<P> The roots of North African cuisine can be traced back to the ancient empires of North Africa, particularly in Egypt where many of the country's dishes and culinary traditions date back to ancient Egypt . Over several centuries traders, travelers, invaders, migrants and immigrants all have influenced the cuisine of North Africa . Most of the North African countries today have several similar dishes, sometimes almost the same dish with a different name (the Moroccan tangia and the Tunisian coucha are both essentially the same dish: a meat stew prepared in an urn and cooked overnight in a public oven), sometimes with a slight change in ingredients and cooking style . To add to the confusion, two completely different dishes may also share the same name (for example, a "tajine" dish is a slow - cooked stew in Morocco, whereas the Tunisian "tajine" is a baked omelette / quiche - like dish). There are noticeable differences between the cooking styles of different nations--there's the sophisticated, full - bodied flavours of Moroccan palace cookery, the fiery dishes of Tunisian cuisine, and the humbler, simpler cuisines of Egypt and Algeria . </P> <P> The cooking of Southern Africa is sometimes called' rainbow cuisine', as the food in this region is a blend of many culinary traditions, including those of the Khoisan, Bantu, European and Asian populations . Basic ingredients include seafood, meat products (including wild game), poultry, as well as grains, fresh fruits and vegetables . Fruits include apples, grapes, mangoes, bananas and papayas, avocado, oranges, peaches and apricots . Desserts may simply be fruit . However, there are some more western style puddings, such as the Angolan Cocada amarela, which was inspired by Portuguese cuisine . Meat products include lamb, as well as game like venison, ostrich, and impala . The seafood includes a wide variety such as crayfish, prawns, tuna, mussels, oysters, calamari, mackerel, and lobster . There are also several types of traditional and modern alcoholic beverages including many European - style beers . </P> <P> A typical West African meal is heavy with starchy items, meat, spices and flavors . A wide array of staples are eaten across the region, including those of Fufu, Banku and Kenkey (originating from Ghana), Foutou, Couscous, Tô, and Garri, which are served alongside soups and stews . Fufu is often made from starchy root vegetables such as yams, cocoyams, or cassava, but also from cereal grains like millet, sorghum or plantains . The staple grain or starch varies region to region and ethnic group to ethnic group, although corn has gained significant ground as it is cheap, swells to greater volumes and creates a beautiful white final product that is greatly desired . Banku and Kenkey are maize dough staples, and Gari is made from dried grated cassavas . Rice - dishes are also widely eaten in the region, especially in the dry Sahel belt inland . Examples of these include Benachin from The Gambia and Jollof rice, a pan-West African rice dish similar to Arab kabsah . </P> <P> Traditional Sub-Saharan African music is as diverse as the region's various populations . The common perception of Sub-Saharan African music is that it is rhythmic music centered on the drums, and indeed, a large part of Sub-Saharan music, mainly among speakers of Niger--Congo and Nilo - Saharan languages, is rhythmic and centered on the drum . Sub-Saharan music is polyrhythmic, usually consisting of multiple rhythms in one composition . Dance involves moving multiple body parts . These aspects of Sub-Saharan music were transferred to the new world by enslaved Sub-Saharan Africans and can be seen in its influence on music forms as Samba, Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Rock & Roll, Salsa, and Rap music . </P>

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