Baku Kitchen! An independent reference of traditional food

Ghana

Fermented corn staples, rich groundnut and palm-nut soups, smoky jollof and beloved street snacks like kelewele. That is the short version of what Ghana cooks. Look for Jollof rice (rice steamed in smoky tomato-pepper stew base; fierce national pride), Waakye (rice and beans tinted by sorghum leaves; sold with gari, spaghetti, egg, shito) and Fufu (pounded cassava-plantain balls submerged in light or groundnut soup). Descends from Senegambian thieboudienne of the medieval Wolof Jolof empire; the one-pot tomato rice spread east along trade routes into Ghana and Nigeria. This atlas has 47 Ghana dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.

47 dishes.

AboboeAboboeBoiled bambara beans doused in palm oil and pepper, sold in bowlsAboloAboloSoft steamed cakes of fermented maize batter, faintly sweet, sold with fried fishAgbelimaAgbelimaSour fermented cassava dough, the tangy base worked into banku and akpleAkpeteshieAkpeteshieFiery clear spirit distilled from palm wine or sugarcaneAmpesiAmpesiBoiled yam, cocoyam or plantain served with garden-egg or kontomire stewAprapransaAprapransaRoasted corn flour stirred into palm soup with crab and beefAsaanaAsaanaDark caramel-sweet drink of roasted fermented maize, served over iceAtadwe milkAtadwe milkCreamy sweet milk pressed from soaked tiger nutsBankuBankuFermented corn-cassava dough with grilled tilapia and fresh pepper sauceBankye krakroBankye krakroGrated cassava kneaded with pepper, onion and ginger, fried into crisp ballsBofrotBofrotYeasted sweet fried doughnut ballsBrukinaBrukinaMillet grains suspended in sweetened milk, drunk from a sachetChichingaChichingaSuya-style kebabs rolled in spiced peanut powderDawadawaDawadawaFermented locust-bean cakes that give northern soups their deep savoury baseFufuFufuStiff cassava-corn flour swallow rolled to scoop stewsGari soakingsGari soakingsGari soaked in cold water with sugar, groundnuts and sometimes evaporated milkGroundnut soupGroundnut soupPeanut soup with chicken, ladled over fufu or omo tuoHausa kokoHausa kokoSpiced fermented millet porridge sold at dawnIce kenkeyIce kenkeyFermented kenkey blended with milk, sugar and ice, drunk cold from a bottleJollof riceJollof riceRice steamed in smoky tomato-pepper stew base; fierce national prideKakloKakloBalls of mashed overripe plantain spiked with pepper and ginger, deep friedKeleweleKeleweleRipe plantain cubes fried with ginger, chili and nutmegKenkeyKenkeySour steamed corn dough in husks, eaten with fried fish and shitoKobiKobiHeavily salted sun-dried tilapia, torn into waakye and stewsKokonteKokonteDark cassava-flour swallow nicknamed face the wall for its plainnessKontomire stewKontomire stewCocoyam-leaf palava stew with egusi seeds and smoked fishKooseKooseFried bean-flour fritters, morning partner to Hausa kokoKpokpoiKpokpoiSteamed fermented maize meal loosened with palm oil, eaten with palm nut soupLamuginLamuginChilled millet-flour drink sharp with ginger and cloves, sold in sachetsLight soupLight soupSpicy clear tomato broth with goat, chicken or fishMomoneMomoneSalted fish fermented until intensely pungent, used to season stewsNkate cakeNkate cakeBrittle slab of roasted peanuts set in caramelised sugarOmo tuoOmo tuoSoft rice balls served in groundnut or palm soupOtoOtoMashed yam turned orange with palm oil, topped with boiled eggsPalm nut soupPalm nut soupRich palm-fruit soup with smoked fish, crab and snailsPalm winePalm wineSweet-then-sour sap tapped from the oil palm, drunk the day it runs

  • Aboboe

    Boiled bambara beans doused in palm oil and pepper, sold in bowls. Ready in 15 minutes prep and 2 hours…

  • Abolo

    Soft steamed cakes of fermented maize batter, faintly sweet, sold with fried fish. Ready in 30 minutes prep and 25…

  • Agbelima

    Sour fermented cassava dough, the tangy base worked into banku and akple. A fermented & pickled recipe from Ghana.

  • Ampesi

    Boiled yam, cocoyam or plantain served with garden-egg or kontomire stew. Ready in 20 minutes prep and 35 minutes cooking.…

  • Aprapransa

    Roasted corn flour stirred into palm soup with crab and beef. Ready in 25 min prep and 1 hr cooking.…

  • Asaana

    Dark caramel-sweet drink of roasted fermented maize, served over ice. Ready in 20 min prep and 30 min cooking. 2…

  • Atadwe milk

    Creamy sweet milk pressed from soaked tiger nuts. Ready in 20 minutes prep and none cooking. About 1.5 litres. A…

  • Bankye krakro

    Grated cassava kneaded with pepper, onion and ginger, fried into crisp balls. Ready in 30 minutes prep and 20 minutes…

  • Bofrot

    Yeasted sweet fried doughnut balls. Ready in 20 minutes prep and 25 minutes cooking. Makes about 24. A snack recipe…

  • Brukina

    Millet grains suspended in sweetened milk, drunk from a sachet. Ready in 30 min prep and 30 min cooking. 6…