Food & Drinks in Ghana
Ghanaian cuisine is rich in flavors and spices. As one of the most popular Ghanaian dishes, Jollof rice shares its origins with West African countries such as Senegal and Nigeria.
Jollof rice is a dish made from boiled white rice that has been fried in palm oil until it achieves a distinctive deep-red color. A variety of vegetables are also added to the mix, such as onions, garlic, tomatoes or peppers. The final touch before serving is the addition of salt and black pepper for spice.
Traditional food and drinks in Ghana can be found in many local and african restaurants & chop bars all over the country. Each region has a unique speciality. Traditional food in Ghana include:
Kenkey (Boiled fermented corn dough) with hot chilli and fried fish
Kenkey-type dishes are made from pounded maize mixed with boiling water to form an elastic paste like consistency. Kenkeys have been cited among Ghanaians’ favorite foods due to its rich texture inherited from how they’re traditionally processed – by hand using wooden boards often found at home kitchens.
Fufu (made from cassava and plantain) with soup.
Fufu is a traditional African dish made from cassava and plantain. Fufus are mashed into balls before being added to soup or boiled in water with ingredients such as salt, pepper, tomatoes.
Ampesie (cooked yam & plaintain with stew)
This dish contains two of the most common and traditional West African vegetables in it. The yam is a type of root vegetable with yellow-white flesh that’s related to potatoes, while plaintain or plantains are starchy bananas usually cooked as chips for salads, fried into savory fritters like an equivalent boiled potato would be prepared. Although they’re staples throughout Africa and other parts on the continent where rice isn’t grown so prolifically but these regions have more reliable rainfall than elsewhere.
Tuo-Zafi or Tuo-Zaafi (made from corn flour)
One of the most popular snacks in Africa is Zafi. It’s made out of a dough consisting primarily out of maize, water and salt which can then be cooked on an open fire.
Jollof Rice
Jollof Rice is a West African dish that is enjoyed all over the continent. It’s origin can be traced back to Senegal, but it has now been adopted as an integral part of many cultures in Africa and beyond – from Gambia to Ghana to London! One theory suggests that Jollof rice was originally made with leftovers: meat or fish cooked with vegetables like peppers (red bell) onions tomatoes (tomato), carrots, potatoes etc. The spices used are usually chili pepper powder for hotness; curry power for spiciness–coriander seeds ground together with cloves garlic ginger turmeric cumin tomato paste oregano thyme salt black peppar brown sugar red wine vinegar olive oil & palm oil.
One of my favorite the “kelewele” a spicy dish of fried plantain seasoned with chilli and pepper.
Kelewele is a food that originated in Ghana. It’s typically made from plantains, which are fried and then spiced with chilli pepper or cayenne powder before being eaten as an appetizer dish to kick off the meal on special occasions such as Christmas or New Year’s Eve
This spicy dish can also be enjoyed at any time of day: breakfast, lunchtime snacks…even for dinner!
Drinks
Some of the traditional Alcoholic drinks include Pito in the Northern Region & Palm wine in the Southern Region. Akpteshie liquor is also widely known. Concerning Beer most Ghanaiain enjoy Star & Club beer which are both brewed in Ghana or Gulder beer.
Non Alcoholic drinks include maize beer or “asana”, coconut juice & ice kenkey.
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