The art of food cooking is nothing unique to any particular group or ethnicity. What is unique are the various ingredients and how they are blended together to create a sensation that pleases the taste buds. Today, as we increasingly live in a multicultural society, cross-cultural eating is gaining wider acceptability and popularity even in Philadelphia.

Fun Times Magazine invites you on a culinary journey featuring cuisines from the Diaspora. Our photographer David Barnes took his camera to some of the local African and Caribbean restaurants and captured some exquisite cuisines that will visually ignite your appetite.

Kenkey and Fish

- Ghana

Made from corn meal is served with sardines or red snapper fish sautéed vegetables (green peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, red pepper) with black sauce and tomato sauce.

Ackee and Fish

- Jamaica and West Africa

A yellowish mild 'fruit' when prepared has a texture and look of scrambled eggs. Served with ripe plantain, tilapia, a homemade spe- cial sauce (pepper, salt and lemon), and sauted vegetables.

Jollof Rice

- Liberia

White rice blended with vegetable gravy (mixed vegetable, onion, tomato paste in some cooking oil) and served with fried chicken.

Potato Greens

- Liberia

Shredded sweet potato leaves cooked in oil (sometimes palm oil) with smoked fish, smoked turkey, beef, chicken, shrimp or any combination of these, served with white rice.

Check Rice and Gravy

- Liberia

Cooked white rice blended in cooked palava sauce leaves or jute leaves served with chicken gravy, beef or fish gravy.

Fufu

- Nigeria, Liberia

Flour made from plantain or cassava mixed with some water and heated, blended until it thickens and properly cooked then served with pepper soup (meat, fish, chicken, smoked turkey cooked together or any combination with tomato and peppers in some water with spices.) Cooked okra mashed with roasted sesame seeds in mild or hot pepper sauce and a slice of lemon is usually served as side dish.

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Thieboudienne- Ceebu jen

- Senegal

Rice served with fresh vegetable with or without tomato together with stewed fish.

Yassa Poulet

- Senegal and other parts of West Africa

Chicken, fish, or shrimp sauted with onions, garlic, lemon green, red and habanera pepper, with vegetables and Dijon mustard.

Poisson a La Braise

- Ivory Coast

Coconut Fried Chicken

- Jamaica (The coconut tree is the tree of life in Jamaica)

Chicken breast dipped in a coconut breading batter and fried, accompanied by a side of ranch sauce.

Jerk Chicken

- Jamaica

Chicken marinated in jerk sauce (allspice, brown sugar, ground cumin, cloves, and peppers) served with brown rice and peas (red beans) and steamed cabbage. (Note: The word "Charqui" was used to describe dried meat but since then has been pronounced Jerky; from the Maroon.) 

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Curry Chicken

- Caribbean and some parts of Africa

Chicken cooked in curry gravy with peppers, onions, various spices served with brown or white rice mixed with peas (red beans) and steamed cabbage. (Jamaican curry has a bright yellow color and contains other spices such as allspice and pimento.)

Balela Salad

- Middle East and some parts of Africa

Middle Eastern-style bean salad, made with garbanzo and black beans, plus lots of sweet grape tomatoes.

Dolmas

- Egypt and some parts of East Africa

Grape vine leaves filled with vegetables or meat and rolled-up to serve.

Sauted Mushrooms

- Ancient Egypt

Mushroom sauted in blend of select herbs and spices.

FunTimes Magazine thanks all the restaurants that allowed us to spotlight some of the best cuisines in the African and Caribbean community.

Hibiscus Vegetarian, 4907 Catharine St Philadelphia, PA 19143; (215) 307-3749

Jamaican Jerk Hut Jamaican, http://jajerkhut.com/ 1436 South St,Philadelphia PA; (215) 545-8644

Kilimandjaro Restaurant African, 4317 Chestnut St Philadelphia PA (215)387-1970 or (215) 387-1971

Kings and Queens Restaurant African, 4830 Woodland Avenue,Philadelphia, PA; 267-388-2887