Ceremonial Dessert · Millet & Curdled Milk
Thiakry
Photo: Fanyavizuri / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Across West Africa the same dessert goes by other names — dégué in Mali and Burkina Faso, chakery in Nigeria — and in Senegal it's usually made with arraw, tiny rolled millet granules.
Tiny steamed balls of millet semolina are mixed with sweetened curdled milk or yogurt, vanilla, and sometimes raisins or grated coconut, then chilled into a tangy, creamy dessert. It's sold by the cup from coolers at markets and served in heaping bowls at baptisms and weddings.
Why it's made this way: Millet and soured milk have long been staples of the Sahel's herding communities, including the Fulani of northern Senegal, and thiakry built on that pairing before becoming a dessert served across the country.
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