Penda Mbaye was an excellent cook. But the question is who was this famous lady whose name is stuck to “Ceebu Jën”? Many people even think that this Penda Mbaye is a legend.
However, it is very real, as demonstrated in the 52-minute documentary film directed by Papis Niang of Art-Bi Mangement, “Ceebu Jen: Art of Penda Mbaye”. It allowed us to discover her face, to find out who she really was.
Penda Mbaye was a cook from Walo, the current department of Dagana. She earned her living by cooking during family ceremonies. One day, she had the idea to change the way of cooking fish rice.
She added kneaded cherry tomatoes to her preparation to bring out the taste and color of her “Ceebu Jën” which had become royal. His trick thus began to spread throughout the city and all the women adopted this modification. Since the result delights all the great houses of Saint-Louis.
Thus, Penda Mbaye acquired growing notoriety. And since that time, the Senegalese national dish has had a new version which is becoming popular. Nowadays, “Ceebu Jen Penda Mbaye” is topped with a sauce with small fish balls called “diaga” which everyone loves, according to Guidegourmand.
Bes Bi
#Senegal
