Baku Kitchen! An independent reference of traditional food

Senegal

West Africa’s celebrated table: ceebu jën rice, onion-lemon yassa and peanut mafé, with vibrant street snacks and hibiscus drinks. That is the short version of what Senegal cooks. Look for Thieboudienne (herb-stuffed fish braised with broken rice, vegetables and tamarind-tomato sauce), Yassa (casamance chicken or fish smothered in caramelized onion, lemon and mustard) and Mafé (peanut-butter stew of meat and vegetables served over rice). Credited to Penda Mbaye, a nineteenth-century cook in Saint-Louis, who used broken rice imported from Indochina in place of millet; UNESCO inscribed the dish in 2021. This atlas has 38 Senegal dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.

38 dishes.

AccaraAccarablack-eyed-pea fritters with spicy kaani tomato sauce, often in baguetteAtayaAtayathree ceremonial rounds of strong minted green teaBissapBissapDried hibiscus calyces steeped with sugar, mint or ginger and drunk very coldBouyeBouyeBaobab fruit pulp blended with milk, sugar and vanilla into a thick drinkBunukBunukCasamance palm wine tapped from oil and ronier palms, drunk freshCafé ToubaCafé ToubaMouride coffee spiced with grains of Selim pepperCaldouCaldoulight Casamance stew of fresh fish, lemon and okra over riceDakharDakharTamarind pulp soaked, strained and sweetened into a sharp brown drinkDibiDibiseasoned mutton grilled over coals with onions and mustard, wrapped in paperDitakhDitakhgreen ditakh fruit pulped with sugar and water into a sweet-sour juiceFatayaFatayafried pastry pockets of spiced fish or meatFondeFondecracked millet cooked soft and served under sweetened soured milkGazelleGazellepale lager brewed in Dakar, sold in large bottles as the national beerGuedjGuedjfermented dried fish torn into stews for salty depthJus de gingembreJus de gingembreBlended fresh ginger with water, sugar and lemon, served fiery and very coldKéthiakhKéthiakhsardinella salted, smoked and dried, flaked into rice and bean dishesKinkélibaKinkélibaleaf tea of a Sahel shrub, drunk hot after mealsLakhLakhmillet porridge under sweetened curdled milk and orange-blossom creamMaddMaddtart wild saba fruit eaten with salt and chili or blended into juiceMaféMafépeanut-butter stew of meat and vegetables served over riceMbakhalou SaloumMbakhalou Saloumrice cooked with peanut paste, dried fish and nététou from the SaloumNdambeNdambespiced black-eyed pea and potato stew stuffed into baguettesNététouNététoufermented locust-bean seeds pounded into sauces for salty depthNgalakhNgalakhmillet couscous with baobab fruit and peanut cream, shared at EasterPastelsPastelsFried pastry parcels stuffed with spiced fish, dipped in tomato and chilli sauceRofRofpounded parsley, garlic and chili paste stuffed into fish before cookingSombiSombirice simmered in sweetened milk, served warm at ceremoniesSoowSoowthick Fulani soured milk, sweetened and poured over millet porridgeSoupou kandiaSoupou kandiaokra and palm-oil stew with fish and seafood, over riceTambadiangTambadiangWhole sardinella salted and sun-dried until stiff, then cooked into rice dishesThiakryThiakrysweet millet couscous folded into creamy soured milkThiebou yappThiebou yappfestive rice cooked in seasoned oil with beef or lambThieboudienneThieboudienneherb-stuffed fish cooked with rice and vegetables; shared national platterThiéréThiérésteamed millet couscous with meat and vegetable-bean sauceThiouThioutomato or clear onion stew of fish or meat, ladled over white riceYassaYassachicken marinated in lime, onion and mustard, grilled then stewed

  • Yokhoss

    Mangrove oysters grilled or steamed over coals and eaten with chilli and lime. Ready in 30 minutes prep and 20…

  • Accara

    Black-eyed-pea fritters with spicy kaani tomato sauce, often in baguette. Ready in 40 min prep and 25 min cooking. About…

  • Ataya

    Three ceremonial rounds of strong minted green tea. Ready in 10 minutes prep and 1 hour or more cooking. Serves…

  • Bissap

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

  • Bouye

    Baobab fruit pulp blended with milk, sugar and vanilla into a thick drink. Ready in 20 min prep and none…

  • Bunuk

    Casamance palm wine tapped from oil and ronier palms, drunk fresh. A wine & spirit recipe from Senegal.

  • Caldou

    Light Casamance stew of fresh fish, lemon and okra over rice. Ready in 25 min prep and 50 min cooking.…

  • Café Touba

    Mouride coffee spiced with grains of Selim pepper. Ready in 10 min prep and 30 min cooking. 6 glasses. A…

  • Dakhar

    Tamarind pulp soaked, strained and sweetened into a sharp brown drink. Ready in 20 min prep and none cooking. 1.5…

  • Dibi

    Seasoned mutton grilled over coals with onions and mustard, wrapped in paper. Ready in 20 min prep and 30 min…