Benin cuisine
Beninese cuisine is known in Africa for its exotic ingredients and flavorful dishes.[1] Beninese cuisine involves lots of fresh meals served with a variety of sauces.[1] Meat is usually quite expensive, and meals are generally light on meat and generous on vegetable fat.[1]
In southern Benin cuisine, the most common ingredient is corn, often used to prepare dough which is mainly served with peanut- or tomato-based sauces.[1] Fish and chicken are the most common meats used in southern Beninese cuisine is, but beef, goat and bush rat are also consumed.[1] Meats are often fried in palm or peanut oil.[1] Rice, beans, tomatoes and couscous are also significant staple foods.[1] Fruits are common in this region, including mandarin oranges, oranges, bananas, kiwi, avocados, pineapples and peanuts.[1]
Yams are the main staple in the northern Benin, and are also often served with peanut- or tomato-based sauces.[1] The population in the northern provinces uses beef and pork meat which is also fried in palm or peanut oil or cooked in sauces.[1] Cheese is also frequently used in some dishes. Couscous, rice and beans are also commonly eaten, along with fruits such as mangos, oranges, and avocados.[1]
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[edit] Food preparation
Frying in palm or peanut oil is the most common meat preparation, and smoked fish is also commonly prepared in Benin.[1] Grinders are used to prepare corn flour, which is made into a dough and served with sauces.[1] "Chicken on the spit" is a traditional recipe in which chicken is roasted over fire on wooden sticks.[1] Palm roots are sometimes soaked in a jar with saltwater and sliced garlic to tenderize it, which is then used in various dishes.[1] Many people have mud stoves for cooking, which are located outside of their homes.[1]
[edit] Specialty foods
[edit] Wagasi cheese
Wagasi is a specialty cows-milk cheese of northern Benin made by the Fulani people, and is abundantly available in cities such as Parakou.[2] It's a soft cheese with a mild flavor and a red rind, and used often in Beninese cooking.
[edit] Acarajé
Acarajé is a dish made from peeled black-eyed peas formed into a ball and then deep-fried in dendê (palm oil). It is found in most parts of the Republic of Benin, Nigeria and Ghana.
[edit] Other specialty foods
The following summarizes some other Beninese specialty dishes and foods:[2]
- Akassa: fermented corn dough served with a sauce
- Akpan: corn dumplings, dipped in a sauce.
- Aloko: fried plantain
- Amiwo: red corn dough, often made with tomato puree, onion and peppers and served with a sauce
- Beye: cake made of roasted peanuts, cooked in oil
- Dough: corn dough, usually soaked in sauces
- Fufu: Mashed yams formed into a paste
- Garri: a popular West African food made from cassava tubers
- Moyo: A sauce usually served with fried fish, consisting of tomato sauce, onion and peppers
[edit] Beverages
Choukachou or "chouk" is a Beninese millet beer[2] commonly consumed in northern Benin, and is shipped to southern Benin by railway and roadways. Sodabi is a liquor made from wine palm, and often consumed at events and ceremonies.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- This article uses material from the "Beninese Cuisine" article on the Recipes wiki at Wikia and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.
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