Togo food festival seeks to 'deconstruct' African cuisine

In Lomé's biggest market, Omiel Moundounga is looking for local products.

The Gabonese chef is a strong supporter of African cuisine. He says consumers are increasingly questioning what's on their plate, and need reassurance.

"Today my interest is to encourage young chefs to reconnect with their culinary heritage. It is very important," Moundounga says. 

Adapting African cuisines without distorting them and countering the effect of globalization is the challenge facing many African chefs.

"Our work is to deconstruct traditional cuisine, to study the structure of the products, to reconstruct in order to enhance the flavors. All this allows us to preserve the value of the products," says Moundounga.

Dubbed FESMA, the festival is a meeting of Africa's top chefs to showcase and mentor upcoming chefs.

It aims to promote the African culinary heritage, diversity and richness of local products. 

Through FESMA, Togo hopes to become the meeting place of African gastronomy. 

Serge Koffi reports from Lomé