Africa is a continent that has many attractions and wonders in times of lifestyle and culture. Tourists are usually fascinated by interesting and mind-blowing cultures across the continent including dressing, food, people, inviting climate, as well as natural wonders among others. Millions of tourists make Africa their holiday destination every year.

The traditional African cuisine is usually made locally from the combination of locally available farm products such as cereal grains and vegetables, as well as milk and meat products, and do not usually have food imported.

African meals, when prepared, usually requires a great amount of expertise and a high level of concentration when learning how to prepare one. They are very sophisticated dishes and it usually takes time to get an African dish done – it is no fast food.  Without further ado, let’s dive straight into the African dishes you should taste when this pandemic is all over.

READ ALSO: Be the COVID-19 Survival Chef with this African Food

1.Jollof  Rice (Nigeria, Ghana): Arguably the most common dish eaten in West Africa because of its mouth-watering taste and aroma which makes one salivates. It usually prepared as a pot of rice cooked in tomato sauce, curry, thyme, salt, and seasoning cubes. It is best served with chicken, meat, or fish (all fried). You can complement it with a cold beer of fruit juice to wash it down.  You’ll feel really great afterward. There is an existing rivalry among Nigerians and Ghanaians as to who prepares the dish best with the latter always claiming to prepare it better.

2. Kenkey (Ghana):  I have not tasted all the Ghanaian dishes but Kenkey is probably the best I have tasted.   I could make this food my three square meal every day for a month. In a nutshell, it’s sumptuous. It is a typical dish from Ghana made from fermented white corn, which is widely consumed by people throughout the country. It is identified as Komi in southern Ghana, Dokunu by the Fante tribe of central Ghana, while Kenkey is the generic name for it. It is usually eaten with a deep-fried and spicy stew called Shito. The stew is really hot and spicy. It is complemented with fried and dried fish.

3. Ikokore/Ifokore (Ijebu, Nigeria): Ikokore is one of the most common food eaten among the Ijebus, a subgroup of the Yoruba people in Nigeria. It is also called water yam pottage, as it is usually made with water yam, palm oil, beef, pepper, and dried fish. It takes about an hour and a half for it to be cooked and it is very delicious, finger-licking as well as nutritious.

Studies have shown that this dish can be used to support the fibre and mineral needs of its consumers. It also plays a preventive role in managing chronic diseases.

4. Pilau (Kenya):  If you ever visit Kenya in eastern Africa, you must not leave without having a taste of Pilau. It is a very popular food of the Kenyan costal tribes cooked with flavour spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and cumin and made up of rice and deeply fried meat.

 5. Pounded Yam and Egusi Soup (Nigeria):  Widely regarded among Nigerians as the king’s food, it is usually prepared and eaten on special occasions such as festivals and ceremonies. It is too delicious to be eaten every day, as well as too tedious to be prepared every day. It requires pounding large tuber of yams in mortar and pestle for hours, which is very tedious to do.  Traditionally, it is made by boiling yams in a pot, once cooked, it is paced or beaten into a smooth textured dough with a mortar and pestle.  The Egusi soup on the other hand is made up of melon seed, with vegetables, fish, and palm oil. It is used to complement the pounded yam making it mouth-watering

6. Waakye (Ghana):  This popular street food consists of rice and black-eyed peas are found in almost every corner of Ghana. It is made up of rice, beans, onions, deeply fried fish, tomatoes, vegetables, spice, and fried stew. It makes a great vegetarian meal with a little tomato gravy or chili sauce. 

7. Muchomo (Uganda): If you’re a meat lover, Muchomo is a must for you to eat when you get to the Ugandan cuisine. It is rich in protein as it consists of Assorted meats ranging from chicken, goat meat, pork, and beef (all roasted). It’s usually complemented with gonja (sweet plantain) and salad, making it look tasty and very healthy just for you.

8.Injera (Ethiopia): Have you ever tasted fermented and sour flatbread made out of Teff flour? If not, then you should visit Ethiopia. It’s usually made from tiny iron-rich teff seeds, which are grounded into flour. It looks thinner than a pancake.

 In Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisines, vegetable, lentil, or meat dishes are served on top of the injera, and the food is eaten with your hands, using the injera to scoop up the food.

9.Seswaa(Botswana): If you want to have a taste of the Botswana cuisine, then you should the meaty and spicy dish of Seswaa. Available in every restaurant in Botswana, it is made from over boiled meat, chicken and beef, and onions. Once soft, it is pounded and served on a bed of pap.

10.Poulet DG (Cameroon): As a VIP and expensive person, you shouldn’t be served just any kind of dish when you go to Cameroon, you should be served with the most mouth-watering dish known as Poulet DG— a combination of fried chicken and plantain. It is not a meal anyone eats every day, it’s a meal eaten on special occasions and for the VIPs. It’s made of fried plantain, spiced fried chicken, tomatoes, and onions. Who can afford this every day? Excepts every day is his birthday.

Now this is just a bit of Africa. You can add yours in the comment box.