West Africa · Breakfast
Atassi (Seasoned Rice and Beans cooked with Sorghum Sheaths)
Fragrant rice and cowpeas stained ruby-red with sorghum sheaths, served with savory spiced onion oil and shrimp powder.
The story
Across southern and central Benin among Fon and Yoruba communities, Atassi (widely known as Watchi) is the undisputed morning staple purchased from bustling neighborhood vendors. Historically, the deep burgundy hue imparted by sorghum leaf sheaths (waakye leaves) was prized not only for its striking visual appeal but for its mineral fortification and earthy fragrance. A critical culinary detail unfamiliar to outside cooks is the alkaline addition of food-grade potash, which softens the dense cowpea hulls swiftly and extracts the intense red anthocyanin pigments from the plant sheaths.
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