There are three food bloggers in Senegal that I follow:

• Les Gourmandises de Karelle, because I love food.
• Les Ateliers de Corinne, because I love cake.
• Aistou Cuisine, because her recipes are healthy, easy to follow and passionately based on ingredients grown in Senegal.

This morning I woke up to a lovely surprise in my feed. Aistou is publishing a cookbook! Saveurs Subsahariennes will feature what Aistou does best, that is to say creative, modern takes on traditional favorite foods in West Africa.

In this first book, Aistou puts the spotlight on grains and plants hat have incredible health benefits and produced in this region, but aren’t well known to those of us from other parts of the world. So if you’re wanting to know more about moringa (also called ‘nebeday’), kinkeliba, nièbé (my favorite beans), fonio, manioc, bissap, bouye (baobab fruit), millet and more, this book of 40 recipes + gorgeous photos is for you. In addition to recipes, she explores the benefits of each ingredient, the scientific names as well as local names and even some fun cultural insights in the form of proverbs based on them.

Oh wait – there’s one more thing. This project needs a funding boost to get off the ground and into your hands. Join Dakar Eats in helping Saveurs Subsahariennes get published! You can pre-order your copy as your participation, although additional donations are welcome. It’s quick, easy and payments are secure. You’re account is debited immediately, but if the project is not fully funded by the deadline, the amount will be credited back to you.

Congratulations Aistou! And thank you for helping us discover and appreciate Senegalese cuisine even more.