Top 10 West African Foods

Egusi soup is a hearty Nigerian staple made from ground melon seeds sauteed in palm oil with leafy vegetables, assorted meats, and locust beans (iru), which provide its distinctive umami depth. It is one of the most consumed soups in Nigeria, where it is estimated that more than 60% of households eat it at least once a week. The soup is paired with swallow foods such as eba, pounded yam, or fufu and is considered a comfort food across Yoruba, Igbo, and Edo cultures.

Fufu is a starchy dough-like staple made by pounding boiled cassava, yam, or plantain until smooth, forming the edible base for soups and stews across West, Central, and East Africa. In Ghana it is traditionally made from cassava and unripe plantain, while in Nigeria it is often made from cassava alone or semolina. The Global Fufu Challenge on TikTok in 2021 garnered over 150 million views, introducing the dish to audiences across Europe and North America.

Thieboudienne (or Ceebu Jen) is Senegal's national dish and was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2021 — the first West African food to receive this distinction. The dish consists of fish stuffed with a herb-and-spice blend called roff, slow-cooked in a rich tomato sauce with broken rice and seasonal vegetables including cassava, cabbage, and sweet potato. It is considered the progenitor of all West African rice dishes and is eaten daily in Dakar households.

Suya is Nigeria's iconic street food — thin strips of beef or chicken skewered and grilled over open coals, rubbed generously with a spiced groundnut powder called yaji containing ginger, paprika, garlic, and kuli kuli. Originating among the Hausa people of Northern Nigeria, suya is now sold by roadside vendors ("mai suya") across every Nigerian city from Lagos to Abuja, typically served wrapped in newspaper with sliced tomatoes and onions. The dish has inspired suya-seasoned snacks and sauces now sold in UK and US supermarkets.

Kelewele is a Ghanaian street food of spiced fried plantain, marinated in a paste of ginger, cayenne pepper, and salt before being deep-fried to a crispy golden exterior with a sweet, fiery interior. It is sold from street vendors across Accra, particularly in the evenings, and is a beloved snack and side dish across the country. The dish exemplifies the West African tradition of transforming simple ingredients — the ripe plantain — into complex, addictive flavors through spicing.

Pounded yam is one of Nigeria's most prestigious swallow foods, made by boiling white yam and pounding it in a mortar until it forms a smooth, elastic dough. It is considered a celebratory food in Yoruba and Igbo cultures, traditionally served with egusi, bitterleaf, or oha soup at weddings, funerals, and festivals. Nigeria is the world's largest yam producer, accounting for over 70% of global output, and pounded yam is central to that agricultural and culinary identity.

Groundnut soup (peanut stew) is a rich, creamy, and slightly spicy soup eaten across Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal, made from ground roasted peanuts blended into a tomato and palm oil base with meat, fish, or chicken. In Ghana it is known as "nkatie kwan" and is typically served with fufu, while in northern Nigeria it accompanies tuwon shinkafa (rice paste). Its American descendant, the peanut stew eaten in the Southern United States, traces its origins to enslaved West Africans who brought groundnut cultivation to the Americas.

Akara are deep-fried bean cakes made from blended black-eyed peas seasoned with onions, peppers, and salt — a beloved breakfast food eaten across Nigeria, Benin, Brazil (where they are known as acaraje), and Cuba. In Lagos, akara vendors fry the fritters fresh in roadside cast-iron pans starting before dawn, and long queues form every morning. The dish's journey to the Americas via the transatlantic slave trade has made it a symbol of African culinary diaspora, and it was granted cultural heritage status in Bahia, Brazil.

Banga soup is a palm nut-based stew originating among the Urhobo and Ijaw peoples of the Niger Delta in southern Nigeria, made by extracting the rich orange cream from boiled palm fruits and simmering it with catfish, crayfish, and an aromatic blend of spices including oburunbebe (banga spice), dried thyme, and orhiro (bitterleaf). The soup is prized for its deep, complex flavor and is traditionally served with starch (a firm eba variant) at special occasions. A variation called "ofe akwu" is popular among the Igbo and is considered one of Nigeria's most nuanced regional dishes.

