Baku Kitchen! An independent reference of traditional food

Gambia

Smiling Coast cooking mirrors Senegal: peanut domoda, one-pot benachin, okra superkanja and smoky afra grills with attaya tea. That is the short version of what the Gambia cooks. Look for Domoda (tangy peanut stew of meat or fish with tomato over rice; national dish), Benachin (one-pot jollof-style rice cooked with fish or meat and vegetables) and Afra (chopped grilled meat with raw onion, mustard and pepper; nightlife ritual). The Mandinka peanut stew of the Gambia River, distinguished from Senegalese mafe by its sourness from tamarind or lime; groundnuts were the colony’s export crop. This atlas has 29 Gambia dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.

29 dishes.

AbalaAbalaSteamed pudding of ground beans or rice wrapped and cooked in banana leavesAfraAfrachopped grilled meat with raw onion, mustard and pepper; nightlife ritualAkaraAkaraBlack-eyed pea fritters fried in palm oilAttayaAttayalong social brewing of green tea, poured frothy in small glassesBase nyebbeBase nyebbeblack-eyed peas stewed with tomato, onion and fish, served over riceBenachinBenachinone-pot jollof-style rice cooked with fish or meat and vegetablesBuiBuicreamy baobab-fruit drink, tangy and pale, served over iceChakeryChakerysweet millet couscous stirred into yoghurt and soured creamCherehCherehsteamed millet couscous eaten with sauce or with soured milkChewi kongChewi kongCatfish stewed with cabbage, carrot and cassava, served over riceChura gertehChura gertehmillet porridge with peanut paste and sour milk, eaten from a bowlDomodaDomodatangy peanut stew of meat or fish with tomato over rice; national dishEbbehEbbehspicy tangy bowl of boiled cassava, smoked fish, lime and chili brothFish cakesFish cakesFried dough rounds bound with fish, served with peppery onion sauceGinger juiceGinger juiceSweet-spicy fresh ginger drinkMbahalMbahalrice cooked with dried fish, netetou, beans and bitter tomatoMonoMonoPlain millet porridge eaten hot, sweetened with sugar or sour milkNan mburuNan mburuChilled rice pudding mixed with baobab juice and sweetened milkNététouNététoufermented locust-bean seeds pounded into sauces for salty depthNyambeh nyebehNyambeh nyebehBoiled cassava with black-eyed peas, topped with onion and tomato stewPalm winePalm wineSweet-then-sour sap tapped from the oil palm, drunk the day it runsPem bemPem bemJola fish stew simmered with onion, chilli and palm oilPlasasPlasasgreens simmered in palm oil with smoked fish and meatSenfurrSenfurrLight yeast-leavened loaf sold beside the denser tapalapaSmoked bongaSmoked bongabonga shad hot-smoked whole and dried, flaked into stewsSuperkanjaSuperkanjaokra, palm oil, fish and greens stew served over riceTapalapaTapalapadense chewy village baguette baked in clay ovensWonjoWonjosweet crimson hibiscus juice, served chilledYassaYassachicken marinated in lime, onion and mustard, grilled then stewed

  • Abala

    Steamed pudding of ground beans or rice wrapped and cooked in banana leaves. Ready in 30 min prep and 45…

  • Akara

    Black-eyed pea fritters fried in palm oil. Ready in 25 min prep and 20 min cooking. About 18 fritters. A…

  • Attaya

    Long social brewing of green tea, poured frothy in small glasses. Ready in 10 min prep and 1 hr 30…

  • Base nyebbe

    Black-eyed peas stewed with tomato, onion and fish, served over rice. Ready in 20 minutes prep and 1 hour 30…

  • Bui

    Creamy baobab-fruit drink, tangy and pale, served over ice. Ready in 20 min prep and none cooking. 6 glasses. A…

  • Chakery

    Sweet millet couscous stirred into yoghurt and soured cream. Ready in 20 min prep and 45 min cooking. 8 servings.…

  • Chewi kong

    Catfish stewed with cabbage, carrot and cassava, served over rice. Ready in 30 minutes prep and 50 minutes cooking. Serves…

  • Chereh

    Steamed millet couscous eaten with sauce or with soured milk. Ready in 40 min prep and 1 hr cooking. 6…

  • Chura gerteh

    Millet porridge with peanut paste and sour milk, eaten from a bowl. Ready in 20 minutes prep and 40 minutes…

  • Ebbeh

    Spicy tangy bowl of boiled cassava, smoked fish, lime and chili broth. Ready in 25 minutes prep and 35 minutes…