TIME TO EAT: The Tunisian chef Aoudi Reda promoting his takeaway food (WANG XIANG)

TIME TO EAT: Hakuna Matata African Culture Restaurant&Pub in the expo garden (WANG XIANG)

The active African chef 

Beninese chef Orou Yerima Baudouin Euloge has a unique Chinese name – Lu Lu – a name that he shares with a popular Chinese almond drink. But he doesn't care.

"Isn't it great that I'm as popular as the drink?" he exclaimed in an interview with ChinAfrica. As expected, Lu Lu enjoys great popularity at the Expo. Every Friday he showcases his culinary skills at Hakuna Matata. His specialities include snacks, soup, salad, mafe made with peanut butter, tomato, garlic and beef, and West Africa's famous seafood fried rice tie bou djeen. Sometimes Lu Lu cooks a dish characteristic of other areas of the continent.

"Eating food from these countries is like traveling around them. You can experience the distinctive food culture of different countries just by eating here," he explained.

Good culinary skills are not the only reason behind Lu Lu's popularity. Besides his chef duties, he also tells animated stories about African history. "Through these performances, I hope more people can learn about Africa and fall in love with it. In my opinion, food is an international language, and a good chance for exchange," he said.

Apart from Hakuna Matata, the Angola and Tunisia pavilions also offer local delicacies. Outside the Tunisia Pavilion there is a takeaway stall jointly run by Lu Lu and his Tunisian partner Aoudi Reda serving North African food.

Reda's grandpa had been involved in expositions since 1933, when Chicago hosted its World Fair. To this day, his family are frequent visitors at World Expos. Reda and Lu Lu first teamed up in 2005 at the Aichi World Expo in Japan. The food they serve in Shanghai is mainly Tunisian barbecue, seafood and vegetable pizza. At the relatively low price of 30-50 yuan ($4.4 to $7.4), they can sell around 900 servings in one day.

As a Muslim, Reda has special requirements for ingredients. Chicken, beef, mutton and seasonings for the barbecue are all bought from the city's Metro supermarkets. "Though they're a little expensive, our ingredients are the freshest. We have to guarantee quality," said Lu Lu, who is responsible for purchasing.

Sometimes called a "brother of the Chinese," Lu Lu is a skilled bargainer. Usually it takes 48 hours for dealers organize their purchases, but Lu Lu manages to do it within 24 hours. How? "Whist! It's a secret. It's about Chinese friends' kindness to me," he whispered conspiratorially.