Equitorial Guinea | Succotash

Despite the abundance of tropical fruits and access to fresh seafood, Equitorial Guinea is known mostly for their national dish, Succotash, a vegetable based dish that is light and flavorful. This central African country is home to many forest primates and vibrant beaches and is considered to have some of the most unique ingredients grown in the world because of it’s humid climate.

Since the mid 1990’s, Equitorial Guinea has been named one of the highest producers of oil in the world and as a result, is known to be the wealthiest country in the continent of Africa. With this being said, the country has faced issues of corruption due to the uneven spread of this wealth and as a result, less than half of the population has access to clean drinking water and that 20% of children die before reaching the age of five. This is a sad reality for the still developing nation of Equitorial Guinea, but if you venture outside of the capital of Malabo, on Bioko Island, you will be sure to find volcanic views and rainforests full of endangered species.

The succotash dish is a simple, yet elegant dish. I enjoyed the contrast of flavors that varied from the starchy corn to the acidic burst from the cherry tomatoes. It is a quick meal to whip up when you don’t want to be in the kitchen for too long and still want some unique flavors.

Ingredients Needed:

  • 2 cups Fresh lima beans

  • ½ small yellow onion

  • Medium sweet onion (chopped)

  • 1 Clove garlic

  • 3 Sprigs fresh thyme

  • 2 cups Halved cherry tomatoes

  • 3 cups Fresh corn kernels

  • 1 tbsp Red wine vinegar

  • 1 ½ tbsps Fresh dill weed (chopped)

  • 1 ½ tbsps Chives (chopped)

  • 2 tbsps Unsalted butter

  • Water for boiling

  • Salt and Pepper

Cooking Instructions

  1. Fill a saucepan with water, heat over medium high heat and bring to a boil.

  2. Add the lima beans, a clove of garlic, half of the yellow onion, and the sprigs of fresh thyme.

  3. Simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally for twenty (0:20) minutes until the beans are tender.

  4. Drain the beans but reserve ¾ cup of the cooking liquid.

  5. Remove and discard the thyme, yellow onion and garlic.

  6. Sauté the chopped sweet onions in fat or oil for about five (0:05) minutes.

  7. Add the corn kernels and cook for six (0:06) minutes over medium high heat until the kernels become tender.

  8. Stir in the cherry tomatoes.

  9. Add the cooked lima beans and reserved cooking liquid.

  10. Cook for five (0:05) minutes, stirring occasionally.

  11. Add the butter, chives, dill and red wine vinegar.

  12. Season with salt and pepper.

  13. Serve warm.

Recipe by: National Foods

Jack Hatzfeld