Muslims in Senegal love to share meat. Its Christians share porridge.

　　Ending their monthlong Ramadan fast this week, the faithful in the Muslim-majority West African nation invited Christian friends to celebrate Korite (Eid al-Fitr), focus on forgiveness and reconciliation, and serve a wholesome meal of chicken.

　　A little over two months later during Tabaski (Eid al-Adha), the mutton from sheep slaughtered in commemoration of Abrahams sacrificing of his son will likewise be distributed to Christian neighbors. (Both feasts follow the lunar calendar and change dates each year.)

　　But for Christians, the sign of interfaith unity is ngalakh.

　　Senegal is a country of terrangahospitalityand the sense of sharing is very high, said Mignane Ndour, vice president of the national Assemblies of God denomination. Porridge has become our means of strengthening relations between Christians and Muslims.

　　Sources told CT the holiday treat is highly anticipated.

　　In the local language, ngalakh means to make porridge, and the chilled dish marks the end of Lent. Between three to five percent of Senegals 18 million people are Christiansthe majority Catholicand families gather to prepare the Easter fare on Good Friday.

　　Made from millet flour, peanut cream, and monkey bread (the fruit of the famed baobab tree), ngalakh is soaked in water for over an hour and then variously seasoned with nutmeg, orange blossom, pineapple, coconut, or raisins.

　　Tangy and sweet yet savory, its brownish color comes from peanuts.

　　The Christian community in Senegal traces its origin back to the 15th century coming of the Portuguese. And during the period of French colonialism, Jacques Seck, a Catholic priest in the capital of Dakar, stated that ngalakh developed as mulatto servant women prepared their masters a meatless meal during the Lenten fast.

　　Ndour said that over time the tradition extended to Protestants as well.

　　Numbering only in the thousands, the Protestant Church of Senegal was founded in 1863, becoming more visible in the 1930s. Lutherans came in the 1970s and are the second largest Christian denomination today, alongside Methodists, Presbyterians, and newer evangelical groups.

　　But for some, ngalakh is controversial.

　　Evangelicals do not share this tradition, said Pierre Teixeira, editor-in-chief of Yeesu Le Journal, an interdenominational monthly publication. But the rare churches that practice it broadcast a film on the gospel before distribution.

　　Teixeira, a former Baptist pastor, grew up in a Catholic home in Dakar. Recalling the porridge from his youth, he said it was a symbol of communion that commemorates the death of Jesus on the cross. But today the evangelical focus is on societal integration. In the past 20 years the small community has seen an increase in students at university and efforts to influence the marketplace and political arenas.

　　Ndour, raised in a Muslim home, believes the two activities are compatible.

　　Easter is not simply the feast of Catholics, and ngalakh is the feast of all Senegalese, he said. It represents a path of understanding, through religion.

　　While Protestants value the practice of terranga, some view an interfaith dessert as an extrabiblical barrier to evangelism, that should be dropped as a tradition. Others, Ndour said, do not distribute lest they be obliged to reciprocally share in the Muslim feast of Tabaski, which they view as prohibited given Pauls warning about meat sacrificed to idols.

　　But many cherish the social custom within Senegals lauded religious tolerance.

　　Ngalakh is a delectable dish meticulously crafted with love and passion, said Eloi Dogue, vice president of Africa operations for Our Daily Bread Ministries. It serves as a symbol of unity and goodwill among neighbors, particularly our Muslim friends.

　　Islam came to Senegal in the 11th century through trade and spread through a combination of conquest and heartfelt conversion. Rejection of colonialism attracted many into Sufi orders emphasizing a mystical interpretation of Islam, which merged Senegalese and Muslim identities.

　　Others interacted closely with the foreign authorities and assimilated their culture. But the French concept of lacit combined easily with Sufi religious tolerance, and the constitutions first article declares Senegal to be a secular, democratic, and social republic. The first president was a Catholic, and voluntary religious education at school allows parentsoften in mixed marriagesto educate their children in the faith of their choice, or none at all.

　　But Dogue, also international director of Dekina Ministries and former evangelism and missions executive secretary for the Association of African Evangelicals, said the value of ngalakh is not only in coexistence.

　　Yes, it is originally a Catholic tradition, he said. But it is also a means of fostering outreach and building bridges of understanding, bearing witness about Gods care, love, and goodness.

　　Americans, he added, could similarly invite Muslim neighbors for Thanksgiving.

　　Originally from the province of Fatick, Ndour grew up mostly ignorant of ngalakh in his village 95 miles south of Dakar on the northern border with the enveloped enclave nation of Gambia. Aware of the local Lutheran mission headquarters, his family belonged to the Mouride Sufi order. He first recalls trying the dish at age 15, but it was life at university in the capital that introduced him to its true meaning.

　　But there also, the assurance of salvation in Christianity. An evangelical pastor shared his faith, and Ndour has been sharing his since, using the holiday meal as a bridge.

　　Ngalakh opens doors that were previously closed, he said. This can then allow us to talk about the true Easter sacrificewhich is Jesus.