by Lydia Gautier and Jean-François Mallet, éd. Hermé, september  2006

(published in Germany by Christian Verlag publisher in 2007 under the title "Der Geschmack Afrikas")

Mali, which means "hippopotamus" in Bambara, is a country of traditions where cooking is extraordinarily diverse, and is both strongly influenced by rituals and symbols but also fun and tasty, and surprisingly modern.

If sharing common dish in family remains a solemn moment that meets very specific rules, in town what Malians call "kitchen of desire" tempts us to every street corner as kebabs, fried beans or cassava, roasted peanuts, salted, sweetened, caramelized, or little portions of fresh juice, hibiscus, tamarind or baobab ...

Because Malian kitchen is a gourmet cuisine with concentrated and powerful flavors, that of a country where it is hot and dry most of the year, where dryland small grains such as millet, sorghum and acha, fine-textured and sandy, give an exquisite taste to the couscous, and where the fruits - lemon, banana, mango - develop mild and sweet fragrances.

This book will take you through the sublime landscapes of one of the most beautiful countries in West Africa, from the city to the bush, from Bamako to Dogon country through Mopti, a town of fishermen, and Timbuktu, the city of caravans, up the legendary river Niger.