What to pair with West African flavours

MoSuke’s pèpè soup,
which features mackerel, red mullet, okra and mussels.

In February 2024, Adejoké Bakare became the first black woman in the UK to be awarded a Michelin star – for Chishuru, her restaurant reimagining Nigerian and Ghanaian dishes. Now in new central London digs, Chishuru joins the rise of modern West African cuisine in the capital, alongside two-star Ikoyi, which has evolved beyond its West African roots; Akoko, also awarded a star last February; and its casual offshoot Akara. Across the Atlantic, New York City’s Tatiana is drawing acclaim for contemporary riffs on Nigerian flavours, while in Paris, Michelin one-star MoSuke blends French, Malian, Senegalese and Japanese influences.

West African cuisine is centred around vermillion-hued sauces made from tomatoes and peppers, along with ingredients crafted from non wheat flours such as those made from sorghum, lentils, rice, yam, cassava and beans. Umami depth comes from ogiri, a fermented flavouring made from castor beans or gourd, sesame or egusi seeds, while spices such as ehuru (also known as calabash nutmeg) and uda seed lend distinctive aromatic notes. All of these factors must be considered when pairing wines.

‘What we’re looking for in all our wines is aromatic intensity and attack, but without weight,’ says Matt Paice, Bakare’s business partner and wine selector at Chishuru. The all-French wine list leans towards certain styles. ‘We keep coming back to the Loire and the Jura,’ Paice says, ‘[prioritising] cooler-climate, higher-altitude wines that have that intensity, but will also play off the food.’

To pair with a lunch special of turbot head with imoyo sauce – made from scotch bonnet and tomato – Paice pours me a glass of Fleurie. The dish also comes with the turbot’s collars, deep fried and dressed in yaji (a ground seasoning of peanut, scotch bonnet and more) and citrus mayo, so Paice also brings me an Aligoté from the St-Aubin-based producer Maison En Belle Lies. ‘This will be a good one to think about funky flavours,’ he says, pointing to the wine’s flinty, saline character.

As a general rule, Paice recommends thinking about the way in which heat is used to structure food, the prevalence of peppers and the distinctive spicing. ‘The aromatic attack has got to be there, because it’s playing with that sort of spicing,’ he says.

A broad cuisine

Across the Channel at MoSuke in Paris, head sommelier Samuel Baudet is also guided by the quest for balance. ‘It’s a delicate approach,’ he says. ‘We respect and embrace the spices and powerful flavours of West African cuisine.’ After tasting chef Mory Sacko’s dishes, he searches for the ideal pairing. ‘The important thing is to taste the spices and condiments on their own to find out which flavour you can rely on,’ he explains.

But is there a particular style of wine that works best? There are certain red grapes that give off spicier aromas, such as Syrah, which contains rotundone, a flavour compound that lends a black pepper character. According to Baudet, it’s important to remember that ‘it’s a very broad cuisine and all the wines have their place’. He feels, however, that: ‘Wines with a slight oxidation or orange wines are best suited to this cuisine. These are wines that, like the food, have a wide range of flavours: notes of nuts or citrus fruits, a slight freshness and just enough structure on the palate not to take over.’

While Chishuru’s clientele makes it possible to fill the list with skin-contact wines, Paice has selected Pierre Frick’s Macération Pinot Gris (2021, £37.35 Sip Wines) for the wine flight, which he pairs with Bakare’s take on gizdodo, featuring ox tongue, red pepper and anchovy dressing. ‘What I’m really trying to do with all the wines is find those that are packed with character, but aren’t so heavy-handed as to interfere,’ he explains. Baudet agrees. ‘The aim is not to distort it,’ he…