Skip to content
Search
Cuisine Noir Magazine
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • Events
  • Marketplace
  • Print
  • Podcast
  • More
    • The Culinary Scoop (blog)
    • Black Wineries
    • Videos
    • CN Review
    • Donate
Cuisine Noir Magazine
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • CN Review
  • Marketplace
  • Print
  • The Culinary Scoop (blog)
  • Events
  • Black Wineries
  • Videos
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate
Search
Cuisine Noir Magazine
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • Events
  • Marketplace
  • Print
  • Podcast
  • More
    • The Culinary Scoop (blog)
    • Black Wineries
    • Videos
    • CN Review
    • Donate
Cuisine Noir Magazine
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • CN Review
  • Marketplace
  • Print
  • The Culinary Scoop (blog)
  • Events
  • Black Wineries
  • Videos
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate

Marie-Claude Mendy Demystifies Senegalese Cuisine at Boston’s Teranga

Pictured: Marie-Claude Mendy | Photo credit: Teranga
February 1, 2012
CN Staff
Share this article
       

The cuisine of Senegal is an amalgamation of cultures. Senegal is among African countries strongly influenced by foreign culinary arts. These diverse influences came from Africa, France, the Arabic world, and Asia. The country is located on the western coast of the African continent and has a strong coastal cuisine. Even with dishes from other parts of the world, Senegalese food has a quality of its own. “For us, cooking is considered a celebration. It’s a way to showcase your talent, your passion, your love,” says chef Marie-Claude Mendy, winner on the Food Network’s “Chopped.”

Like most girls growing up in Senegal, Mendy began cooking when she was fairly young. At the age of five, she started baking cakes with her siblings for their father. Women in Senegal generally do most of the household chores of cooking, cleaning and child-rearing. Her right to passage started at the age of 11 when she prepared her first family meal for dinner. “We believe that cooking is one of the skills a good wife must have.” A Senegalese dinner should be served with dignity and elegance. As a matter of fact, food is considered serious business. Mendy mastered Senegalese cuisine from her mother.

“My mother always said that there are a few things to a good dish. It has to be appealing to the senses, the presentation has to be appealing to the eye and appealing to the stomach.”  As Mendy was getting deeply grounded in her roots, they were also opening her culinary horizons.

Encouraged to Dream

After living in London, Paris, and Washington D.C., how could you not be an aficionado of food? But it was when Mendy moved to Boston that her dream became a reality. While working a full-time job, she often shared her lunch with co-workers. Soon after that, her co-workers started giving her money to make bigger batches of food. That later turned into people asking her to cater their events. “I’ve always wanted to open a restaurant. My family knew I had a passion for food. That’s why when I opened a restaurant, they weren’t surprised,” says Mendy.  It only made sense to open a restaurant serving traditional foods from Senegal.

  • A Modern Twist on Senegalese Cuisine with Pierre ThiamSenegalese chef Pierre Thiam
  • What's Your Africa? Count Down to New York's African Restaurant Week

Located in the historic South End neighborhood at the corner of Mass Avenue and Washington Street is the first and only Senegalese restaurant in Boston called Teranga. The restaurant offers an upscale and contemporary atmosphere with Senegalese music and authentic artifacts from Senegal.

Most people don’t know what to think when it comes to food from Africa. Teranga's approach is to share traditional dishes. Start your journey with one of Mendy’s favorites, accara, which is a seasoned black-eyed pea batter-fried appetizer that is served with a zesty tomato-onion sauce. Or maybe nems would be more familiar to you. It’s a spring roll stuffed with finely chopped chicken, ground beef, rice vermicelli, grated carrots, scallions, and dried mushrooms served with nuoc mam dressing.

Teranga restaurant in Boston by Chef Marie-Claude Mendy
Pictured: Exterior view of Teranga| Photo credit: Teranga
A Taste of Senegal

The dinner menu offers choices of one beef, two fish, three chicken, and three lamb entrées. Mendy’s favorite entrée is the homeland national dish, thiebou djeun (pronounced cheh-boo jen; from the Wolof words for rice [thieb] and fish [djeun]). It’s an herb-stuffed white fish cooked in tomato stew with broken jasmine rice served with cassava, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, and pumpkin. “I love this dish so much. If I was to have my last meal, I would request this,” Mendy says.

Mendy’s cuisine has also appeared on the reality cooking show “Chopped,” where chefs compete over three rounds using a basket of mystery ingredients and after each course, a contestant is eliminated. Mendy served a three-course meal of marinated ribs, lamb stew and gingerbread crepes. Although she was nervous about the competition she replied, “I’m letting my cooking do the talking.” Mendy’s dishes beat the other chefs and she took home the $10,000 prize. “I’m glad I won because it was the best form of publicity.”

RELATED: Chopped Grand Champion Danielle Sanders Cooks from the Heart

If you haven’t tried African food, Mendy invites you to explore the delicious depths of Senegalese cuisine. There is a lot of pride and tradition that goes into Senegalese cooking that will be enjoyed across all cultures.

For more information about chef Marie-Claude Mendy’s restaurant, visit www.terangaboston.com. The restaurant is located at 1746 Washington Street.

Update: The restaurant has closed.

  • under Food & Drink Rhonda McCullough-Gilmore: Memories of Bernie Mac & Cooking with Love
  • LaTocha Scott-Bivens - Xcape’s and vegan enthusiast
    under Food & Drink Why Xcape’s LaTocha Scott-Bivens Wants to “Veganize” Your Menu
  • Celebrity chef and The Great Soul Food Cook-Off Champion Razia Sabour
    under Black Chefs , Food & Drink Celebrity Chef Razia Sabour Honors Soul Food’s History with Competition Win
  • Soul Food Restaurants by Felicia owners Joselino Neto Lima de Barros, Feliciana de Ceita Neto de Lima and Jose Feliciano Lima de Barros
    under Black Chefs , Food & Drink A Mother’s Dream Inspires Soul Food Restaurant by Felicia in Lisbon
Share this article
CN Staff

A diverse group of global journalists who love to write and talk about all things food, wine and travel.

Related Articles

Loading...
R&B singer Bobby Brown with Bobby Brown Foods products
Featured Food & Drink

Singer Bobby Brown is Spicing Up New Edition’s The Legacy Tour

Kitchen designer Caren Rideau
Food & Drink Lifestyle

Kitchen Designer Caren Rideau Creates Spaces Inspired by Food, Culture and Wine

Célébrez en Rosé festival attendees
Black Winemakers Food & Drink

Célébrez en Rosé Wine & Music Festival Announces 2023 Spring Dates

Be the first to know about the latest online, industry updates, world news, events and promotions that connect the African diaspora through food, drink and travel.

    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising

    #IAmCuisineNoir

    This site participates in affiliate programs. See our full disclosure for more information.

    Copyright© 2023 Cuisine Noir and The Global Food and Drink Initiative. Privacy
    Site by ACS Digital

    Any unauthorized duplication, download or reprint of images or content from this website for promotional or commercial use is strictly prohibited without written permission from The Global Food and Drink Initiative. Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Trademark pending.

    YES!  We’re excited you are signing up too!  

    Get ready to receive our weekly newsletter about:

    • New articles online
    • World news and industry happenings throughout the African Diaspora
    • Mouthwatering recipes
    • Promotions and giveaways

    Right in your inbox!