The United States of an African

Originally posted March 2018.

So my friend had mentioned a Senegalese restaurant last year. It was fairly new at the time. Actually, it’s not even up to a year old. But this year in January, Maty’s African Cuisine made the list of the top 10 restaurants to visit in Detroit 2018. First of all, AYE, AFRICA MAKING A STAMP ON THE FOOD SCENE!! #WAKANDA #AFRICAISNOTACOUNTRY #FORTHECULTURE.

My sister visited me from Atlanta and she had never been to Detroit, so I used her visit as a reason to go check this place out. I invited two of my closest friends, a Nigerian and a white American, along for the ride. 

One of the reasons I love to try different cuisines is that it forces me to research the area associated with it. Knowledge is power. And I love learning about different cultures. So of course after dining at this restaurant, I went online to learn about the history and culture of Senegal. 

Senegal is a coastal French speaking west African country. It also is a predominantly Islamic nation. So when you go to Maty’s, the menu is filled with dishes of fish, lamb, chicken, couscous, and of course rice and  plantain (two staples in west African countries). There is also claim that the famous and controversial jollof rice was created in Senegal by the predominant Wollof people.

Side Note: Remind me to try the jollof next time I visit. As a Nigerian, I need to know who has the better jollof. 

So Maty’s is located in the city of Detroit in the Old Redford neighborhood. The area is pretty sketchy as most of the city of Detroit, but not too sketchy for me to be worried. Sheltered suburbanites won’t be able to handle it out of fear. Majority of the customers weren’t African. Talk about a melting pot; white, black, Asians, Africans etc. My heart was jumping with joy. The restaurant did look like your typical African restaurant in America. If you know, you know.