Maafe
Peanut stew
Stew in West African cuisine
Peanut stew or groundnut stew, also known as maafe (Wolof, mafé, maffé, maffe), sauce d'arachide (French) or tigadèguèna is a stew that is a staple food in Western Africa.[1] It originates from the Mandinka and Bambara people of Mali.[2]
The proper name for it in the Mandinka language is domodah or tigadegena (lit. 'peanut butter sauce,' where tige is 'peanut,' dege is 'paste,' and na is 'sauce') in Bamanankan.[3]
Domodah is a sauce also used by Gambians, whose name has been borrowed from the Mandinka language.[4][5] In Senegal domodah or domoda refers to flour-thickened soup or stew, which is different from mafe that uses peanut paste.[6] It is a favorite dish among several Senegal and Gambia ethnic groups. With the significant expansion of groundnut cultivation during the colonial period, maafe has also become a popular dish across West Africa, even outside West Africa such as in Cameroon and France.
Variants of the dish appear in the cuisine of nations throughout West Africa and Central Africa. It is very similar to groundnut soup. It may be prepared with lamb, beef, chicken, or without meat.[7][8][1][9] In Ghana, this stew is usually eaten with fufu.[9]