West Africa · Side
Hakko (Pulaar Moringa and Cowpea Leaf Sauce)
Silky, deeply savory Pulaar steamed green sauce enriched with fragrant groundnut butter and pungent fermented locust beans.
The story
Originating among the Pulaar agro-pastoralist communities of the Gorgol and Brakna regions bordering the Senegal River, hakko is the quintessential midday accompaniment to steamed sorghum or millet couscous. Often prepared during the post-harvest period when wild moringa and fresh cowpea leaves flourish, the sauce serves as a nutrient-dense everyday staple and ceremonial lunch dish. A crucial technical element known to seasoned Pulaar matrons is the precise addition of traditional potash (kanwe), which not only softens tough green fibers in minutes but locks in the vibrant chlorophyll pigmentation against the dense, earthy peanut butter.
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