Introduction
If you’re visiting Africa, there’s no shortage of great food to try. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that it’s one of the continent’s biggest attractions. Whether you’re in Cape Town or Cairo, all you have to do is open your mouth and let the flavors hit your taste buds! So what are some of my favorite African dishes? Read on for my list:
Ugali
Ugali is a staple food in Kenya and Tanzania. It’s made from cornmeal and water, then cooked until it becomes doughy. It’s a popular breakfast dish that can be served with meat or fish–or both!
Ugali is very common in these countries, but you may not have heard of it before reading this article. This might be because it doesn’t have many variations (you’ll typically find only one type at restaurants) and doesn’t have any fancy names like “pancake” or “crepe.” But don’t let this deter you; ugali is delicious!
Bobotie
Bobotie, a traditional South African dish, is made with minced beef and spices. The meaty gravy is baked with a crust on top. Bobotie originated in Cape Town and is often served at family gatherings or during special occasions like Christmas.
It’s also common for people to make this dish with other meats such as lamb or pork instead of beef if they prefer those flavors over beef ones–and it still tastes just as delicious!
Appam
Appam is a pancake made from fermented rice batter and served with coconut milk and sugar. It’s popular in southern India and Sri Lanka, where it can be eaten for breakfast or as a snack.
Appam is made from rice flour, yeast or baking powder (to make it rise), water, oil and salt. The batter is left to ferment overnight before being cooked on a griddle until golden brown. Appam can also be steamed or baked instead of fried; this makes for a softer texture but doesn’t change the flavor much because there isn’t much flavor in the first place!
Boerewors
Boerewors is a South African sausage that’s made with beef and pork, flavored with coriander and other spices. It’s served with pap (a traditional South African dish) or on its own as an appetizer or snack.
Doro Wat
Doro wat is an Ethiopian dish that’s served with hardboiled eggs. It’s made with chicken, onion and garlic. The chicken is cooked in a spicy stew of berbere sauce (a chili pepper paste) and other spices. This spicy stew is often served with injera (a flatbread).
The name doro wat comes from the Amharic word “durra”, which means chicken.
Sadza
Sadza is a staple food in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi. It’s made from ground maize or cornmeal and served with gravy or stew. It can be eaten with your hands–no utensils required!
Fufu
Fufu is a staple food in West Africa, and can be made from cassava, plantain or yam. It’s typically eaten with a sauce (and sometimes extra spicing) to make it more filling. You can eat fufu either as balls or patties; if you’re eating it as a ball then you will dip it into the sauce. If you want to make your own fufu at home, I recommend using this recipe from Allrecipes!
Akara (bean cake)
Akara is a popular African food. It’s made from beans, onions, tomatoes and spices. You can eat akara for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
It’s like a bean cake but with an interesting texture that makes it unique from other bean cakes. Akara is often eaten with a sauce (like okra stew) on top of it because the sauce has more flavor than just eating akara alone without any accompaniments.
Find great African food all over the continent.
- Find great African food all over the continent.
- Try street food and restaurants, as well as markets.
- Recipes are available online and in cookbooks.
- Eat with locals when you can!
Conclusion
We’ve covered a lot of ground in this article, but hopefully you’re feeling inspired to try out some new African dishes. Remember that the best way to learn about a new culture is through its food! And if you’re looking for more inspiration, check out this list of African restaurants around the world–I know I’ll be heading there soon.
