Chef Gilligan's lamb kebabs

As we all know, Christmas is just around the corner and of course next week’s column will all be about food for Santa and maybe I will give you my minced pies recipe, so this week we are going to look at other cultures and what they do for the holiday period.

Last week we looked at Hanukkah; this week, let’s do Kwanzaa.

Kwanzaa starts the day after Christmas, Boxing Day or St. Stephens’s day to us. A non-religious holiday, Kwanzaa celebrates African-American heritage, pride, community, family, and culture. The seven-day festival culminates on New Year's Day.

Inspired by the civil rights struggles of the 1960s and based on ancient African celebrations, Kwanzaa has become increasingly popular over the last decade. More than 20 million people celebrate in the United States, Canada, England, the Caribbean and Africa.

Kwanzaa's ancient roots lie in African first-fruit harvest celebrations, from which it takes its name. The word Kwanzaa is derived from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza," which means "first fruits."

Those roots are the foundation on which the modern holiday was built. Maulana Karenga, an African-American scholar and activist, conceived Kwanzaa in 1966 following the Watts riot. Currently, Karenga is chairman of the Department of Black Studies at California State University at Long Beach.

Kwanzaa celebrants spend their seven-day festivities preparing for the final feast, or "karumu," on December 31. This culminating spread of good food and fun includes African-inspired cuisine and ceremony.

The karumu room or venue might be decorated in the colors of black unity, red, black, and green. And the holiday table originally outlined by creator Maulana Karenga should include seven symbolic items: {I think most of these were stolen from the Jews}

A straw placemat (mkeka) {looks like a squashed Matzo bread}

A holder for seven candles (kinara), {come on, this even sounds like menorah}

The candles (mishumaa) {see above}

A variety of fruit (mazao) {hello, mazao couldn’t they have come up with a different name? fruitao maybe?}

An ear of corn for each child in the home (vibunzi), {this sounds just like a cheap gift like a dradle}

A unity cup (kikombe cha umoja)

And modest gifts (zawadi)

 

North African Lamb Kebabs

Ingredients

2 to 2 ½ pounds boneless leg or shoulder of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes with some of the fat attached

1 ½ cups finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon lemon zest

​
Nster.com