7 traditional Ghanaian dishes you need to try if you are visiting Ghana

In Ghana, people put in a lot of effort to put together their meals. Usually, Ghanaians use the ingredients which are prominent in tropical areas. Some of these include corn, beans, millet, plantains, and cassava.

The culinary skills of Ghanaians go beyond just feeding themselves. Their cooking reflects their different beliefs, traditions, and habits. As such, experiencing and experimenting with local traditional foods provides an education of the culture, too.

If you are visiting Ghana here are 7 traditional foods you should enjoy before leaving

1. Jollof rice

Jollof rice ece-auto-gen

This is a rice meal originally from Senegal. It is prepared with tomato sauce and served with meat or fish. People add salad and fried plantain as well. There is plenty of debate online ass to which West-African country serves the best jollof. This is a national favourite that can be found in most restaurants or dished out by street vendors at affordable prices.

2. Waakye

Waakye ece-auto-gen

This is also a rice dish. The recipe is mainly rice and beans. Waakye is one meal that will introduce you to a lot of Ghanaian flavours and spice. This is because the main dish is served with other sides such as fried plantain, garri (grated cassava), spaghetti and avocado.

3. Kenkey and fried fish

Kenkey and shrimps ece-auto-gen

Kenkey is a corn-based staple, that is made by moulding fermented corn dough into balls and wrapping them around drying corn leaves, which are then boiled. Kenkey is served with hot pepper sauce, fried fish, octopus, crabs or any other seafood of your choice. This is delicacy of the Accra people.

4. Banku and tilapia

Banku and grilled tilapia with hot pepper ece-auto-gen

Banku is similar to kenkey. The difference is that cassava dough is added to the corn dough to make this meal. It is also not wrapped in a cornhusk. When you see fish being grilled on the streets it is often spiced tilapia. It complements banku, which is eaten with very hot pepper, diced tomatoes and onions. Banku is one of the main dishes of the people who live by the Ghanaian coast.

5. Fufu and goat light soup

Fufu and goat light soup ece-auto-gen

Fufu is made by pounding a mixture of boiled cassava and plantains into a soft sticky paste which is eaten with light soup. Even though many use cassava and plantain, one can use yam and other tuber crops for this dish.