じゃじゃん！
２月１５日、ブルキナファソ大使館の展示期間中の２日目に、ブルキナファソ料理教室がデザインフェスタギャラリーで行われます！誰でも参加可能です！
しかし、正真正銘のブルキナファソ料理って何ですか？
ブルキナファソの大使夫人が作った物以外の何ものでもないです！来週から、大使夫人アミナトウさんが教えた料理が、サクラカフェ池袋で食べられます！私たちは昨日、サクラカフェのシェフ達が料理を教わるのを見に行きました。
この素晴らしい体験は筆舌に尽くし難いです。
If you are a connoisseur of exotic cuisine, the Design Festa Gallery might not be the first place that comes to mind on your search for authentic Burkina Faso cooking. Well, surprise! Because on February 15th, the embassy of Burkina Faso in Japan is marking their four-day exhibition here at the gallery with a cuisine workshop, open to all comers!
But what can be considered truly authentic Burkina Faso cuisine?
If your discerning palette will not consider accepting anything less than dishes prepared by the hands of the wife of the Burkina Faso Ambassador to Japan, you're in luck!Starting from next week, Sakura Cafe's Ikebukuro location will be offering a collection of dishes crafted by Ms. Aminatou Ubida Cisse herself!
We here at the gallery were invited to view the exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime training session for Sakura Cafe Ikebukuro's chefs, and we could not have possibly come away with a more wonderful experience! Come and see!
ブルキナファソはフランスの旧植民地であり、現在60以上の民族が暮らし、60以上の言語を話しています。
アミナトウさんが使った言葉はブルキナファソの公用語のフランス語でした。
素敵で綺麗な言葉だったので、参加者の半分以上がこれからフランス語を勉強したくなったことでしょう。
A former French colony in West Africa (by the name of Upper Volta), Burkina Faso is now home to over 60 ethnic groups and 60 different languages.
It was in the country's official language of French that Ms. Aminatou lead Sakura Cafe's chefs, which was so stunningly beautiful to listen to she must have inspired over half the room to begin studying the language.
シェフ達が作った料理は鶏肉とオクラのソースかけご飯や鶏肉のピーナツソース煮、クスクスで作るデゲのレシピでした。
全部がすごくシンプルで、すごく美味しかったです！
そして、シェフも私たち参加者も、知らなかった料理でした！
料理教室がユニークな異文化の経験になりました！
The cooking we were to undertake was that of a dish of chicken and green peppers, a course of okra with chicken and peanut sauce, and a dessert of couscous and yogurt, all of which were as simple to prepare as they were delicious to taste. And none of which the Japanese chefs or visitors had ever heard of, making the opportunity into a cooking class and unique cultural experience in one!
最初からチームワークはすごかったです！
上の写真はアミナトウさんと シェフ山田さんが一緒に鶏肉を準備しているところです。
下の写真ではさくらグループのジュリアンさんと愛さんがLes Merveilles de La Cuisine Africaine（アフリカ料理の驚異)という料理の本をシェアしています！
これはシェフの山田さんの私物ですが、偶然にも、アミナトウさんが初めて使った料理の本でした！
A sense of teamwork was very strong from the very start!
In the top photo here, Ms. Aminatou and Sakura Cafe chef Takayo tend to the sautéing of chicken together, while in the bottom photo Sakura Group employees Julian and Ai are seen poring over the cookbook, Les Merveilles de La Cuisine Africaine (The Marvels of African Cuisine).
Provided by Sakura Cafe chefs, Ms. Aminatou shared with us that it was, coincidentally, one of the very first cookbooks she herself ever used!
アミナトウさんは手際良く、材料を切っていきます。
サクラカフェのシェフ達がすごく気配りでした！
シェフじゃない私たちでも、キャベツやオクラ、ニンジンの下ごしらえについて色んなことを勉強になりました！
アミナトウさんから習ったテクニックを使ってみたいです！
Ms. Aminatou was very familiar, professional and adept at tending to the preparation of all ingredients, and the Sakura Cafe chefs were extremely attentive. Even those of us who are not chefs learned a lot about the chopping and preparing of cabbage, okra and carrots.
I cannot wait to try some of her techniques.
山田さんや野原さんがよ〜くみて、アミナトウさんのフランス語をよ〜く聞いていました！
今日習った料理が来週から、池袋のサクラカフェのメニューに出ま〜す！
It was impossible for chefs Takayo (right) and Yamada (center) to pay too close attention to the instructions, shared so beautifully in French.
The special Burkina Faso dishes they learned to craft today will be available on the menu at Sakura Cafe's Ikebukuro location from next week!
アミナトウさんや野原さん、山田さんのチームワークを見ることが楽しかったです！
It was so much fun to watch Ms. Aminatou, Takayo and Yamada working together as such an effective team. This kind of cross-cultural exchange is the what the Burkina Faso Exhibition at the Design Festa Gallery, Sakura Cafe and Sakura Group itself are all about!
鶏肉のピーナツソース煮です！出来ました！
そして、めっちゃ美味しそう。
しかし、食べる前に、みんな写真を撮っておきたい！アミナトウさんでも！
The chicken and peanut sauce dish! It is complete! And positively mouth-watering. But before anything could be tasted, everyone was itching for a chance to document the success on their cameras, including Ms. Aminatou Ubida Cisse!
大成功でした！上が鶏肉のピーナツソース煮、そして下は鶏肉とオクラのソースかけご飯の料理です。
さくらカフェのシェフと同じレシピを私たちもゲットしました！
日本にはない料理をチャレンジしましょう！
The arranged dishes! The chicken and peanut sauce creation in the topmost photograph, with the equally delicious okra and chicken on the bottom. We each were fortunate enough to receive copies of the recipe that Sakura Cafe chefs themselves are to follow, and I cannot wait to try these out at home. There is nothing like them in Japan!
デザート！
クスクスで作るデゲのレシピがメッチャ美味しくて、メッチャ簡単です！
And dessert! A combination of yogurt, couscous and raisins, it was as tasty as it is brilliantly simple in its creation.
いただきま〜す！♪
And then came the time to eat! Us visitors, guests and the chefs themselves decimated the delicious feast ♪
最後には、アミナトウさんが節分や新年にちなんだプレゼントをサクラカフェからもらいました！
気に入ってくれたらいいな〜♡
大使館のアミナトウさんや飯田さん（フランス語・英語・日本語の通訳の方！）への感謝が言葉になりません。
自分の目で見て、自分の口で真のブルキナファソ料理を食べるチャンスがもっぱら池袋のサクラカフェにございます！来週から！
And, in the end, Sakura Cafe presented Ms. Aminatou with gifts in recognition of the upcoming setsubun holiday in Japan, which we all hope very, very much that she liked!
It is positively impossible to put across how thoroughly honored and humbled we were for this opportunity the Embassy of Burkina Faso provided us, and there is no possibility of us ever thanking Ms. Aminatou and Ms. Iida (the wonderful English/French/Japanese translator!) enough for the investment of their time and effort.
Look forward to this completely authentic, utterly delicious and wonderfully special opportunity to taste Burkina Faso cuisine for yourself, exclusively at Sakura Cafe's Ikebukuro location, starting from next week!
(Sarah セイラ）
