Ultimate Guide: Top 10 traditional Ghanaian foods
French fries have nothing on kelewele, one of Ghana's most finger-licking good street foods.
Ghana is known for its warm and friendly people, who treat tourists like part of the family, which probably explains why many of its traditional dishes are meals that can be easily shared.
The Ghanaian culinary experience is comforting, filling, and authentic. Traditional food in Ghana also relies heavily on local ingredients and spices.
From hot chilli sauce known as shito to puffy Ghanaian doughnuts, meals offer the perfect balance of savoury, spicy, and sweet.
Here's a look at some of the traditional foods you will encounter during a trip to Ghana.
Fufu
Fufu is a staple food in several West African countries, including Ghana. The starchy food has a sticky, dough-like consistency and is typically shaped into a smooth, round ball after cooking. Fufu, pronounced foo-foo, is usually made with plantain, cassava, and water. Some locals also make it with yams.
Paired with: Soup, stew, sauce.
Banku
Cassava is a star ingredient in banku, which also includes fermented corn. Like fufu, it is also cooked on medium heat over a stove and pounded until smooth.
Paired with: Soup, stew, shito
Okro/Okra Soup
Okro, also spelt Okra, is a popular vegetable in Ghana that is used to make soup or stew. The pod-like vegetable is green in colour and becomes slimy when cooked. But don't let the slimy texture of okro fool you, it is the key ingredient in some of Ghana's best soups.
Paired with: Fufu, banku
Jollof Rice
When most people hear jollof rice, they think of Nigeria. However, it is a favourite in many West African countries. Think of it as rice's flavourful cousin. It is made with a delicious tomato mix that includes red peppers, onion, carrots, red chillies, basil, and coriander.
Paired with: Chicken, fish, meat, steamed vegetables, shito sauce, boiled eggs, Kelewele.
Kelewele
French fries have nothing on kelewele. The delicious street food snack is made with ripe plantains and a variety of spices including cayenne pepper/ground chilli peppers, cloves, ginger, garlic, nutmeg, onion, and salt to taste. The plantain is coated in the spices and left to marinate for 15 minutes or more before frying.
Paired with: Served with jollof rice or good on its own
Kenkey
Kenkey is a fermented corn dough similar to dumplings. The dough balls are wrapped in corn husks before being steamed or boiled.
Paired with: Fried fish, fried plantains, soup, stew, sauce
Bofrot
Bofrot is a fried dough ball which looks like a super crispy vetkoek. Some people in West Africa call it Ghanaian doughnuts or puff-puff if you live in Nigeria. Unlike the average doughnut, bofrot does not have a sugary sweet glaze.
Paired with: Dipped in milk or tea, served with groundnut paste or sauce
ALSO READ: Recipe: Homemade glazed doughnuts
Nkatie/Nkate Cake
Pronounced, in-kah-teh, Nkate cake is a delicious snack that is made with just two ingredients: groundnuts (peanuts) and sugar. It is also called peanut cake or groundnut cake. It's more like peanut brittle than an actual cake but delicious nonetheless.
Paired with: Typically seated as a standalone snack
Waakye
Perfect for lunch or dinner, waakye is a hearty bowl of rice and beans. However, this is no ordinary rice and beans meal. It contains dried red sorghum leaves and baking soda.
Paired with: Fish, chicken, fried plantains, boiled eggs, salad, gari (grated cassava), avocado
Red-Red
Like Waayke, black-eye peas are a key ingredient in red-red. It is cooked with a red palm oil and a tomato sauce.
Paired with: Fried plantains, avocado, rice, boiled yam
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