Your Senegalese Shopping List: Top 10 Traditional Foods Of Senegal
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Loading... - Maria Wanja
- 20 Sep 2022
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1. PEANUTS
You won’t have to break the bank for our first entry, in fact, it’ll cost...
...Peanuts, or groundnuts, are the number one crop in Senegal and this has had a huge influence on the cuisine. From flavourful soups, to classic stews like Maafé, peanuts add brilliant earthiness and richness to a host of slow cooked Senegalese recipes.
This common ingredient is often used in the form of unsweetened and unsalted peanut butter, bringing a silky texture without disrupting the harmony of the dish.
2. CASSAVA
If you haven’t tried this ingredient yet, we’re sure you’ll be seduced by this Cassava-nova (sorry)
Cassava was brought to West Africa from Brazil in the 16th Century and is now one of the most important foods in the region. Somewhere between a yam and a potato, it is used as a starch to be served alongside stews in Senegalese food.
One of the most common forms of Cassava is a fermented mash called Attiéke, although the root isn’t the only edible part of the plant. Cassava leaves also have their use, bringing a vegetal, herby flavour to soups and sauces.
3. BROKEN RICE
Now before you try to return this next entry, just remember, that’s how it’s meant to look!
‘Riz brisé’ is the grain of choice in Senegal. Almost resembling couscous, these finely broken pieces of rice have their history in Senegal’s French colonial past.
Rice from Vietnam (another French colony) would often arrive crushed after being shipped thousands of miles. This hugely reduced the price it could be sold at. But due to this low cost and it’s satisfying texture, broken rice soon became Senegal’s favourite grain. To this day, it's necessary for long grain rice shipments in Senegal to contain a certain percentage of broken pieces! Read More…
