Many restaurants in the larger towns and cities serve both European and
Ghanaian dishes. For westerners the Ghanaian food is an interesting
experience.
The basis of many Ghanaian dishes is something
that looks like a thick porridge or puree. Certain foods that make up
the Ghanaian diet vary according to which region of the country people
live in. In the north, millet (a type of grain), yams, and corn are
eaten most frequently, while the south and west enjoy plantains
(similar to bananas), cassava, and cocoyam (a root vegetable).
Fufu
is the best known and the most popular type of puree in the south and
tuo-zafi mostly popular in the north. Fufu is made from a mix of cooked
cassava and plantain, mashing the fufu is an extravagant ritual and
hard work. Tuo-zafi is made out of millet flour. Other well known types
of puree are kenkey and banku. The later is made from corn. Even rice
is something turned into a kind of puree called omo tuo; this dish is
considered to be a delicacy. When it comes to soup, foreigners will
favour groundnut soup. Other popular dishes are red-red, which is
fired plantain with beans, jollof rice (a kind of risotto), and grilled
tilapia, a freshwater fish that shouldn�t be overlooked. All of these
dishes are usually available in many chop bars (simple Ghanaian eating
establishment).
These staple foods are accompanied by thick,
well-seasoned stews. Stews come in a variety of flavours, the most
popular being okra, fish, bean leaf (or other greens), forowe (a fishy
tomato stew), palava sauce (spinach stew with either fish or chicken),
and groundnut (peanut), one of the country's national dishes. The local
dishes are eaten without cutlery but with the hand. Food is eaten with
the RIGHT hand. There are a number of different types of puree, each
with its own name.
In Ghana, food and drink are offered for sale
on the street, like roast goats meat, pieces of cleaned sugarcane,
roast cobs of corn, coconut, bags and bottles of iced mineral water,
oranges and plantain chips. The Ghanaian drink in a spot, an open air
bars, usually walled by brightly coloured boards. All well-known soft
drinks like Fanta, Sprite and Coca Cola are readily available, as are
the local beers such as Star, Club, Stone, Castle, milk stout and
Guinness. If you want something extra strong, you should try locally
prepared drinks, akpeteshie, (local dry gin), distilled palm wine (a
real delicacy that�s best when drunk fresh) and pito. The drink
favoured at local ceremonies and presented to chiefs is schnapps.
SAFTY
NOTE: Stay healthy by drinking bottled water or sachets, rather than
tap water, and avoiding ice in drinks unless the source is known to be
safe water. Bottled water for drinking is readily available throughout
Ghana and is recommended. Fresh fruit is readily available. Food that
is well cooked and kept hot is safest.
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