Spice of the week: Senegalese Teranga from Nafy Flatley

If you were a spice what spice would you be?

“If I was a spice, I would be a scotch bonnet pepper!”

— Chef Nafy Flatley

Introducing Nafy Flatley, chef, entrepreneur, healer, mama and our featured #spiceoftheweek !

Nafy hails from Senegal, a West African Country surrounded by the ocean. Senegal’s proximity to the ocean combined with its tropical climate make for a place of spectacular flavors, colors and landscape.

“Scotch bonnets are small, wonderful peppers with bright vibrant fruity flavors and are intensely spicy. In Wolof [the national language of Senegal] we have an expression, “ Gat tè saff” or “short and sassy”. I make a sauce with scotch bonnets (habanero when I can’t get fresh scotch bonnets) called “Gat tè Saff”. When I told my husband the name he started calling me Gat tè Saff because He says I am small dynamic and lively. “His words, not mine.” I am to be modest and essential. Can I just be rice?”

maaf’e with some scotch bonnet front and center. Photo by Eric Wolfinger for the La Cocina Cookbook

“Maaf’e was the last dish I ate before immigrating to America”

Nafy tells me that Maaf’e conjures warm and comforting memories of home. She believes that “food is a huge part of cultural identity. In America you can’t hear Muslim call to prayer 5 time a day billowing throughout the neighborhood. You won’t see your neighbor pushing a handcart of tomatoes, mangoes or handcrafted wares into town to sell at the wonderful outdoor market. But you can always make the food of your homeland. Some ingredients can be hard to find. But you can always find it if you look hard enough”.

maaf’e in the foreground, fonio in the background, photo by Rockwell Creative

In addition to cooking, Nafy also runs Teranga - a food and beverage company that uses the baobab superfood and other ingredients and spices as the base for most of its prepared meals, snacks, drinks, shots and popsicles.

“ Teranga is the spirit of camaraderie, tolerance and acceptance of one another.”

Teranga literally means ‘hospitality’ in Wolof. According to Nafy “In Senegal, hospitality is a standard that is never compromised. It's an art, a culture, a way of life. Teranga is the spirit of camaraderie, tolerance and acceptance of one another. The focus of my work is not only to bring joy to those I have the opportunity to prepare meals for, but also to create economic opportunity for Bay Area residents, support local farmers and create sustainable fair trade, organic certification and long term export channels for suppliers of ingredients we import from Africa and other countries”.

Chef Nafy accepted our #mangochallenge! Check it out below:

“I am fortunate to be in the Bay Area, where there are many other families and individuals from Senegal. Community is everything in Africa. It is a very hardworking community that is very supportive and innovative. Integrity, honor and kindness are core principles of Senegalese culture. There are many challenges to being an immigrant, having a network of support to encourage perseverance and help navigate the challenges with integrity, honor and kindness is invaluable”.

from left to right, our #spice advocates and entrepreneurs: Niloufar Khonsari, Chef Supasit Puttikaew, Chef Reem Assil, Chef Nafy Flatley, Spulu, Reyna Maldonado