Ghanaian cuisines refer to the meals of the Ghanaian people. The main dishes of Ghana are organized around starchy staple foods, which goes with either sauce or soup accompanied with a source of protein. The main ingredients for the vast majority of soups and stews are; tomatoes, hot peppers and onions. Most Ghanaian soups and stews are red or orange in appearance as a result of the main ingredients used.
Main staple foods
The typical staple foods in the southern part of Ghana include cassava and plantain. In the northern part, the main staple foods include millet and sorghum. Yam, maize and beans are used across Ghana as staple foods. Sweet potatoes and cocoyam are also important in the Ghanaian diet and cuisine. With the advent of globalization, cereals such as rice and wheat have been increasingly incorporated into Ghanaian cuisine. The foods below represent Ghanaian dishes made out of these staple foods.
Foods made with maize
Akple, a traditional meal of the Ewe, is made with corn flour and can be eaten with pepper sauces, stews or any soup. It is typically served with okra soup (fetridetsi) or herring stew (abɔbitadi). Akple is never prepared in the same way as banku. An important distinguishing factor between the two products is that banku requires the use of a special preformulated watery material called "Slightly-Fermented Corn-Cassava Dough Mix", cooked to a soft solid consistency of "Corn-Cassava Dough AFLATA", en route to a soft form of Banku with further cooking, and the "Slightly-Fermented Corn-Cassava Dough Mix" is never 'the signature material' of any form of the Akple product. A variety of akple known as dzekple is cooked with oil and meat, crab or fish. Banku was formulated by the Ga Dangme (or Ga) tribe of the Greater Accra Region, as a slight deviation from the process of preparation of Ga-Kenkey, requiring a different manipulation of 'THE AFLATA' mixed with cassava dough, but unlike Ga-Kenkey it does not require the use of corn husk. One particular Major-Clan of the GaDangme (or Ga) tribe is credited with the original recipe of the banku meal even though it may be argued among the major clans. Sometimes only cornflour is used but in many areas cassava dough is cooked together with the fermented corn dough.Fanti Kenkey which is wrapped with plantain leaves that give it a different texture. It is boiled for long periods into a consistent solid balls. Banku cooked with cassava and corn dough mixture is called agbelimorkple by the Ewe people while the one without cassava dough mixture is known as Kutornu-kple (Cotonou banku) Mmore is cooked fermented corn dough without cassava, prepared like banku among the Akan people. Kenkey/komi/dokonu is fermented corn dough, wrapped in corn originating from the Ga who call it komi or Ga kenkey. Another variety originating from the Fanti people is Fante dokono or Fanti kenkey which is wrapped with plantain leaves that give it a different texture, flavour and colour as compared to the Ga kenkey. Both are boiled for long periods into consistent solid balls. Tuo zaafi is a millet, sorghum or maize dish originating from Northern Ghana. Fonfom is a maize dish popular in south-western Ghana. Abolo-prepared by steaming corn dough and sugar mixture is a delicacy among the Ewes. It is eaten with various soups or sauces. Yoroyoro is widely eaten across Dagbon and many parts of Northern Ghana. It is made by boiling maize till it is softened. The food is eaten with pepper and onions.