Ghanaian Cuisine!

It’s really hard to describe the food here so I figured I’d let the photos speak for themselves!  Below you will find a little taster of what’s been filling my belly these past 9 months.

T.Z. and okru stew (maize and cassava flour boiled and beaten and formed into a soft dough dipped into soup made from bean leaves and okra).

In the photo I’m trying to pretend I know how to beat the boiling T.Z.

As is true for most of the tasks women perform, it’s harder than it looks!

T.Z. is a favourite of the Dagombas (the main tribe in Tamale) and many families here will eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner. To be honest, it’s not that great. The T.Z. dough is gooey and virtually tasteless but I guess the stew is pretty good once you get used to it.

Fufu with light soup (boiled and pounded yam formed into a dough ball sitting in soup made from tomato, egg plant and hot peppers - served here with goat meat): I like this one as the soup is really healthy but even after 8 months my digestive track still just doesn’t agree with the Fufu dough. It’s a shame really.

Red Red (fried yams and plantains with hot pepper sauce and beans): I eat this for lunch nearly every day. It was the first Ghanaian dish I was able to eat and digest comfortably and I haven’t messed with success since!

 

Banku stew (fermented maize flour formed into dough balls dipped into a tomato and fish stew): My favourite! The banku dough is a bit sour – kind of like how sour dough bread is sour. And the stew is rich, spicy and full of flavour. It might be the only food I will actually miss when I go home.

Koko (breakfast porridge made from cassava): This is one of the first dishes I tried when I arrived and I swore I’d never have it again; it was so awful. Yet somehow I’ve grown to really like it. I often have this one when I’m running late for work and can’t be bothered to prepare breakfast. It’s a bit sour but with a heap of sugar and some peanuts thrown in it’s actually pretty good.

And, just for a laugh, here’s a picture of some typical table decor… Hungry yet?