Welcome to Cafe Ghana!
Welcome to Cafe a la Ghana. My name's Maria and I'll be your server this evening.
Let me give you a chance to look at the menu-- I know some of the dishes are things you've never seen before so I'll explain them a little bit!
Fufu
The "national dish" of Ghana! Most Ghanaians adore fufu and are SO EXCITED whenever it's an option to eat. You have two options-- southern fufu made from cassava and plantains and northern fufu, made from plantains and yams. Which should you order? That depends on whether you like slimy or doughy. For the former, I recommend the southern and the latter, the northern.
If you want to order it, I'd recommend making your mind up now-- it takes quite a while to boil the yams and plantains and mash them into a smooth dough. AND then there's the soup! I recommend a nice light soup-- it's got tomatoes, garlic, ginger, garden eggs, and all sorts of delicious veggies!
ALSO, as a forewarning, spoons aren't allowed when eating fufu. The right way is with your fingers-- take a small piece with your hands and roll it into a ball. Then dip it into your soup, maybe take a little bit of the boiled fish served with it, and then swallow it whole. Sound impossible? Takes a few tries, but you'll be eating like a Ghanaian in no time!
Banku
Another favorite. This is another one we recommend you order ahead of time-- made from flour and water and cooked over a coal pot for an hour, banku is a sour dough ball eaten with the soup of your choice (I recommend okro stew). Again, your choice of north or south banku depends on how much you like sour foods. Let me tell you, southern banku really packs a sour punch!
Again, this is not a meal to eat with a spoon. Instead, it's served with a bowl of soapy water so you don't have to lick your fingers when you've polished off the bowl!
TZ (short for tuo zaafi and pronounced "tee-zed")
A strictly northern dish, not found many places south of the Northern Region. Similar to banku, it's made from flour mixed with water, which has been boiled over a coal pot until it changes color. At that point, it is ladled into a calabash to give it shape as it cools and then dropped into a piping hot bowl of soup-- again, I recommend the okro soup with this one, made with chopped okro, dawadawa, tomatoes, other miscellaneous veggies, and more often than not your choice of goat or fish. If you're a little squeamish, I recommend getting this dish without meat, as more often than not, you end up with goat intestines or fish with the skeleton still inside.
Another dish eaten strictly with the hands. However, TZ is much firmer than fufu and banku, making it much easier to grip and dip into soup. It also takes a much shorter time to make, so if you want a taste of Ghana finger foods without the wait, TZ is your choice!
Red Red
An obruni favorite! Made from fried ripe plantains and black-eyed peas cooked in palm oil. Mushy for sure, but the combination of sweet from the plantains and savory from the beans is out of this world!
Relax, you won't be disgraced if you eat this dish with a fork or spoon, so if you're not ready to dive into eating with your hands, red red is a great choice.
Rice Balls and Soup
Made from white rice cooked and spooned into balls while piping hot, the ingredients are in the name of this dish. Rice balls are also eaten with the hands, taking small pieces of the mushed rice and dipping it into the soup of your choice. I recommend groundnut soup with this one-- made from milled groundnuts, ginger, and tomato for a savory flavor.
This dish is rarely found at container restaurants in Ghana, but when it is, it's highly popular-- a testament to its deliciousness.
Kontumerie/Alaifu and Plaintains/Yams
This dish is another example of north-south differences in Ghana, this time with your choice of leafy greens. In the south, kontumerie is the green of choice, made into a stew with fish and a variety of veggies and palm oil and served with boiled plantains. In the north, the leafy green is alaifu, also made into a stew and served with boiled yam. Both boiled plantain and yam are hard and dry, so unless you absolutely soak them in stew, if you don't like foods on the dry side, I recommend dipping your toes into Ghanaian dishes with this one. However, the payoff is great when you find the right stew/yam combination-- the flavors are delectable!
Another meal acceptable to eat with a fork.
Jollof
Ghana is proud of this dish... it's hard to find a Ghanaian who won't willingly get into a fistfight with anyone claiming Nigerian jollof is better. However, jollof is the easiest dish to make on our menu-- simply put, it's rice with tomatoes cooked into it. Kinda like Spanish rice, but drier.
Easiest dish to get on the streets of any city in Ghana, so if you're wanting to try a dish most Ghanaians eat on a pretty regular basis, jollof is the menu option for you.
However, if you want a taste of what most Peace Corps Ghana volunteers eat on a regular basis, then we've got a special menu just for you:
PC menu:
Indomie
Basically the Ghanaian version of ramen. For just 1 GHC per pack, it's a favorite of Peace Corps volunteers running out of funds at the end of the month. If the PCV wants a little more of a meal, fried egg and chopped veggies make this option a little better than just eating a brick of cheap noodles.
Rice and Beans
Another favorite of the broke and/or culinarily-challenged PCV. Just what it sounds like: a bowl of cooked white rice covered with black-eyed beans cooked until mushy to get a little protein boost.
Bread and Groundnut Paste
The favorite of tired and time-pressed PCVs. Just buy a loaf of 2 cedi bread, cut a few slices, and coat with groundnut paste-- the local version of peanut butter. And VOILA: lunch on the go or dinner after a long day of teaching.
Whew! Sorry for the extensive explanation! I'll give you a few minutes to process everything and make a decision. I'll be back with a glass of sobolo and my order pad!
