• African flagcentral african republic flag button image by Andrey Zyk from Fotolia.com
  
  Celebrants gather for Kwanzaa parties in a spirit of community and culture. Kwanzaa celebrations radiate reverence for African Amercian and Pan-African cultures. African Americans celebrate Kwanzaa from December 26 through January 1. Kwanzaa party tables overflow with fresh fruits and vegetables, savory stews and meats, and cooling drinks.
  
  

Appetizers

• Black eyed peasblack eyed beans image by Martin Garnham from Fotolia.com
  
  The appetizer, koki, also called ekoki and haricots koki, comes from Cameroon. Made from black-eyed peas (niébé) or beans (haricots), koki is smashed and cooked in banana leaves. According to the website, CongoCookbook.com, Cameroon koki resembles western African moyin-moyin , a dish prepared with mashed beans wrapped in banana leaves.
  
  

First Fruits

• Yams and red potatoesSweet Potatoes and New Potatoes in Baskets image by bawinner from Fotolia.com
  
  Kwanzaa parties might include yams (Dioscorea batatas) and other species of yams (not sweet potatoes). According to CongoCookbook.com, yams comprise part of African staple foods. African, especially West African, cooks use yams as ingredients in fufu (mashed yams formed into balls) and other fufu-like dishes. A Kwanzaa party food table might include dishes of fresh fruit salads and fruits for dessert.
  
  

Mafe

• Banana leavesbanana leaves image by hazel proudlove from Fotolia.com
  
  Mafé, West African meat in peanut sauce, includes goat meat simmered in sauce thickened with peanuts. According to the website, whats4eats.com, residents of Senegal, Gambia, Mali and the Ivory Coast enjoy this sweet-salty stew. Also called groundnut stew, sauce d'arachide and tigadèguèna, mafé makes a perfect Kwanzaa party main course.
  
  

Curried Kwanzaa Stew

• Curried Kwanzaa Rich with harvest vegetables, including sweet potatoes, broccoli, corn and kale, spicy curried Kwanzaa stew invites with its warming aroma. According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, this stew is a traditional Kwanzaa food.