Central Africa · Breakfast
Poto-Poto (Fermented Cornmeal and Millet Porridge)
Tangy, silky fermented corn and millet porridge infused with ginger, fresh lime, and sweetened with raw cane sugar.
The story
Spanning the sun-drenched northern savannas of the Central African Republic, Poto-Poto is the revered dawn sustenance for Banda and Sara farming households. The cereal porridge owes its distinctive refreshing sourness to a natural overnight lactic acid fermentation cultivated in clay vessels. Traditional cooks reserve a ladle of yesterday's fermented starter wash to jumpstart the grain slurry, yielding a silky, easily digestible emulsion before morning fieldwork begins.
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