Ghanaian cuisine: ten emblematic dishes

Ghana stretches from the coastal forest, where cassava and plantain dominate, to the northern savanna, where millet and sorghum dominate. The country brings together several large groups: the Akan, around half of the population, then the Mole-Dagbani, the Ewe and the Ga-Dangme, whose culinary traditions have blended over the centuries. For the Ghanaian diaspora settled in France and Belgium, these dishes remain a strong marker of identity. Here are ten emblematic dishes that give a glimpse of this cuisine, with the ingredients to make them in France.

History and influences of Ghanaian cuisine

A classic Ghanaian meal combines a starch, rice, millet, sorghum, maize, cassava or yam depending on the region, with a sauce or soup simmered with tomato, onion and chilli. Jollof rice, a spiced rice dish today considered one of the country’s symbols, is said to have arrived with jolof traders from Senegal, settled in the zongo neighbourhoods before the colonial period, then adapted to local tastes with a parboiled rice drier than in neighbouring countries. Its rivalry with Nigerian jollof still fuels culinary debates across West Africa.

Ten emblematic dishes of Ghanaian cuisine

1. Jollof rice

Jollof rice is rice simmered in a spiced tomato sauce, with chicken, fish or meat. The Ghanaian version uses parboiled rice, drier than the rice used in neighbouring Nigeria, which has fuelled a culinary debate followed across the region for years. See our jollof rice recipe.

2. Fufu

Fufu is a ball obtained by pounding boiled cassava and plantain in a mortar, until a smooth, elastic dough forms. It is associated with the Akan peoples, notably Asante, Akuapem and Fante, and is eaten by hand, dipped in a soup.

3. Banku

Banku is a dough obtained by boiling balls of lightly fermented maize and cassava flour, until a smooth, slightly tangy consistency is reached. It is the traditional dish of the Ga-Dangme of Greater Accra, served with an okra soup or grilled tilapia.

4. Kenkey

Kenkey is a fermented maize dough, partially cooked then wrapped to finish cooking by steaming. The Ga version, called komi, is wrapped in maize husks; the Fante version, called dokono, is wrapped in banana leaves, for a milder taste. See our kenkey recipe.

5. Waakye

Waakye combines rice and black-eyed peas cooked together with dried sorghum stalks, which give it its reddish tint. Its name comes from the Hausa shinkafa da wake, “rice and beans”: the dish is said to have originated in the north of the country before becoming a staple of Accra’s streets. See our waakye recipe.

6. Red red

Red red is a stew of black-eyed peas simmered in a tomato sauce with red palm oil, served with fried plantain. Its name comes from the double red colour, that of the sauce and that of the fried plantains. See our red red recipe.

7. Kelewele

Kelewele is a street snack: cubes of ripe plantain, spiced with ginger and chilli then fried, sometimes served with peanuts. See our kelewele recipe.

8. Nkatenkwan (peanut soup)

Nkatenkwan, also called groundnut soup, is a soup made with peanut paste, tomato, onion, ginger and chilli. It accompanies fufu, omo tuo (pounded rice balls) or banku.

9. Light soup

Light soup is a clear soup made with tomato, chilli and ginger, prepared with fish or meat, sometimes smoked or salted. Associated with the Akan, it owes its name to its texture, thinner than soups thickened with peanut or okra, and is served with fufu, banku or rice.

10. Tuo zaafi

Tuo zaafi, or TZ, is the daily dough of northern Ghana: maize or millet flour boiled then worked until a smooth consistency is reached. A staple dish of the Dagomba and other northern peoples, it is served with a peanut soup or a green leaf sauce.

Ingredients of Ghanaian cuisine to gather in France

Several ingredients recur from one Ghanaian dish to another:

• black-eyed peas (niébé), the base of waakye and red red, with cornilles
• the peanut paste, the base of nkatenkwan
• the red palm oil, the base of red red and several sauces
• the rice, for jollof rice and waakye
• the cassava flour, for fufu

Find this selection in our Ghanaian and Nigerian grocery and our West African grocery range.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Ghanaian jollof and Nigerian jollof?

Ghanaian jollof is made with parboiled rice, drier, which absorbs the tomato sauce without falling apart. Nigerian jollof uses a fragrant long-grain rice, moister. Both versions derive from jolof rice, born in the ancient kingdom of the same name, in Senegambia.

What is waakye?

Waakye is a dish of rice and black-eyed peas cooked with dried sorghum stalks, which give it its reddish colour. Born in northern Ghana, it is today one of the most widely eaten street dishes in Accra, notably at breakfast.

Where to find Ghanaian ingredients in France?

NKOSI sells several ingredients of Ghanaian cuisine (black-eyed peas, peanut paste, red palm oil, rice, cassava flour) in its shop and ships them from the Paris area within 24 to 72 working hours, to mainland France (2 to 3 working days) and to ten European countries. The minimum order is 39 €: in France, delivery to a pickup point is then free, and home delivery is free from 69 €.