Food, food, food! Now everyone knows I like to eat so this has been one of the enjoyable parts of the internship experience in Ghana so far! Ghanaian food is very similar to Nigerian food so adjusting hasn't really been an issue for me and luckily I've experienced no upset stomach issues *knock on wood*. They do eat a lot more plantains here than I'm used to, however I LOVE plantains so that has only been a positive! Rice is a component of many dishes and I've also been eating a lot more fish than normal since I got here. Some common Ghanaian foods are banku, red red, kenkey, fufu, and jollof rice.
Banku is fermented corn and cassava dough mixed together to form a ball and is served with some type of stew such as groundnut or pepper fish with sauce.
Red red is comprised of a bean stew and fried plantains. It's become one of my new favorite dishes and I'll definitely be recreating it once I'm back in Ann Arbor!
Kenkey is made with fermented maize (corn) and is boiled and steamed in banana leaves or husks and is served with a sauce that has either fish or meat.
Fufu is a staple dish all throughout Western Africa! It's very common even in Nigeria, although honestly I'm not a big fan of it. It can be made with cassava, yams, or plantains. The starch is boiled and then pounded into a smooth consistency and then molded into a ball. It's usually served with groundnut soup, tomato stew, or egussi and spinach stew.
Rice is of course a staple food- it's served many different ways! There's jollof rice which is basically seasoned tomato rice, fried rice, and rice with stew! I had lunch over the weekend at Papaye and really enjoyed their fried rice! The roasted garlic chicken they serve is delicious with just the right kick of pepper!
There are also many fast food places all around Accra and in the Accra mall. Barcelo's is always very busy when I've been to the mall so I decided to try it out this weekend and their fried rice was FIRE!! I'll definitely be going back for that again. LOL
And for those who are not yet adjusted to eating Ghanaian food or are homesick, thanks to the increasingly globalized world we live in today, there's always KFC!
I had actually planned on losing a couple pounds this summer but with all of this delicious food, it seems as if I may end up gaining some weight before I leave! Oh well, it's all part of the experience right?
~J
Banku is fermented corn and cassava dough mixed together to form a ball and is served with some type of stew such as groundnut or pepper fish with sauce.
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| Banku with fried fish and stew via Google Image Search |
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| Red Red via Google Image Search |
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| Kenkey via Google Image Search |
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| Fufu with groundnut soup via Google Image Search |
Rice is of course a staple food- it's served many different ways! There's jollof rice which is basically seasoned tomato rice, fried rice, and rice with stew! I had lunch over the weekend at Papaye and really enjoyed their fried rice! The roasted garlic chicken they serve is delicious with just the right kick of pepper!
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| Papaye roasted chicken and fried rice |
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| Barcelos Lunch |
I had actually planned on losing a couple pounds this summer but with all of this delicious food, it seems as if I may end up gaining some weight before I leave! Oh well, it's all part of the experience right?
~J
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