(This post is based on visits to the original location, on West 29th St.) In the Sahel — the semi-arid region of Africa between the Sahara and the tropical savanna, stretching from the Red Sea in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west — fonio has been cultivated for millennia. A small-grained, slightly nutty variety of millet, fonio thrives in drier regions, and matures quickly. It can be made into porridge or couscous, ground into flour, even brewed as beer.
At this Guinean steam table, a favorite of West Africans who work at the garment businesses nearby, I paired fonio with peanut butter and cassava leaf sauces; any given day will bring three or four sauces to choose from. Even under partial cover, fonio will tend to dry out, so it's best to pounce as soon as it appears.
Also shown below, from multiple visits: a DIY thiebou djeun; a meat-laden potato-leaf sauce with a side of kidneys (goat, I believe); a sliced-open Scotch egg and two more meaty sauces. The paler was a sauce arachide, with a peanut base. The darker had an almost lush vegetal fragrance; I didn't catch the name.
B&D Halal Restaurant
263 West 30th St. (Seventh-Eighth Aves.), Manhattan
212-268-7602
www.BDHalal.com
