Recipe Essay - Alice H-W
Welcome to my grandparents’ house in Dakar, Senegal. Or rather, welcome to paradise,
because you’re about to taste my grandma’s Ceebu Jen, our national dish.
What is Ceebu Jen?
Google will tell you this: “Translating from Wolof to 'rice and fish,' it is a savory, one-pot dish, often featuring seasoned fish, broken rice, and varied vegetables.” I will tell you the truth. It is the number one thing you’ll crave after spending hours in the market arguing with vendors, sweating like you’ve won a Grand Slam. That comparison is not that crazy, either.
I will tell you Ceebu Jen earned its status as our national pride in the 19th century, originating in the colonial capital of Saint-Louis. It was born from a mix of necessity and ingenuity: the legend Penda Mbaye used local fish and French-imported rice to create something unique. Today, it represents our identity because it mirrors us and our land; Atlantic's harvest meeting the rich vegetables of Casamance (tropical South of the country), all simmered with the patience and care that defines our culture. That defines Teranga.
You could translate this word as hospitality, but it means so much more. It’s a way of life based on respect, community, generosity. Did you know every house cooks for at least one additional person because someone is always expected at lunch? The knock can be a neighbor in a rush, a tourist, or a hungry stranger.
It goes both ways; you’ll need effort to be hungry in Senegal. I remember spending half a day at a hair salon, and the braiders invited me to lunch. Because food is sacred, sharing it has meaning. Refusing would be "polite" in the West while here, it creates distance. Especially when you’re half-toubab (white) like me, you can’t afford more distance. And food works wonders; it doesn’t matter if I have an accent anymore; we’re all surrounding this Thieb plate so we’re a family. Yes, I’m still talking about the hairdressers…
I will also tell you it’s the precursor to the famously replicated Jollof rice (Nigerians will try and tell you it’s theirs, but you know better now).
Image on the left: Christmas Ceebu Jen, made by my Mom!
What about the recipe?
Oh yes, you’ll notice this recipe lacks specific quantities. You need grams for macarons, not Ceebu Jen. The one thing you need is love. Or my mother. But because she is mine only, you’ll have to do it with love.
That’s why most Senegalese cuisine takes several hours. You have to be there and watch over your preparations, make sure they are going well, just like you’d do when you have to watch your little cousins.
Most of the Western world is fast food now. If it’s not actual chains like the ones we all know, it’s pasta or frozen meals. Packaging screams “2mins only!” in bold fonts. But time is care and energy and love. And food is fuel and energy and life.
Oftentimes, the person cooking doesn’t even eat much because standing in the kitchen for two hours was a meal of smells and spices and tasting and licking and calling a friend and feeling the ingredients’ core.
It’s because of Teranga that I starve myself before eating at my Mame’s house. “You’re really done?” “Ah, today you're mad at me” “Leekal! (Eat!)” When my brother wanted to gain weight for the gym, he spent two weeks there… it worked. That is the power of a Senegalese grandmother's. Like I said, that person who cooked is not really hungry anymore, but they won’t be satiated until every belly is full and the plate is empty.
Please, where’s the recipe at?
Okay, okay! You’re here to learn the secrets of Ceebu Jen, but full disclosure: this dish is no joke. I haven't even been able to cook it alone yet. Oops… Think of this not as a strict recipe, but as a guide to making your food taste like the warmth of a thick blanket.
I hope you chatted properly with the fisherman, maybe even laughed with him so he chose the densest sea bream or grouper for you. You’ll need carrots, eggplants, onions, okra, cassava, or sweet potatoes, feel free to follow your fantasies… or left-overs. Tomatoes are irreplaceable though. Be sure to use broken rice and peanut oil.
Pro tip: don't cover the vegetables entirely to give the rice that obsessing deep, rich color. And watch out for salt blindness, a common kitchen virus! Very dangerous! Fatal to a good meal!
Some delicious supplements most recipes omit: tamarind paste, fresh lime, and xooñ - the crunchy, caramelized rice at the bottom of the pot. Never throw it away. I’m here if you don’t want it.
What to do after?
Finally, serve everything in the biggest dish you have. Place the vegetables and fish strategically; think of it like a pizza where every "slice" must have every ingredient. It is poor etiquette to reach into someone else's section, especially if you’re over ten years old! Prepare for nasty looks.
It’s our equivalent to the Japanese chanoyu, thus there are rules to follow. Never take from the center. I know you want that shiny eggplant but don’t worry, the oldest or the cook is responsible for distributing pieces to everyone, ideally without them having to ask. Of course, these are the traditional rules, the one you’ll apply when you’re eating with hairdressers or distant family or your grandparents or strangers. At home, feel free to be more relaxed and steal some xooñ from your siblings while they fetch water.
Just remember: use your spoon with your right hand. Or don't even use a spoon at all if you want.
How do you feel?
I feel proud of you.
And after?
Well, traditionally there are no deserts. In most modern households though, you’ll find fruits or local juices such as bissap (from hibiscus), bouye (the baobab’s fruit), ditaax (with its sweet and sour green pulp). But if you’re mixed like me, a small bowl of soow (similar to curdled milk) with some crème de marrons from Normandie will seal the deal.
Thank you!
Thank you my friend. Next time we can talk about Mafé, a peanut butter lamb stew, or Yassa, chicken caramelized with onions, which are my personal favorites. But I couldn’t omit the one and only Ceebu Jen than even UNESCO, Nigerians, and now you, I hope, respect and honor.
.jpg)
Anything else?
Since you’re going to spend some time in the kitchen, you might as well listen to my Random Senegalese Songs for Cooking playlist! Let the motherland’s drums inspire your preparations.
Commentaires
Enregistrer un commentaire