Egusi soup is a hearty Nigerian staple made from ground melon seeds sauteed in palm oil with leafy vegetables, assorted meats, and locust beans (iru), which provide its distinctive umami depth. It is one of the most consumed soups in Nigeria, where it is estimated that more than 60% of households eat it at least once a week. The soup is paired with swallow foods such as eba, pounded yam, or fufu and is considered a comfort food across Yoruba, Igbo, and Edo cultures.

Fufu is a starchy dough-like staple made by pounding boiled cassava, yam, or plantain until smooth, forming the edible base for soups and stews across West, Central, and East Africa. In Ghana it is traditionally made from cassava and unripe plantain, while in Nigeria it is often made from cassava alone or semolina. The Global Fufu Challenge on TikTok in 2021 garnered over 150 million views, introducing the dish to audiences across Europe and North America.

Thieboudienne (or Ceebu Jen) is Senegal's national dish and was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2021 — the first West African food to receive this distinction. The dish consists of fish stuffed with a herb-and-spice blend called roff, slow-cooked in a rich tomato sauce with broken rice and seasonal vegetables including cassava, cabbage, and sweet potato. It is considered the progenitor of all West African rice dishes and is eaten daily in Dakar households.

Suya is Nigeria's iconic street food — thin strips of beef or chicken skewered and grilled over open coals, rubbed generously with a spiced groundnut powder called yaji containing ginger, paprika, garlic, and kuli kuli. Originating among the Hausa people of Northern Nigeria, suya is now sold by roadside vendors ("mai suya") across every Nigerian city from Lagos to Abuja, typically served wrapped in newspaper with sliced tomatoes and onions. The dish has inspired suya-seasoned snacks and sauces now sold in UK and US supermarkets.

Kelewele is a Ghanaian street food of spiced fried plantain, marinated in a paste of ginger, cayenne pepper, and salt before being deep-fried to a crispy golden exterior with a sweet, fiery interior. It is sold from street vendors across Accra, particularly in the evenings, and is a beloved snack and side dish across the country. The dish exemplifies the West African tradition of transforming simple ingredients — the ripe plantain — into complex, addictive flavors through spicing.

Pounded yam is one of Nigeria's most prestigious swallow foods, made by boiling white yam and pounding it in a mortar until it forms a smooth, elastic dough. It is considered a celebratory food in Yoruba and Igbo cultures, traditionally served with egusi, bitterleaf, or oha soup at weddings, funerals, and festivals. Nigeria is the world's largest yam producer, accounting for over 70% of global output, and pounded yam is central to that agricultural and culinary identity.

Groundnut soup (peanut stew) is a rich, creamy, and slightly spicy soup eaten across Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal, made from ground roasted peanuts blended into a tomato and palm oil base with meat, fish, or chicken. In Ghana it is known as "nkatie kwan" and is typically served with fufu, while in northern Nigeria it accompanies tuwon shinkafa (rice paste). Its American descendant, the peanut stew eaten in the Southern United States, traces its origins to enslaved West Africans who brought groundnut cultivation to the Americas.

Akara are deep-fried bean cakes made from blended black-eyed peas seasoned with onions, peppers, and salt — a beloved breakfast food eaten across Nigeria, Benin, Brazil (where they are known as acaraje), and Cuba. In Lagos, akara vendors fry the fritters fresh in roadside cast-iron pans starting before dawn, and long queues form every morning. The dish's journey to the Americas via the transatlantic slave trade has made it a symbol of African culinary diaspora, and it was granted cultural heritage status in Bahia, Brazil.

Banga soup is a palm nut-based stew originating among the Urhobo and Ijaw peoples of the Niger Delta in southern Nigeria, made by extracting the rich orange cream from boiled palm fruits and simmering it with catfish, crayfish, and an aromatic blend of spices including oburunbebe (banga spice), dried thyme, and orhiro (bitterleaf). The soup is prized for its deep, complex flavor and is traditionally served with starch (a firm eba variant) at special occasions. A variation called "ofe akwu" is popular among the Igbo and is considered one of Nigeria's most nuanced regional dishes.