Mayra Adam Chalé and Mi Cocina Africana: The Chef Bringing African Cuisine to Spain
Mayra Adam Chalé and Mi Cocina Africana: The Chef Bringing African Cuisine to Spain
African cuisine remains one of the least known culinary traditions outside the continent, but initiatives such as Mi Cocina Africana, created by Mayra Adam Chalé, are helping to change that. Through traditional recipes, cultural education, and cooking workshops, the Equatorial Guinean-born chef showcases the remarkable diversity of African food while challenging many of the stereotypes that still surround it.
Who Is Mayra Adam Chalé?
Mayra Adam Chalé was born in Equatorial Guinea and moved to Spain as a child. After living between Spain, the Netherlands, and various African countries, she decided to turn her passion for cooking into a project dedicated to promoting African gastronomy. This led to the creation of Mi Cocina Africana, an initiative that combines traditional recipes, culinary training, and educational content exploring the history and culture of Africa’s many countries.
Her mission is clear: to demonstrate that there is no single African cuisine, but rather dozens of distinct culinary traditions, each with its own ingredients, techniques, and flavors.
Mi Cocina Africana: More Than Just Recipes
What began as a way to help her children stay connected to their African heritage has grown into one of Spain’s leading platforms for African cuisine.
Through social media and her catering service, Mayra shares traditional recipes, explains the origins of ingredients, and tells the stories behind each dish.
As she often emphasizes, gastronomy is a powerful way to understand culture, migration, and the identity of different communities.
Mayra Adam Chalé on MasterChef 14
Mayra’s public profile grew significantly after appearing as a guest chef on MasterChef 14, where she introduced viewers to some of the most iconic dishes from different regions of Africa.
Among the featured recipes were:
- Poulet Nyembwe (Gabon) – chicken cooked in a rich palm nut sauce.
- Seswaa (Botswana) – a traditional slow-cooked shredded lamb stew.
- Doro Wat with Injera (Ethiopia) – one of Ethiopia’s most famous and beloved dishes.
- Ceebu Jën (Senegal and The Gambia) – widely regarded as Senegal’s national dish.
- Efo Riro with Cassava Fufu (Nigeria) – a hearty spinach-based stew served with cassava fufu.
- Kamba wa Nazi (Tanzania) – prawns cooked in coconut cream and curry.
Her television appearance introduced the richness and diversity of African cuisines to a much wider audience.
The Diversity of African Cuisine
One of Mayra Adam Chalé’s most important messages is that Africa does not have a single cuisine. The continent is home to 54 countries and hundreds of cultures, each with its own recipes, ingredients, and culinary techniques.
From the slow-cooked stews of West Africa to the aromatic spices of the Horn of Africa and the distinctive dishes of Central Africa, African cuisine is characterized by its use of local ingredients, traditional grains, vegetables, long cooking methods, and an extraordinary variety of flavors.
A Project That Brings Together Culture and Gastronomy
Through Mi Cocina Africana, Mayra Adam Chalé does much more than teach people how to cook. She invites audiences to discover the history, traditions, and cultural diversity of the African continent through its food.
Her work has become an important reference for anyone wishing to explore new cultures through cuisine, demonstrating that food can be a powerful tool for bringing people together, breaking down stereotypes, and preserving cultural traditions.
