Slice of home: Puff-puff pastries

Nigeria is known for its flavorful jollof rice and moin moin (steamed bean cakes), but one of its most underrated treats are puff-puff pastries, a type of fried dough.

The snack: Sola Ajao, owner of Destiny African Market in Randolph, sells the treats at her store, and also at local festivals like the AfroVybe Market.

• Ajao offers three toppings: white chocolate with rainbow sprinkles, caramel drizzle, and milk chocolate with chin chin dust (crumbled pieces of a deep-fried sugary snack).

The backstory: Ajao opened Destiny in November, after years of preparing West African dishes and treats like puff-puff pastries at home for locals who craved home-cooked meals.

• I first met her this spring when I visited the store, where she sells everything from smoked cow skin to pamplemousse soda.
• Since then, I've been following the store's journey online (and their mouth-watering Instagram reels).
• Ajao told me her goal is to make pan-African food products easier to find in eastern Massachusetts.

The verdict: I couldn't make AfroVybe last month, but luckily a friend who attended brought me back some puff-puff pastries.

• They are decadent, and probably fresher than the munchkins at your local Dunkin.

Slice of Home is an occasional series highlighting the special snacks and meals around Boston that make us feel at home. Got any recommendations? Send us a line at [email protected] or [email protected]