There is something comforting about being able to eat the foods you are familiar with from an African country. You will always find something to relish in the taste of home, whether is it the slightly lemony taste of Ethiopia’s injera or the softness of Zimbabwe’s sadza, or even the spicyness of West African jollof rice. And that’s not to mention the savoury soups and other delicacies. However, it can be frustrating when you are feeling for these foods and cannot access them or recreate them due to the lack of fresh, authentic ingredients. If you are new to Kitchener, Ontario in Canada, this guide to shopping the best African Caribbean groceries will help satisfy your cravings while helping you to acclimatize and feel at home.
MyChopChop.ca
@mychopchop.ca
For many, it’s not always easy to commute to the grocery store and that is where MyChopChop’s Canada-wide delivery service comes in to save you time and effort. They are the premier online African grocery store in Canada with a seamless online shopping and checkout experience. Athough web-based, there is not much of a difference. MyChopChop offers everything you would find in physical stores.
SMK African Foods
206-C King St. East, Kitchener
@smk.africanfoods
This established grocery store has been around for many years and is a family-run business in the heart of the city, right on King Street. It is conveniently located close to Kitchener’s downtown core, and near the famer’s market, which makes it a thriving spot for all who want to get their African groceries. Their products range from general goods to meat products and much more.
Oma Fresh Foods
200 Highland Road West, Kitchener
@omafreshfoods
Oma Fresh Foods was formerly known as Kishki World Foods and their motto is helping customers to bring back memories of the “taste of home” through their products. They offer a range of Indian, South Asian, and some African or Caribbean grocery food items. Not only that, they are a very large Halal supermarket, with a sizeable butcher shop.
Ok’s Tropical Supermarket
2399 Kingsway Drive, Unit 5A, Kitchener
Find some of the freshest ingredients here for all your favorite foods from the Caribbean and West Indies. They also sell snacks such as Jamaican patties and are widely known for their meats – goat, chicken, and oxtail. Take a trip down to the store and immerse yourself in a culinary delight.
Midat African Caribbean Market
299 Lancaster Street West, Kitchener
@midat_afrocaribbean
Midat offers a wide selection of fresh, high quality ingredients in a clean and welcoming environment. Their customer service and hospitality is top notch and a reminder of the community’s positive energy. This spacious store is a welcome location for people living in Kitchener-Waterloo due to its wide variety of goods.
Almost all of these stores sell some really great packaged drinks and beverages in addition to the African Caribbean groceries in Kitchener. I have fond memories of making Milo hot chocolate with Nido milk while I was growing up. Coming to Canada and finding these products here at some of these stores was such a treat. Anyway, I thought I would leave you with a sorrel drink recipe that I love to make. It is very different from hot chocolate but I also grew up with this drink and it’s especially made during important and festive occasions. Here is the recipe below.
Ingredients:
- 8 cups of dried sorrel
- 2 cups of sliced pineapples
- 12 cups of water
- 3 pieces of orange zest
- 2 cups of white granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons of grated ginger
Directions:
- Bring the 10-12 cups of water to boil. Then add the sorrel, orange zest, pineapples and ginger to the boiling water. Leave to infuse for up to 2 hours. If you are patient enough, leave it to steep for up to 24 hours to draw out all the flavours.
- Strain the sorrel out with a sieve and add sugar to the liquid. Taste for both flavour and sweetness, adding water if it is too strong or potent and more sugar as needed.
- Pour sorrel drink into a glass jug and place in the fridge. Serve chilled. Ice is optional.
Which one of these grocery stores are you thinking of visiting and will you try the recipe?
I’m a seasoned communications and marketing consultant with a penchant for all things stylish and chic. Follow me on social media and subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates on industry trends and much more!