Food has been an interesting topic here in Ghana. While the new flavors and smells did not sit well for the first couples weeks, it has not taken long to adjust and I have been enjoying Ghanaian food ever since! Common dishes found in Ghana are fufu (mashed cassava and plantain) and kenkey or banku (fermented maize) which are served in a soup with meat. Other dishes include rice (plain, jollof, or watchi), plantains, and red red (bean stew). You can also find a meat pie and other pastries anywhere you go!
Erin and I have been trying to cook on our shared hot plate in our room as much as possible. We also go to the market often, where we can get a meal of rice, sauce and plantains or meat for about 1 Cede (less than a $1). Fruit has definitely been the food group of choice while in Accra. Fresh pineapple, mango, bananas, papaya, watermelon and oranges are in abundance. There is also a lady, Louisa, who sits on the sidewalk selling desserts. Banana pie, mango pie, pineapple pie, banana chocolate chip muffins, etc. Her treats are not at all the versions you would find at home, but nevertheless hit the spot!
Saturday morning breakfast with the team. French toast made with fresh baguettes, cinnamon, vanilla and icing sugar. And more fruit!
Last week, Erin and I were invited to go her friend, Angela’s place for fufu. Angela, is a grad nurse working at Military 37, and lives with her sister Patricia in the army barracks behind the hospital, a small but cozy place. We arrived around 2 in the afternoon and found out that we had missed much of the work, as preparing fufu takes most of the day. It begins with peeling and then boiling cassava and plantains until soft. After this the plantains and cassava are mashed with a giant mortar and pestle. As I cut up the plantains and cassava, Erin attempted to help with the mashing, but was quickly dismissed, as she could not do it fast enough. Haha, I didn’t even try as I can’t keep a beat let alone pound with the pestle without smashing Patricia’s fingers.
Meanwhile, a soup is made, which has peppers, garden eggs, tomato paste, spices, etc. Meat is often included, and Ben has shared stories of ordering fufu with beef and receiving not only the meat, but the hide and intestines as well! It’s common to have it with fish as well (the whole fish, eyes and all). We had goat, which was amazingly tasty. Erin and I generously saved Angela’s favorite parts for her – the hide!
When the fufu is ready, it was put in a bowl with the soup and meat. I can’t say that fufu is my favorite, or that I will ever have it again, but the experience was more than worth it. The best part, was hanging out with Angela, her sister and their friends. However different our cultures may be, girls are still girls!
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