Puff Puff

Puff puff is the sweet fried dough ball that West Africans grew up on, known as togbei in Ghana, bofrot in some corners, and mikate in Cameroon, but loved everywhere. It turns up at every celebration, school break, and street corner, sold warm in paper cones and shared by the handful. The recipe is simple — flour, yeast, sugar, and nutmeg — but the memory it makes is anything but. It is the first thing many children learn to make and the first thing guests are offered.

Golden pillows with a soft, airy heart

The outside is crisp and lightly golden, giving way to a cloud-soft, airy center that pulls apart like cotton. A whisper of nutmeg warms every bite, and the sugar coating adds just enough sweetness to make it impossible to eat one. Serve puff puff warm, dusted with sugar, with tea or on its own — they disappear fast either way, best shared straight from the frying basket while everyone grabs at once.

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