Street Snack · Bamako Favorite
Nems (Malian Spring Rolls)
Photo: Yvonneberthe / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nems reached West African street stalls after Vietnamese wives of returning French-colonial African soldiers settled along the coast in the 1950s, and the fried rolls spread inland to cities like Bamako.
Crisp, deep-fried rice-paper rolls stuffed with seasoned ground beef or chicken and onions, sold hot off the fryer by evening street vendors across Bamako. They're eaten by hand, often dunked in a spicy or vinegary dipping sauce, alongside other after-dark snacks.
Why it's made this way: The dish traces back to Vietnamese women who settled in French West Africa after the First Indochina War, and their spring-roll recipe was adopted and Africanized until it became a genuine street-food staple sold everywhere from Dakar to Bamako.
More from Mali
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Brochettes
Dèguè (Thiakry)
Riz au Gras (Malian "Fat Rice")
Tigadèguèna (Malian Peanut Stew)
Aloco (Fried Plantain)
Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries.
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