Ghana is made up of various ethnic groups.
There are diverse traditional dishes from each ethnic group, tribe and clan from the north to the south and from the east to west. Foods also vary according to the season, time of the day, and occasion. Ghanaian main dishes unlike other cunalyes, are organized around a starchy staple such as rice, fufu, banku/etew, kenkey/dokonu, tuozafi, dzidzii, akplidzii, yakeyake, eto, akyeke, etc. with which a sauce or soup saturated with fish, snails, meat, crabs, shrimps or mushrooms. Tropical Ghanaian staples in the south include cassava and plantain. In the northern parts of the country, their main staples include millet and sorghum. Yam, maize and beans are used across the country as staple foods. Crops such as peanuts and cocoyam are also important in the local cuisine. With the advent of modernization and colonialism, imported crops such as rice and wheat have been increasingly incorporated in Ghanaian dishes and where they originated from.
Tuo Zaafi with Ayoyo soup.
Ayoyo soup is a green leaf soup enjoyed by tribes in the northern region of Ghana. It’s popularly served with tuo, a maize & cassava meal like dumpling. Ayoyo is the local name for Jews or Jute Mallow or Egyptian Spinach or bush okra. It’s a very nutritious leaf rich in protein, calcium, riboflavin, iron, folate and dietary fiber. It’s thought to be a super food so enjoy eating it.
Waakye
Waakye (pronounced ‘waachay’) is a combination of red or black-eyed beans and rice, and it’s often served with salads, spaghetti, fried plantains, garri, avocado pear, meat and or fish. It’s a delicacy all over the country, and Ghanaians frequently queue at stalls to buy it for their breakfast or lunch.
Waakye originated from northern Ghana, where rice and beans are staple food crops. However, it’s not clear which specific ethnic group is responsible for pioneering this national treasure. Depending on where it’s prepared, certain variations exist in its ingredients, like the ratio of rice to beans or the spiciness of the accompanying shitor (hot pepper sauce). Nevertheless, it manages to maintain a generally consistent taste.
Kenkey
Kenkey or kormi or Kokoe or Dorkunu is a staple dish similar to sourdough dumplingfrom the Ga, inhabited regions of West Africa, usually served with pepper sauce and fried fish or soup, stew. It is prepared from fermented ground white corn (maize) wrapped in maize husks before cooking. Kenkey is now eaten across the country.
Eto
Oto is a local traditional dish for the Akans ( ethnic group in Ghana. It is a sacred dish served at ‘outdoorings’ , purification during festive seasons. It is prepared from slightly riped plantain which is mashed and mixed with palm oil and usually served with groundnut, egg or avocado pear.
Fufu
Fufu is a staple food eaten amongst the southern parts of Ghana but believed to be be a dish of the Akan tribe. fufu is made by pounding cassava and unripe plantain together, adding water until a well mixed thick paste is gotten. It is best served with soups such as light soups( blended garden eggs), palmnut soup, or with groundnut soup.
Banku
Banku is a local dish which is cooked by a proportionate mixture of fermented corn and cassava dough in hot water into a smooth, whitish consistent paste. Served with okro soup, stew or a pepper sauce with fish. It is usually eaten amongst the Asantes.
Abetie/Konkonte
Abetie is a local food enjoyed by many people across Ghana. Abetie a.k.a Konkonte a.k.a ‘face the wall’ is basically prepared from dry cassava flour and it is an accompaniment that is being eaten with groundnut soup, palmnut soup and okro soup in conjunction with a variety of meat and fishes. Before you learn how to prepare this meal, you must have the skill to prepare banku and know how to ‘drive’ or stir very fast in strenght. The word abetie is mainly pronounced by the Asantes.
Akple
Akple is the staple food of the Ewe tribe made from maize. Quite similar to Banku and Tuo Zaafi but with a different flavour. It can be eaten with either stew or soup but mostly goes with pepper sauce and small herrings popularly referred to as “Akpavi”.