Let me give you a chance to look at the menu-- I know some of the dishes are things you've never seen before so I'll explain them a little bit!
Fufu
The "national dish" of Ghana! Most Ghanaians adore fufu and are SO EXCITED whenever it's an option to eat. You have two options-- southern fufu made from cassava and plantains and northern fufu, made from plantains and yams. Which should you order? That depends on whether you like slimy or doughy. For the former, I recommend the southern and the latter, the northern.
If you want to order it, I'd recommend making your mind up now-- it takes quite a while to boil the yams and plantains and mash them into a smooth dough. AND then there's the soup! I recommend a nice light soup-- it's got tomatoes, garlic, ginger, garden eggs, and all sorts of delicious veggies!
ALSO, as a forewarning, spoons aren't allowed when eating fufu. The right way is with your fingers-- take a small piece with your hands and roll it into a ball. Then dip it into your soup, maybe take a little bit of the boiled fish served with it, and then swallow it whole. Sound impossible? Takes a few tries, but you'll be eating like a Ghanaian in no time!
Banku
Another favorite. This is another one we recommend you order ahead of time-- made from flour and water and cooked over a coal pot for an hour, banku is a sour dough ball eaten with the soup of your choice (I recommend okro stew). Again, your choice of north or south banku depends on how much you like sour foods. Let me tell you, southern banku really packs a sour punch!
Again, this is not a meal to eat with a spoon. Instead, it's served with a bowl of soapy water so you don't have to lick your fingers when you've polished off the bowl!
TZ (short for tuo zaafi and pronounced "tee-zed")
A strictly northern dish, not found many places south of the Northern Region. Similar to banku, it's made from flour mixed with water, which has been boiled over a coal pot until it changes color. At that point, it is ladled into a calabash to give it shape as it cools and then dropped into a piping hot bowl of soup-- again, I recommend the okro soup with this one, made with chopped okro, dawadawa, tomatoes, other miscellaneous veggies, and more often than not your choice of goat or fish. If you're a little squeamish, I recommend getting this dish without meat, as more often than not, you end up with goat intestines or fish with the skeleton still inside.
Another dish eaten strictly with the hands. However, TZ is much firmer than fufu and banku, making it much easier to grip and dip into soup. It also takes a much shorter time to make, so if you want a taste of Ghana finger foods without the wait, TZ is your choice!
Red Red
An obruni favorite! Made from fried ripe plantains and black-eyed peas cooked in palm oil. Mushy for sure, but the combination of sweet from the plantains and savory from the beans is out of this world!
Relax, you won't be disgraced if you eat this dish with a fork or spoon, so if you're not ready to dive into eating with your hands, red red is a great choice.
Rice Balls and Soup
Made from white rice cooked and spooned into balls while piping hot, the ingredients are in the name of this dish. Rice balls are also eaten with the hands, taking small pieces of the mushed rice and dipping it into the soup of your choice. I recommend groundnut soup with this one-- made from milled groundnuts, ginger, and tomato for a savory flavor.
This dish is rarely found at container restaurants in Ghana, but when it is, it's highly popular-- a testament to its deliciousness.
Kontumerie/Alaifu and Plaintains/Yams
This dish is another example of north-south differences in Ghana, this time with your choice of leafy greens. In the south, kontumerie is the green of choice, made into a stew with fish and a variety of veggies and palm oil and served with boiled plantains. In the north, the leafy green is alaifu, also made into a stew and served with boiled yam. Both boiled plantain and yam are hard and dry, so unless you absolutely soak them in stew, if you don't like foods on the dry side, I recommend dipping your toes into Ghanaian dishes with this one. However, the payoff is great when you find the right stew/yam combination-- the flavors are delectable!
Another meal acceptable to eat with a fork.
Jollof
Ghana is proud of this dish... it's hard to find a Ghanaian who won't willingly get into a fistfight with anyone claiming Nigerian jollof is better. However, jollof is the easiest dish to make on our menu-- simply put, it's rice with tomatoes cooked into it. Kinda like Spanish rice, but drier.
Easiest dish to get on the streets of any city in Ghana, so if you're wanting to try a dish most Ghanaians eat on a pretty regular basis, jollof is the menu option for you.
However, if you want a taste of what most Peace Corps Ghana volunteers eat on a regular basis, then we've got a special menu just for you:
PC menu:
Indomie
Basically the Ghanaian version of ramen. For just 1 GHC per pack, it's a favorite of Peace Corps volunteers running out of funds at the end of the month. If the PCV wants a little more of a meal, fried egg and chopped veggies make this option a little better than just eating a brick of cheap noodles.
Rice and Beans
Another favorite of the broke and/or culinarily-challenged PCV. Just what it sounds like: a bowl of cooked white rice covered with black-eyed beans cooked until mushy to get a little protein boost.
Bread and Groundnut Paste
The favorite of tired and time-pressed PCVs. Just buy a loaf of 2 cedi bread, cut a few slices, and coat with groundnut paste-- the local version of peanut butter. And VOILA: lunch on the go or dinner after a long day of teaching.
Whew! Sorry for the extensive explanation! I'll give you a few minutes to process everything and make a decision. I'll be back with a glass of sobolo and my order pad!
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