Kwanzaa Recipes
Benne Cakes

You will need:

  • oil to grease a cookie sheet
  • 1 cup finely packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup toasted sesame seeds

    Preheat the oven to 325°. Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Mix together the brown sugar and butter, and beat until they are creamy. Stir in the egg, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and sesame seeds. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto the cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 15 mintues or until the edges are browned. Enjoy!

    Benne cakes are a food from West Africa. Benne means sesame seeds. The sesame seeds are eaten for good luck. This treat is still eaten in some parts of the American South.

    Recipe by HarperCollins

    Sweet Potato Pie

    You will need:

  • 2 cup sweet potatoes, drained
  • 4 tablespoon margarine, melted
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 9" pie shell, baked
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans

    Use a food processor or fork to mash sweet potatoes together with melted margarine. Blend in eggs, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add milk and vanilla. Pour mixture into baked pie shell. Microwave on medium high for 7 minutes. Sprinkle pecans over surface of pie. Rotating midway through cooking, microwave on medium high for 6 to 8 minutes or until center no longer jiggles. If you prefer, you can bake it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 35-45 minutes or until it doesn't jiggle.

    Makes 8 servings

    		•  How Does it Work?

    (Help with pronunciation is on the Symbols page)

    Kwanzaa is a seven day celebration. It begins on December 26, the day after Christmas, and lasts until January 1, the first day of the new year.

    The celebration is focused around seven very important Principles, called nguzo saba. Though these principles are important all year long, they are thought about a great deal during this holiday.

    Each night, people gather together to light the candles of the kinara and to share their thoughts on the special Principle of that day.

    The gatherings take place seven times until all seven candles have been lit and all seven Principles have been talked about.

    People might get together in their homes, or they may gather in a church or the home of another family they know.

    On the sixth day, which falls on December 31, there is a great feast called the karamu. This is a joyous celebration of music, happiness, folktales, song, and dance.

    During the feast everyone present will sip from the kikombe cha umoja, the cup of unity. The karamu is also the time when the zawadi, the gifts, are exchanged.

    The Karamu

    A typical karamu feast will go something like this:

    Welcoming
    Elders and distinguished guests are welcomed.

    Remembering
    Some form of cultural expression, such as a song, dance, or story-telling is performed.

    Short talk
    Someone will say a few words of importance, perhaps an honored guest.

    Rejoicing
    This is when an offering is poured into the unity cup and all drink from it.

    Drums are sometimes played as the names of ancestors and Black heroes are called.

    This is also when the feast begins and more songs and dances are performed.

    Farewell statement
    This is when the karamu is finished and friends and loved ones bid each other farewell.
    m
    e
    n
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    What is Kwanzaa?
    Find out how the holiday started and what it's all about
    How Does it Work?
    Discover how Kwanzaa is celebrated
    The Seven Principles
    Read about the seven things that are most important at Kwanzaa
    Kwanzaa Symbols
    Learn about the symbols for the holiday