Sunday, July 23 - Of Yams and Peanuts

This is a busy season for the Djimini people, as the harvest of the peanuts and early yams is in full swing. In this post, I share some pictures on this topic.

This is my second post of the day. Make sure you also see my other post for this eventful day.

Yams, a partial sack of peanuts and a rooster were among the gifts given to us by the Christians in Diengousso

The yams are peeled, cut into chunks, and placed in pots like these to boil

The boiled yam is mashed in a wooden mortar, then formed into balls known as foutou

Each Christian household contributed a dish for our meal; each elected to serve foutou with some sort of sauce

And here’s what was left when we were all done eating

Peanuts are shelled using this contraption that grates the shells off

The result is winnowed, with the animals picking through the trash for stray peanuts

The final bits of shell are picked out by hand, leaving dishpans full of shell-less nuts

(See also the story from Sunday, July 23 below)