Sankofa

“𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗼𝗳𝗮” is unlike any other culinary picture book that I’ve ever read. Being a story related to Ghana, this is definitely a ‘window’ for me. But it is also one that I can connect to like no other…

Kofi is apprehensive of the school potluck lunch – what should he bring to school that his classmates would like? Grandfather (nanabarima) comes to the rescue by taking him to the market and tells him about the Ghanian culinary heritage and how we should let the “ingredients” speak to us. Finally, he hands over a cookbook – a family heirloom – called “Sankofa”!

With roots in tribal Chhattisgarhi as well as Bengali heritage, this book took me down memory lane, when we let fresh produce speak to us while deciding what to cook (swipe to see local produce being sold at “𝘐𝘵𝘸𝘢𝘢𝘳𝘪 𝘉𝘢𝘫𝘢𝘢𝘳” in Chhattisgarh). Also swipe to see the Bengali version of our “Sankofa” (“𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘳 𝘉𝘰𝘪”) – passed down to me when I moved to Singapore as the go-to cookbook for any Bengali dish that my soul fancied!

This picture book just speaks to me!