Baku Kitchen! An independent reference of traditional food

Burkina Faso

Ask what Burkina Faso eats and the answer starts with this: sahelian millet tô with okra and leaf sauces, grilled poulet bicyclette, riz gras, and millet drinks. Look for Tô (millet or sorghum paste with okra, baobab-leaf or kapok sauces), Riz gras (rich one-pot rice cooked in tomato broth with meat and vegetables) and Babenda (rice cooked down with fermented greens, fish powder and peanut). The Sahelian staple of millet or sorghum flour stirred stiff, eaten by hand with sauce, and the daily bread of Mossi farming households. This atlas has 25 Burkina Faso dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.

25 dishes.

BabendaBabendaRice cooked down with fermented greens, fish powder and peanutBen-saalgaBen-saalgaThin sour gruel of fermented pearl millet, drunk warm, often given to small childrenBengaBengaRice cooked with beans, dressed in oil and pepperBikalgaBikalgaFermented roselle seeds pressed into dark balls and crumbled into saucesBissapBissapDried hibiscus calyces steeped with sugar, mint or ginger and drunk very coldBrochettesBrochettesCharcoal beef or mutton skewers with mustard and chiliDèguèDèguèMillet couscous in sweetened yoghurtDoloDoloHome-brewed sorghum beer served in calabashesGappalGappalPellets of millet dough stirred into fermented cow's milk and eaten with a spoonGonréGonréSteamed cowpea cakes in leaves, eaten with oil and chiliJus de baobabJus de baobabChalky-tart juice from powdered baobab fruit pulp, milky and sweetenedJus de gingembreJus de gingembreBlended fresh ginger with water, sugar and lemon, served fiery and very coldJus de tamarinJus de tamarinSweet-sour tamarind pulp steeped and strained into a chilled juiceLait cailléLait cailléThick soured cow's milk ladled from calabashes, sweetened or poured over milletMaariMaariFermented baobab seeds, sharp and salty, used like a stock cube in stewsMassaMassaSmall spongy pancakes of fermented rice or millet batter, fried in dimpled pansPoulet bicyclettePoulet bicycletteLean free-range chicken charcoal-grilled with lime and chiliPoulet téléviséPoulet téléviséWhole chickens turning on spits behind glass-fronted roadside ovensRagoût d’ignameRagoût d’ignameYam simmered with tomato, onion and modest meatRiz grasRiz grasRich one-pot rice cooked in tomato broth with meat and vegetablesSauce gomboSauce gomboSlippery okra sauce with crab or smoked fishSoumbalaSoumbalaPungent black balls of fermented locust bean, crumbled into every sauceTôTôMillet or sorghum paste with okra, baobab-leaf or kapok saucesZamnèZamnèTiny wild acacia seeds boiled soft and served with fried fish or meatZoom-koomZoom-koomMillet-flour water with ginger, tamarind and lemon; welcome drink

  • Babenda

    Rice cooked down with fermented greens, fish powder and peanut. Ready in 30 min prep and 1 hr cooking. 5…

  • Riz gras

    Rich one-pot rice cooked in tomato broth with meat and vegetables. Ready in 30 min prep and 1 hr 15…

  • Ben-saalga

    Thin sour gruel of fermented pearl millet, drunk warm, often given to small children. Ready in 20 minutes prep and…

  • Benga

    Rice cooked with beans, dressed in oil and pepper. Ready in 20 min prep and 1 hr 15 min cooking.…

  • Bissap

    Dried hibiscus calyces steeped with sugar, mint or ginger and drunk very cold. Ready in 10 minutes prep and 15…

  • Bikalga

    Fermented roselle seeds pressed into dark balls and crumbled into sauces. A fermented & pickled recipe from Burkina Faso.

  • Dèguè

    Millet couscous in sweetened yoghurt. Ready in 20 minutes prep and 30 minutes cooking. Serves 6. A dessert recipe from…

  • Dolo

    Home-brewed sorghum beer served in calabashes. A wine & spirit recipe from Burkina Faso.

  • Gappal

    Pellets of millet dough stirred into fermented cow’s milk and eaten with a spoon. Ready in 30 min prep and…

  • Gonré

    Steamed cowpea cakes in leaves, eaten with oil and chili. Ready in 40 minutes prep and 45 minutes cooking. About…