Gambian cuisine mainly consists ofMandinka andWolof food, with some influence from neighbouring Senegal, whose cuisine is French-influenced. Gambian cuisine is part ofWest African cuisine and includes the culinary practices and traditions of the nation ofThe Gambia. Common ingredients include fish, rice,peanuts, tomato,black-eyed peas, lemon,cassava, cabbage, potato, pumpkin,garden egg, lettuces, rice, couscous, corn,findi, onion, chili, and various herbs. Oysters are also a popular food from theRiver Gambia, and are harvested by women.[1]
Benachin (benna cin, 'one pot'), a slightly different version ofthieboudienne, (both names used in Senegal for the same dish), is an originally Wolof dish traditionally cooked in one pot (the practice giving it its name). Various ingredients including fish or meat are added, seasoned with herbs, lemon juice, basil, aubergine, parsley, onion, chili, tomato, pumpkin, carrot, cabbage, cassava, pepper, garden egg, dry fish, andvegetable oil, with tomato paste sometimes added for color.[1]
Caldo is a lemon-flavored steamed whole-fish dish, a variation ofyassa.[1]
Domoda, aMandinka dish made with concentratedpeanut paste, meat or fish seasoned with salt, medium onion, fresh tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, medium cabbage, water, tomato paste, lemon juice, soup stock, and white rice.Domo means 'to eat' anddàa is the word for a stew pot. Domoda is also the national dish of the Gambia.[1]
Yassa is a lemon whole-chicken or fish dish made with salt, pepper, onion, clove, garlic, mustard, chili sauce, lime juice, rice and water (if making it with chicken).[1]
Oyster stew orsauci yohus, a stew of oysters (or mussels) with vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes and onions and seasonings such as chili, ginger, garlic, bay leaves and other herbs.[1]
Wolof:Cherreh or chere orMandinka:futoo is a dish of steamed millet that can be served with various sauces, such as sauce made fromokra and leafy plant like spinach forChere mbuum, peanut sauce forChere baasi gerte, tomato/peanut sauce forChere baasi, meat, tomato & vegetable sauce forChere baasi salte, andChere Faas/Chere Marokeng for Moroccan-style couscous.
Chew i kong is a fish stew withcatfish, cooked with palm oil and served with rice.
Chew yappa is a stew that is typically made with beef, but fish can also be used. This is also served with rice.
Supakanja orsuperkanja is an okrastew orsoup made withpalm oil that may also containsmoked fish and beef, and is served with rice orfufu.
Plasas, a stew/soup dish that appears similar tosupakanja, but is actually made with spinach or potato leaves.[2]
Pem Bem, a fish dish served on rice, with cooked onions.[2]
Kucha, aJola sour fish dish cooked withhibiscus leaf. It is made with fish, hibiscus leaf, okra, locust bean, tomatoes, onion, hot pepper, mixed spices, salt, lime and vinegar.[2]
Fouti orFutti is aFula dish. It is an okra paste and various vegetables on rice.[2]
Domoda faring is a variation of the original Domoda but is made with flour instead of peanut butter. It is a tomato and vegetable lemony stew with chicken, lamb, beef or fishballs and uses flour to thicken the sauce making it another iconic Gambian dish.[2]
Fishball stew, also known asChu Bullet in The Gambia, is a hearty meal made of a tasty fishballs paired with a sautéed onion sauce and rice.[2]
Chew diw tirr is a beloved dish in Gambian cuisine, known for its rich flavours and hearty ingredients. The main ingredient is smoked catfish, which imparts a distinct, smoky flavour. The fish is often accompanied by a variety of vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, okra, cabbage, cassava and eggplant. Spices like garlic, hot peppers, and seasoning cubes are added to enhance the flavour.[2]
Moi moi orOleleh, a boiled "pastry" of sorts with vegetables, meat, seafood, seasoning, with a bean base.[2]
Attaya, a sweetgreen tea traditionally triple-brewed with a small kettle on an African charcoal pot, adding more sugar and pouring the tea from each cutting tea glass to another with each brew. The nameAttaya presumably comes from Englishattire.[2]
Bouyi orbaobab juice, a drink made from the baobab fruit, milk, and sugar. Usually served cold or at room temperature; however, when frozen, it becomes known as "ice", and is typically sold on streets or next to buses.[2]
JulBrew, the only beer made in The Gambia, which is no longer produced.
Ginger juice, a strong ginger drink made from ginger, sugar, andvanilla.[2]
Kabaa juice, a sour-sweet juice made from crushing the pulp of theSaba senegalensis fruit, and adding sugar and water.[2]
Tapalapa is a bread shaped like abaguette, but with a denser texture. It is made from wheat flour, millet flour, andblack-eyed peas, in addition to water, salt, and yeast. The bread is baked in a special tapalapa oven. It is usually stuffed with things such as:nyebbeh (black-eyed peas), fish, boiled egg, fried egg, mayonnaise, potato, chocolate paste, and more.[2]
Senfuur, a more traditionalFrench baguette bread, usually stuffed with the same things asTapalapa.
Akara, areWest African deep-friedfritters made from ground black-eyed peas seasoned with salt, pepper, and onion. They are often eaten for breakfast with tapalapa.
Afra orDibi is a popular street food made from grilled meat cubes seasoned with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and bouillon cubes.[2]
Fufu are balls made from flour from plantain, yam, potato or cassava. They can be served in layers with various dishes, such assupakanja.
Panket are roughly racquetball-sized deep-fried balls made out of sugar, water, baking powder, and millet flour forpanketu dougub, or wheat flour forpanketu fanrin.[2]
Street yassa, not to be confused withyassa, is a fish and onion dish made out ofbonga, onions, hot pepper, salt, tamarind, and lemon.[2]
Fish ket are flat fried discs made out of flour, salt, and water. They are almost always topped withGrone soup (marinated smoked fish), or a bean sauce with stir-fried onions.[2]
Ebbeh is a spicy soup with seafood such as crab.[2]
Unripe mango with spices and sugar is often enjoyed as a quick street snack.[2]
Groundnuts, usually sold salted and roasted with the skin on.[2]
Groundnut cake, referring to either groundnuts with a thick ginger and sugar coating, or groundnuts shaped into a flat disc by hardened caramelised sugar.[2]
Chakery, a sweet dish made from couscous (wheat ormillet), milk (or sweetened condensed milk or yogurt), fruit and spices.
Lakh is a sweet porridge made from thebaobab fruit and millet. It can be optionally topped withnjineh jobe orndine diop, a sweet, peanut-based sauce also made with baobab and nutmeg.[2]
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