Gbégiri

Gbégiri is a thick, creamy stew of black-eyed peas, simmered with red palm oil and chilli, from Benin. It comes from the south of the country, where it is traditionally served with ademe or pâte, firm starchy pastes that turn a bowl of stew into a full meal. The peas give the stew its smooth, filling body, and the palm oil gives it its reddish colour.

What it really is

The peas are cooked until very soft, then mashed or blended into a thick purée. That purée is simmered with red palm oil, onion, chilli, dried shrimp and salt until it turns creamy and rich. It is a legume stew rather than a broth: thick enough to sit on a starch rather than be poured like soup.

Dried shrimp is part of the usual recipe, so the dish is not vegetarian, and it contains crustaceans.

How it's served

• Hot, in a deep bowl, with the stew thick and creamy.
• Alongside ademe or pâte, the firm starch eaten with the stew in southern Benin.
• With the stew spooned over or beside the starch, so each mouthful combines the two.

How to write it on the menu

• Name it as a black-eyed pea stew, so guests know the main ingredient is the pea and not meat or fish.
• Flag crustaceans clearly, since dried shrimp is part of the usual recipe. Do not hide it under the word "stew".
• Name the starch it comes with, ademe or pâte, because the guest is ordering the plate, not just the bowl.
• State the heat level of the chilli, since guests ask about it.
• Say that it is cooked in red palm oil, because guests following particular diets often ask about the oil.