The book includes a rich cultural history of the grain along with the recipes.
Pentagram has designed The Fonio Cookbook (Lake Isle Press) for the Senegal-raised New York City-based chef, author, restaurateur and social entrepreneur Pierre Thiam.
Fonio is an ancient “miracle grain” native to North West Africa that Thiam believes can change the world. Grown for centuries in Africa, fonio is nutritious, gluten-free, and also as easy to cook as rice and quinoa.
Among the recipes, Thiam recounts a rich cultural history of the grain, Senegal’s fonio-growing region, and stories from harvest season highlighting the farmers who transform fonio from crop to edible grain. The book is richly illustrated with photographs from Adam Bartos including a portfolio of portraits.
The Fonio Cookbook is the second book Pentagram has designed for Thiam. The first, YOLELE! Recipes from The Heart of Senegal, introduced Senegalese food to the world and celebrates the art of creating family meals using organic, local produce, and farm-fresh meats and seafood. It is on permanent display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Pentagram also designed the identity and packaging for Yolélé, a fonio product line from Thiam and food entrepreneur Philip Teverow.
