A Bit about Food...

I’ve realized that I have yet to say anything about Ghanaian food. About half of what I eat here could probably be considered Ghanaian; the rest I cook myself or is basic enough—eggs, for example—to be relatively universal. The Ghanaian diet is largely based on different varieties of stew and on rice. The stews are generally served with some form of carbohydrate base—sometimes within the stew itself. Fufu, for example, a typical dish that is served throughout West Africa, consists of a ball of pounded yam and plantain dough served in a soup with some form of protein—fish, chicken, goat. Banku is a fermented maize and cassava meal that is served with a variety of soups and stews. Groundnut, or peanut, soup, is a delicacy here. It is very difficult to prepare correctly. Ghanaians also make soups with spinach, okra, and fish. One of my favorites is a dish called red-red. Red-red is a bean stew that is served with fried plantains and rice.

One thing that bothers me is the selection of fruit available locally. Fruit is plentiful—mangoes, pineapples, bananas, plantains, papaya, watermelon, oranges—but they are not fruits that I particularly enjoy. I am definitely more partial to European fruits than tropical ones (I will readily eat apples, pears, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, cherries, etc.). I find myself surviving on dried fruit imported from South Africa—apricots, apples, raisins.

There are other dishes that are common but not necessarily local—fried rice, spring rolls, baked beans, chips (French fries), tomatoes, avocadoes, pasta. Jollof rice, rice and vegetables with a tomato sauce, is everywhere. Waakye, the local rice and beans, is even considered traditional—even though rice is a relatively new thing in West Africa.

In general, food here is filling and tasty but not particularly varied. I started craving Thai, Mexican, Indian, almost as soon as I got here. My arrival back in the states will probably be followed by an extensive gastronomic tour of Chicago’s widely varied and delicious cuisine!