The Fonio Cookbook: An Ancient Grain Rediscovered

The Fonio Cookbook: An Ancient Grain Rediscovered by Pierre Thiam, with photography by Adam Bartos, is a celebration of fonio, the ancient West African grain that Senegalese-born chef Thiam grew up eating and has championed for a new generation of cooks. Blending recipes with cultural history, the book introduces fonio as a versatile, naturally gluten-free grain that can be prepared much like rice or quinoa while highlighting its longstanding importance in West African foodways.

Thiam presents both traditional West African preparations and contemporary recipes, demonstrating how easily fonio can move between savory dishes, breakfasts, and desserts. Recipes include Fonio Fritters with Sweet Potato, Tamarind Roasted Chicken with Fonio, Fonio Seafood Paella, Fonio and Plantain Pancakes, and Fonio Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Coulis. The variety showcases the grain’s ability to take the place of more familiar grains across a wide range of dishes.

Beyond the kitchen, The Fonio Cookbook takes readers to Senegal’s fonio-growing regions, pairing Bartos’s photography with stories of harvest season, cultivation, and the people responsible for transforming the crop into an edible grain. Part cookbook and part exploration of agricultural and culinary heritage, it is especially compelling for West African food enthusiasts, global foodways collectors, gluten-free cooks, and adventurous home cooks interested in discovering an important African grain and the traditions surrounding it.