April 17, 2024
Lifestyle
April 17, 2024
Lifestyle
Have you ever wondered what makes bread baked in a clay oven so extraordinary? It’s not just the taste – it’s the age-old techniques and the love infused into every loaf. Let’s uncover the secrets behind this timeless tradition
Africa, a continent of breathtaking natural beauty and immense cultural wealth, boasts an extraordinary array of cuisines that reflect the vastness of its landscape.
The continent’s culinary landscape is adorned with dishes hailing from the shores of North Africa, the markets of West Africa, the highlands of East Africa, and the savannas of Southern Africa, each with its distinct flavours and characteristics. One of my discoveries in Ghana was clay oven bread making.
On 2nd March 2024, still, in my quest to discover very authentic cooking techniques, I visited “One in Town Bakery“, located in Jamestown, Accra Ghana. It was extremely amazing to discover a “Clay oven Bakery” in Ghana, which can be classified as a typical traditional cooking technique in Africa, and in Ghana.
A clay oven, also known as Klin, but typically known as “Foonoo” in our local dialect, is a large-shaped oven usually made of clay. It is mostly used to bake bread, and other pastries as well as roast meat. Any type of clay can be used to build a clay oven.
To start the oven, they fuel it up with some firewood and light up the fire. The heat generated by burning the fuel is absorbed into the thermal mass of the oven, and the food is then cooked by radiation (heat radiated through the air), conduction (heat transferred directly from the body of the oven), and convection (the circulation of hot air), all of which comes from the heat of the fuel.
Simply put, they take out all the firewood after it burns into ashes and the heat in the oven is what’s used to bake the bread. It’s that simple!
It was awesome to experience a clay oven bakery for the very first time. Both men and women work hand in hand to make it successful. The men help light the firewood and set the heat up for baking and the women bake the bread.
They bake Tea bread, butter bread, sugar bread, and “Bamli Blodo”(simply put, bread baked in plantain leaves ). It is a bakery for the people of Jamestown hence all the bread is sold there to the locals, both wholesale and retail.
They wake up very early and bake the bread within a particular time frame. Each type of bread has a baking time. They start baking the Bamli blodo, because it needs more heat to fully cook. The tea bread goes in the clay oven last because it needs relatively less heat to cook. Within 15-20 minutes the bread bakes completely, with a fresh and natural taste. It’s a sight to savour!
I was so excited to see Ghanaians still embracing their culture of using clay ovens to bake bread. It had an extremely natural and fresh taste.
Financially, they also make a living from that, the clay oven can bake bread in large quantities due to its size. I was happy to see Ghanaians making some profit from a business like this.
The art of African cuisine transcends the mere consumption of food. It is a cultural phenomenon that tells the story of a continent steeped in history, tradition, and community, from celebratory dishes to everyday fare and street food.
I just want to remind Ghanaians of what our heritage is. Africa is rich in culture and food. So finding Jamestown Clay Bakery reminded me of how significant it is to remember our heritage. As Ghanaians, we must embrace our culture.
By embracing our culture, we can preserve and celebrate our traditions and values, ensuring that they continue to be passed down to future generations. Thanks to Jamestown Bakery for sustaining this clay oven bakery and using it as a big-time business.
Ghana is fortunate to be blessed with amazing and flavorful meals ranging from staples to soups, stews, proteins, carbohydrates, fibre meals, and many more. It is certainly unique to find how Bread, a simple Ghanaian carbohydrate, still has its authentic cultural background here in Ghana.
In the realm of African culinary traditions, a multitude of techniques, some ancient and others contemporary, coalesce to create dishes that are as varied as they are delightful.
Stewing and slow cooking, often using earthenware and clay pots, allow flavours to meld and deepen, resulting in rich, comforting dishes that warm the soul. Grilling and roasting, whether over an open flame or in a modern oven, bestow upon the food a deliciously smoky, caramelized exterior.
Written by Chefabbys
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