With her condiment sauces, N’deye Fall-Kuete is bringing West African flavor to German kitchens. In doing so, NDEYEFOODS places great importance on authentic aromas and spices. The current Hamburg resident inherited her enthusiasm for cooking from her grandmother.
Conversation with N’deye Fall-Kuete of NDEYEFOODS
Ms. Fall-Kuete, you describe food as home. What is your favorite childhood dish?
Well, that’s very simple and also very typical for my home: yam fufu. My siblings and I love this dish. You make a type of purée from yam roots, which grow all over Africa, and serve it with peanut or tomato sauce. Fufus, i.e., purées, come in many different variations in West African cuisine. But even here in Hamburg today, yam fufu is still what I love to eat most.
Who inspired your passion for cooking?
My grandmother. She is a lucky charm for me, because I learned everything about West African cuisine from her and thus discovered my passion for cooking. I was fascinated by how she used herbs and spices with purpose. My grandmother knew exactly how and when to use every spice correctly.
I can still prepare my grandmother’s recipes in the traditional way.
Does that mean you were in the kitchen with your grandmother even as a child?
Yes, as a little girl, I was always allowed to watch her cook. That was a wonderful time for me that I will never forget. Back then, I discovered and understood West African cuisine for myself. Today, many traditional dishes that I still remember from my childhood no longer exist. I remember the recipes exactly and can still prepare them.
So, are there also regionally typical dishes in West Africa that are being forgotten?
Times are changing. People used to do everything themselves in the kitchen. Today's generations no longer cook as elaborately. Therefore, traditional dishes are unfortunately disappearing.
In Togo, Ghana, Senegal, and Mali, people eat peanut sauce.
What characterizes West African cuisine and which spices are typical?
In West African cuisine, people mostly use meat, especially chicken and fish. We also have some vegetarian dishes, but West Africa encompasses 16 countries. The typical spices vary in the individual regions, while the basic recipes are similar. In Togo, Ghana, Senegal, and Mali, people eat peanut sauce. Every country interprets the recipe differently with special spices and its own preparation method. Turmeric, ginger, and above all pepper appear in every kitchen in West Africa.
How did you come up with the idea for NDEYEFOODS?
Actually, it all started with the fact that I like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I enjoy cooking and savoring good food. But in West African cuisine, you stand in the kitchen for one to two hours to do the preparations. Only then does the authentic flavor emerge. Onions and ginger, for example, are puréed first, and so on.
I had to buy my ingredients in Afro-shops and prepare them laboriously. That’s when I asked myself why there wasn’t a quick alternative in the supermarket. I wanted to find a solution for that, and that’s how I came up with the idea for NDEYEFOODS condiment sauces. With them, an important part is already done, and you can start preparing vegetables, meat, or fish immediately. West African dishes are very popular. Thanks to our condiment sauces, everyone can now cook them quickly themselves.
Do you also connect the cultures of your two home regions, Togo and Germany, with NDEYEFOODS?
Yes, definitely. I have two daughters who grew up here and are more tied to Germany than I am. With NDEYEFOODS, you can be at home here and in West Africa at the same time. It’s like a trip without having to worry about a plane ticket. When I enjoy a delicious West African dish in Hamburg, I experience both worlds simultaneously. That’s why I was inspired by the traditional dishes of my home to create NDEYEFOODS condiment sauces. But they also go well with European cuisine.
So, one can also combine the sauces with European dishes?
Yes, absolutely. You just have to be brave and move away from your cooking habits. I recommend just testing it out. Everyone who tries NDEYEFOODS is enthusiastic.
You value natural flavor. Why are additives unnecessary in NDEYEFOODS condiment sauces?
We are simply authentic, and additives don't fit into the concept of traditional dishes. For example, our carrot-chili sauce tastes one hundred percent homemade, as if a good friend cooked it. You don’t notice any difference. We also avoid sugar as an additive in our recipes. In my opinion, certain ingredients like mango have a natural sweetness that is sufficient.
Where do you source your ingredients and what do you pay attention to?
Regarding my goods, I focus on class and quality. I primarily source my ingredients from a wholesaler in Hamburg. I can trust his supply chains and track the origin of my ingredients precisely. For example, I know exactly which farmer my regional apples come from. We aren’t organic yet, but we are already aligning our ingredient selection toward future organic certification. Two employees produce the condiment sauces in our production kitchen in Hamburg’s HafenCity.
Penja pepper is not spicy, but rather has a smoky aroma and a pleasant lingering warmth.
Every NDEYEFOODS condiment sauce contains Penja pepper.
Yes, that is a special type of pepper from Cameroon. It is not spicy, but has a smoky aroma and a pleasant lingering warmth. This type of pepper definitely tastes different than our normal pepper here. Penja pepper is one of the best varieties in the world and is a must for our creations.
What is special about your peanut-mustard sauce?
Ndeye Peanut-Mustard Sauce can be used flexibly in the kitchen. It is suitable as a dip or a spicy side dish for many meals. As a base for West African sauces, you thin it out in a pot with a little water and cook the respective vegetables or meat in it. In our traditional cuisine, preparing peanut sauce takes a lot of time. You have to cook the peanuts for an incredibly long time and add the right spices. That makes the peanuts easier to digest as well.
In Mali, Niger, and Senegal, people eat a lot of rice and prepare peanut sauce with sweet potatoes, carrots, and other types of vegetables. That simply goes very well together. The so-called Mafé differs from a peanut sauce in Togo. There, you only add boiled okra, African eggplant, and meat. This way, the peanut sauce harmonizes better with our traditional fufu.
Why should one definitely try the NDEYEFOODS Chili-Shrimp sauce?
In Ghana, this typical West African sauce is used like ketchup because its taste goes with everything. Its aroma is unique, and we use the powder of smoked shrimp in it. The recipe provides a flavor explosion. Our Chili-Shrimp sauce tastes wonderful on bread and is great for pasta or vegetable stir-fries. You can also simply use the condiment sauce as a side or for seasoning a sauce.
And what does your carrot-mint-bell pepper sauce go best with?
NDEYEFOODS Carrot-Mint-Bell Pepper Sauce is very well-suited as a base for Jollof Rice. The red rice from West Africa is very famous and goes with many dishes like ragout or ratatouille. Carrot-Mint-Bell Pepper sauce is the perfect base. I almost think it is too good to consume directly with pasta, but rather recommend it for cooking. Then the aromas unfold better, and you get real added value.
What plans does NDEYEFOODS have for the future?
In the future, we would like to present more authentic products from West African cuisine that do not yet exist on the market. There is still much to discover. Of course, we always have to wait and see how customers accept the products. Many new creations are already on the way.
What is your favorite among the condiment sauces, and do you have a recipe recommendation?
I like all the NDEYEFOODS condiment sauces and definitely use every variety once a week. But Carrot-Chili is my favorite, as it quickly adds heat to dishes. The sauce is often on my table, because you can refine many dishes with it. Carrot-Chili is excellent for preparing Piri Piri chicken. I mix the condiment sauce with the other ingredients and marinate the chicken with it. In West African cuisine, we call the dish poulet braisé.
