On November 11th, Marvel Studios invites audiences back to Wakanda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the eagerly awaited sequel to Black Panther. But you can actually bring a bit of Wakanda to your home right now with Marvel's Black Panther: The Official Wakanda Cookbook from Insight Editions. From preparing African-inspired movie snacks for your trip to the theater to feeling like a Wakandan resident at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, there are so many ways to bring the world of Black Panther to your tables.
(Insight Editions/Marvel)
The recipes housed within The Official Wakanda Cookbook were assembled by Ndi Chikondi, executive chef at the Royal Palace of Wakanda. With storytelling at this recipe book’s core, a detailed introduction gives Ndi’s backstory and how her incredible samosas and a chance encounter got her the job. There are two samosa recipes within the book’s pages (one of which is vegetarian) and each recipe includes a preface from Ndi recounting the origins of that meal and who else in the Marvel universe may have requested it on their visits to Wakanda. With Wakanda famous for its technological advancements, Ndi also talks about the technological wonders used to create these meals in Wakanda, and how you can replicate them in your own kitchen.
In reality, this cookbook was put together by Nyanyika Banda, a Malawian-American chef, writer, and scholar on African foodways. “A celebration of the food of the great continent of Africa, as imagined through the lens of the fictional nation of Wakanda” is how the author describes it in the book’s final pages. Nyanyika Banda provides some helpful resources, including a guide to ingredients that some readers may not be familiar with. The publisher has also taken into consideration dietary restrictions, with a quick reference guide to see which recipes are vegetarian, vegan, nondairy, or gluten-free (there are even a few that check all of those boxes).
The Official Wakanda Cookbook contains eight sections, starting with “Spices, Sauces, and Condiments,” many of which get utilized within other recipes. “Market Food” is Ndi’s collection of foods that made her famous with the royal family of Wakanda, including her famous samosas. The other sections are all self-explanatory – “Breakfast,” “Soups and Salads,” “Vegetables and Sides,” “Main Dishes,” “Desserts,” and “Drinks.”
Within the storytelling component are some suggestions for pairing recipes together to create a meal. I can’t wait to see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and the combination that jumped out the most to me is “Harissa Spiced Popcorn” from the “Market Food” section. The introduction explains that when they were kids, Ndi would make this for T’challa and Shuri for movie nights in the palace. They would wash it down with “Tamarind Cola” (found in the “Drinks” section). A big blockbuster film demands popcorn and this sounds like a fun way to immerse yourself in Wakanda while experiencing the new film.
Marvel's Black Panther: The Official Wakanda Cookbook is now available from Insight Editions, alongside their other Marvel cookbooks that include Marvel Eat the Universe, Cooking with Deadpool, and Avengers Campus: The Official Cookbook: Recipes from Pym's Test Kitchen and Beyond.
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