible.

The house is in Community 18, Tema (Baatsona), and I can send you my phone number if you give me yours. I'm planning on about only 5 or 6 people, so let me know if you are still interested.

As you know, two of my favorite proverbs are: "the road doesn't stop the bird," and "little by little the chicken drinks water." Here's to innovation paired with culture!

Adinkra Shortbread (vegan, gluten-free) Biscuits: One, Two, Three

After almost two years working on the Ghana-friendly flour mixture and recipe, and perfecting the Akinkra stamps, BETUMI now has a (copyrighted) version of two stamps ready to be shared (commercial manufacturing is in the works). Fran plans to be in Ghana (Tema) during July, and if time, stove, and electricity cooperate, is  planning a workshop (free, but invitation only) while there.

Why "Ghana-friendly," you ask? It's sad to me that folks think they HAVE to import cutters,  wheat flour and butter in order to have delicious, crispy biscuits with indigenous designs on them. Vegan, because  shortbread biscuits (cookies) need no eggs, and this version needs no butter.

The workshop (assuming it happens) will begin with a discussion of gluten-free baking and the chemistry behind it. Believe me, one cannot just substitute any old flour for wheat. It's an art.

We'll then discuss:

#1) Preparing the gluten-free flour mixture: the various flours, starches, and flavors

#2) Preparing the biscuit (cookie) doughs using the flour mixture (Hint: think flavors like coconut, ripe plantain, pure vanilla, chocolate, sugar. . .)

3. Chilling, rolling out, cutting and baking the biscuits (vanilla or chocolate):

                                                           

Enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee or juice!

Contact me  at fran@betumi.com if you'd like more information, or are interested.