A Taste of Ghana

In traffic, sellers walk right up to the car window with treats like with plantain chips, groundnuts (peanuts) and condensed milk toffee, which is like soft caramel. I can’t wait to try the toffee! Snacks cost five to ten cedis, which is less than one dollar. Imagine the snacks coming to YOU!

How did I feel when I tried it?:

I felt really good eating locally! In Ghana, a lot of the food comes from people who live right in my neighborhood. Some sell food at little stands on the street, some have tiny shops right outside their houses, and some cook meals in their own kitchens and sell them to people nearby. Almost every neighborhood has its own food spots!

Every time I buy food here, I feel like I’m helping my neighbors. We may not have McDonald’s or Chick-fil-A here, but it makes me happy to know my money goes to the people like the auntie down the street. After my meal, I always feel full and cared for, like when someone at home makes you your favorite dinner.

How is the food prepared?:

Food here takes a lot of work, and almost everything is made from scratch!

  • Stews: Cooks fry onions in oil, then pour in blended tomatoes, peppers, garlic and ginger. It bubbles until it gets thick, like a super flavorful ketchup. Then they add meat or fish.
  • Waakye: The cook boils special dried leaves in water, and the water turns reddish-brown, kind of like tea! Then the beans and rice cook in that water, and that’s how waakye gets its color.
  • Fufu: Fufu gets pounded with a heavy wooden stick and turned in a mortar by hand.

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