Literary Arts Magazine Spring 2010 | Page 26

How to Cook Ndole Merengue By Angeline Ouabo By Carmen Velasquez Ndole is a special food of Cameroon. It is delicious, but difficult to cook. Ndole is made of bitter leaves. You must take a lot of time to wash it. When it is washed, it is no longer bitter. To prepare it, first you put peanuts in water for an hour. Second, you wash and put it in the blender with all necessary ingredients like garlic, ginger, onion, celery, etc. Next, you grind them. You put Ndole in a large pot, with meat, dry fish, etc. Then you cook them for 30 minutes. You add oil and salt. And cook for 10 or 15 minutes. Finally your Ndole is ready to eat. You can eat with many types of food such as plantain, couscous, cassava, and others. Couscous is the flower from the corn, and cassava is plant. Ndole can be found in some African stores. It is special because it is served during almost every event such as weddings, birthday parties, funerals, and other events. Camerooneans and foreigners both like to eat Ndole. Merengue is a style of music and dance. It originated in the Dominican Republic. People dance and play merengue with drum, guira, accordian, and mac. Merengue is in the African, European, and Caribbean culture. The Europeans used accordians, the Africans used drums, and the Caribbeans used the guira. In the north of the Dominican Republic, dance is typical merengue. This kind of merengue is the fastest. In the south, people dance merengue slower than people of the north. Currently, musicians use saxophones, trumpets, and pianos. Some famous merengue musicians are Johnny Ventura, Juan Luis Guerra, Hector Acosta (El Torito), Wilfredo Vargas, and some more. Merengue is a very happy and vibrant music. Teacher: Cristina Cammack Level 4 Afternoon Fall 2009 Teacher: Cristina Cammack Level 4 Morning Spring 2009 25