Exploring Food II
on The Ghana Experience (Ghana), 04/Sep/2010 10:44, 34 days ago
Exploring Food II02-03 August 2010Dawadawa- It is used as a flavouring agent in the food. It is a fruitpulp which is dried and used by adding it in small quantities to thefood preparations such as rice, soups, beans etc. The smell ofDawadawa is awfully strong. The central market of Bolgatanga has a lotof stalls where Dawadawa balls are sold and the smell is everywhere inthe air along with that of dry fish. So one can imagine how smellyaffair is it to visit Bolga market. I once ate Dawadawa jollof ricewhich had good taste. They say it has some medicinal properties andthe taste and smell depends on how Dawadawa is processed.Guineafowl meat- It is one of the tastiest meat as per the claim inthe northern part of Ghana. People who have migrated from northernGhana to the south always make it a point to eat Guinea fowl when theycome to the northern part of the country. I liked the guineafowl meatwhich was served to me twice. Though I don't have much of knowledgeabout meat, I can confidently say that the meat which they had servedtasted better than any other meat which I have ever eaten till date.Khebabs- Here Kebabs are spelled as Khebabs. They are served almosteverywhere in the country but one can't say sure that you'll get goodkebabs everywhere. I had never eaten Kebabs back in India. Especiallyafter seeing the way they make them near Bandra Railway station inMumbai, I had made my mind that I am never going to eat them in life.On a request of a friend I took kebabs in Bongo and it was very badexperience for me. It was not cooked properly and I had good exerciseof my teeth chewing the meat. I decided at that point I'll never evereat Kebab in Ghana. The next day I went to one spot in Bolga with myfriend Rose and the kebabs made near that spot came highlyrecommended. The smell in the air was inviting so I decided to give ita try. They were juicy, lightly spiced and cooked on low charcoal firefor longer time, really great taste. I found that the place is worthgoing there again just for eating Kebabs.Sausages- They are sold on the stalls where they also sell Kebabs.These are prepared by smoking them on charcoal fire like Khebabs. Mydevout Hindu vegetarian friends and family members won't like it but Ishall explain what Sausage is. It is made by stuffing the intestine ofan animal by ground meat and then curing it further so that it haslong shelf life. Before smoking it they brush it with mixture of saltand spices. Taste is just great.Fried Eggs- I have not seen them in India. It is like an Omlette butthe eggs are not beaten before pouring it on the pan. The egg yellowand white remains separate. Taste wise it is nothing special but it issome different way of doing it. One can find them at many street sidestalls and is a cheap, safe food having easy of access when one ishungry.Fried banana chips- These are thinly sliced raw plantain chips. Theseare similar to those available in southern India. Ghanaian chips aresliced finely and along the length of plantain and not across it sothe chips are very long. These are served in lightly salted form and Ifound them to be tastier than the ones found in India. These arecommonly sold everywhere in southern part of Ghana and not easilyfound in the Northern part of the country.Palava sauce- These are made from leaves of a local leafy vegetablecalled Efan. The leaves are cooked with fish or finely shredded meatand some other spices. They are generally eaten with some starchysubstance such as cooked plantains, yams, banku etc and has goodtaste.Octopus and Squid- There is nothing great about the taste of these seacreatures but they can blend well with other food items in apreparation. The taste is bland and texture is like a rubber. I atesquid jollof rice in a beautiful sea side restaurant near Cape Coastcastle. More than the squid we enjoyed looking at the sea from windowand company of friends. The squid pieces were cooked with rice like wecook Pulao in India. They had served once stir fried Octopus pieces atthe dinner during our volunteer conference in Kumasi.Ouche- These are beans and rice cooked together. Taste is good butdepends largely on what type of sauces added to it. To avoid unwantedtaste to the dish, it is better to avoid addition of any type of saucein it.Yam Chips- These are fried chips sold at almost every street cornerand by the moving vendors. The chips are thick in size and taste isnot so great but not bad either. It is like french fries.Beans- This is a cowpea cooked with some spices. There is somethingsmelly added to it. Probably it is Dawadawa and some fish extract.After ordering it, as per your choice they add some seasonings to it.The choice of seasonings include tomato sauce (tomato, onion, garlicand ginger crushed together with sheer human force), shito (hot chillipepper and fish sauce), a red coloured palm oil with some seasoningsadded to it, gari (dried coarsely ground cassava). Generally it iseaten with yam chips. The whole thing is surely an acquired taste andI am acquiring it day by day as I buy it once or twice a week from theeatery opposite to my office.