Gourmet Ghana...kinda :)

So I've had a few requests to explain the food here in Ghana... and I've held off until I have been able to try a few more of the traditional dishes.

Rice is a main staple in many Ghanaian diets, so I guess it's convenient that there's a variety... There's jollof rice, fried rice, plain rice, chicken n rice, rice with sauce, and just about anything else you can think of... include rice, and whala.. it's a meal!

Red red is a traditional dish that I now enjoy. (The first time I ate it, I was a little skeptical, but maybe because I saw it being made! Haha! I've learned it's better to avoid see that process whenever possible!) It's a bean mixture, kind of like a bean soup... but thicker, served with a couple of fried plantains. They will add cornmeal and hot sauce to it also. The first time I ate it, it was hard to get it down, but on a second try, I added RICE to it, of course, and it was better.

The first time I ate it, the woman who was making it was also eating her own meal... with her hands, and then picked up the plantains with her hands and put them in. I've mentioned before the lack of sanitation there is, but hey, I guess whatever works.

Then yesterday, I had the opportunity to try fufu! My Twi professor told us that in Ghana there are only two foods. Fufu and then everything else. There was a lot of hype over this dish, as almost all Ghanaians rave about it, so I was excited to try it.

There is a dough ball, literally dough... not cooked or anything... so soft and mushy. It is pounded and can be made with casavah, kinda like a potato, or plantains. (I actually helped pound it yesterday! And it's a touch job! The guy was using one hand on a long wooded pounder... lol. I had to use two, and couldn't even get to the bottom of the bowl, like he was. Needless to say, he has great job security in this case. I won't be applying anytime soon! :) I got pictures of the pounding too, but unfortunately I really won't be able to put any pictures on until I get home.

So the fufu ball is put into soup. Yesterday we had a ground nut and palm oil soup, I think... with a piece of meat in in. Goat...

There is a water bowl at the table where you wash your hand, and then use your hand to tear off a piece of the fufu ball, dip it in soup, and then swallow it. Don't chew! Sadly to say, I'm not a big fan of fufu, and won't be ordering it for myself in the near future.

The locally grown pineapple is amazing... and usually a daily part of my diet. It's always readily available at the night market and a big hit.

Something else that is popular is egg sandwiches. Always nice when you need something "American". Haha.

That's all for now. I will continue to fill you in on my food adventures, as there are many more traditional dishes that I still have to try... but I will have a back-up just in case it's like the fufu. Haha.

Have a good day!

Mel