Pierre Thiam, co-founder of Yolélé, explains how modern industrial milling equipment solved the processing bottleneck for the West African supergrain fonio.
Assertion Supported
Global food system relies dangerously on wheat, rice, soy, and corn
“The limited number of crops we rely on our food system is wheat, rice, soy, and corn. And we ignoring crops that are much more, not only resilient, like for you, and we need to integrate them.”
Insight
Neglected indigenous African crops require active consumer branding to scale
“There's one thing I got right was I knew it needed to be branded. Those French, they branded their baguettes and that's how we're still eating it. They branded this broken rice to us and now I'm going to brand Fogneau and I'm going to make it Sexy”
Assertion Supported
French colonialism shifted Senegal from rice farming to peanut monoculture
“We even had a rice culture in Senegal, but because of our connection with the French, we started importing broken rice from Vietnam so that Senegalese farmers would focus on growing peanuts that we need for our industries. Colonization was a business. So the F…”
Assertion Supported
Fonio is a fast-maturing grain that requires minimal water to grow
“It's like one of the fastest maturing grain that requires very little water. It's rain fed, but it, you know, it just requires the first rain. And after that, even if there was no other rain coming or the rain is inconsistent, like it's the case right now with…”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Pierre Thiam: Culinary work in Dakar was culturally restricted to women
“Growing up in Dakar, obviously, food is a big part of the culture. But, you know, it's a gender-based activity. So the kitchen is for women and food was not an option as a profession. I never thought food could be a career.”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
African cuisine was absent from New York's 1990s culinary scene
“New York is calling itself the food capital of the world, but Africa is not in this world. I'm like, Hey, no, this is going to be my mission. I'm going to start finding inspiration from that cuisine and bringing it and that I never looked back.”