Ngalakh combines baobab fruit and peanuts to end Easter in West African nation, reciprocated by the sharing of meat breaking Ramadan’s fast.
Muslims in Senegal love to share meat. Its Christians share porridge.
Ending their monthlong Ramadan fast this week, the faithful in the Muslim-majority West African nation invited Christian friends to celebrate Korite (Eid al-Fitr), focus on forgiveness and reconciliation, and serve a wholesome meal of chicken.
A little over two months later during Tabaski (Eid al-Adha), the mutton from sheep slaughtered in commemoration of Abraham’s sacrificing of his son will likewise be distributed to Christian neighbors. (Both feasts follow the lunar calendar and change dates each year.)
But for Christians, the sign of interfaith unity is ngalakh.
“Senegal is a country of terranga—hospitality—and the sense of sharing is very high,” said Mignane Ndour, vice president of the national Assemblies of God denomination. “Porridge has become our means of strengthening relations between Christians and Muslims.”
Sources told CT the holiday treat is highly anticipated.
In the local language, ngalakh means “to make porridge,” and the chilled dish marks the end of Lent. Between three to five percent of Senegal’s 18 million people are Christians—the majority Catholic—and families gather to prepare the Easter fare on Good Friday.
Made from millet flour, peanut cream, and monkey bread (the fruit of the famed baobab tree), ngalakh is soaked in water for over an hour and then variously seasoned with nutmeg, orange blossom, pineapple, coconut, or raisins.
Tangy and sweet yet savory, its brownish color comes from peanuts.
The Christian community in Senegal traces its origin back to the 15th century coming of the Portuguese. And during the period of French colonialism, Jacques Seck, a Catholic …
