Explore Ghanaian Food You Never Knew Tasted Great

Traveling to Ghana can be great fun! However, just in case you lose your way in the myriad of other activities and forget that friends and family need to eat, you are forgiven. However, if you are looking at African meals that symbolize the values, history, and culture of Ghanaian culture, then look no further than these Ghanaian foods you never knew tasted great:

Tom Brown Porridge with Nuts

So you have Black History Month participants who have just finished an early morning tour of a famous site and you are at a loss as to what to serve for breakfast? Worry no more as this morning staple comes to your rescue.

Tom Brown porridge is a nutritious and healthy way to start the day and it enjoys a cult following among Ghanaians. Enjoyed by the young and old alike, Tom brown porridge is a tasty cornmeal that can be flavored with the addition of nuts, milk, and sugar sprinkling among others.

To up the ante, serve this meal with a slice or two of bread daubed with butter or freshly made bean cake balls for a culinary experience of a lifetime.

Kontomire Stew (Palava Sauce) with Boiled Yam and Plantain

Kontomire stew just about ticks all the right buttons for all who seek a spectacular meal that titillates the taste buds to no end. It has an interesting alias as well: Palaver sauce!  Maybe this name stems from the fact that this brew causes upheavals in one’s tummy, so much so that you will keep asking for more, more and more.

An assortment of meat, crunchy crustaceans, pieces of fish as well as a compendium of spices. Red palm oil rounds up this exciting medley of tastes on a plate. Oh, we can’t forget to mention that you should take this brew with its partners in culinary crime: boiled yam and plantain.

So next time your guests want a meal to laze away on a typical afternoon of festivities, look no further than Palaver sauce with its starchy accompaniments.

Jollof Rice

If Jollof rice does not make the cut as a prime Ghanaian recipe to celebrate Black History Month, one might as well close the books and head home! While this meal is prepared across vast swathes of the West African sub-continent, Ghanaians hold the unshakeable belief that they prepare the tastiest variety on demand.

At its most basic, Jollof rice is a meal prepared with tomato sauce and served with meat or fish. Chicken serves as another great accompaniment. If you can steal some time from the annual celebration to watch its preparation, you will be enthralled to see the rice soak up the prepared juices/sauces and turn orange as it gets ready.

To further titillate the taste buds, you can request for fried plantain, salads and a bottle of any chilled drink to ground your enjoyment of this spectacular meal.

Banku and Tilapia

Your Black History Month culinary journey (with a Ghanaian bend) will be incomplete without tasting this mouth-watering dish, straight from the depths of the Gold Coast. Affectionately tagged a meal combination made in heaven but originating from Ghana, Banku and Tilapia ticks all the right buttons on many fronts: it is nutritious, it is tasty and leaves one asking for more.

A meal of two parts, it is worth giving some details of the two main constituents. Banku consists of corn dough and cassava dough, with varying amounts of water added according to the thickness desired. Banku is best served hot, so you can feel the sensations as you waffle down chunks of the meal.

For the Tilapia, sit back and enjoy how this fish is marinated with exciting condiments such as tomatoes, pepper, onions, lime among others.  Savor the aroma that results, as the fish is grilled or fried and prepare to eat to your heart’s (or rather your belly’s) satisfaction.

Tatale (Plantain Pancakes with Beans)

If you desire to treat your esteemed guests to a sumptuous meal that bears all the trappings of African perceptions and views, then look to Tatale. This is because Ghanaians ascribe national voting patterns to eating this meal. Also referred to as blouse and skirt, Tatale reminds Ghanaians of voting for one party at the presidential level and for another, at the state or local level.

In this case, the plantain cakes serve as the blouse while the beans denote the skirt. Others swear the combination is akin to two lovers, who are stuck in the infatuation stage of a prolonged/protracted honeymoon.

Leaving these amusing depictions aside, the meal is a sure bet to leave your guests wanting more. The pancakes come from mashed, overripe plantain, infused with spices and other ingredients in the frying stage. The beans come in the form of red and tasty stew that provides the perfect fodder for eating the pancakes.