Explo

Food · Africa

What to eat in Chad

Five dishes to try in Chad, the most typical first. Three are vegetarian.

Five dishes to try in Chad

  1. Boule Aiysh

    Main dishVegetarian

    Thick ball of millet or sorghum porridge served with a sauce.

    How to have it: The everyday staple; dip pieces into okra, peanut or meat sauce.

    Read about Boule on Wikipedia

  2. Daraba

    Main dish

    Okra stew with tomatoes, peanut butter and sometimes meat or dried fish.

    How to have it: Usually eaten with boule from a shared bowl.

    Read about Daraba on Wikipedia

  3. Kissar

    BreadVegetarian

    Thin fermented sorghum crepe.

    How to have it: Served with stews in the north and in N'Djamena.

    Read about Kissar on Wikipedia

  4. Peanut sauce Sauce d'arachide

    Main dish

    Peanut stew with chicken, beef or fish, eaten over boule or rice.

    How to have it: A common choice at small restaurants in N'Djamena.

    Read about Peanut sauce on Wikipedia

  5. Karkanji

    DrinkVegetarian

    Sweet hibiscus drink, sometimes spiced with ginger.

    How to have it: Sold cold in plastic bags or bottles at markets.

    Read about Karkanji on Wikipedia

What to eat next door

Every country

Plan the trip

Questions

What food is Chad famous for?

Boule (thick ball of millet or sorghum porridge served with a sauce) comes first on our list, followed by Daraba, Kissar, Peanut sauce and Karkanji.

What is the national dish of Chad?

Ask ten people and you get several answers. The dish we put first for Chad is Boule: thick ball of millet or sorghum porridge served with a sauce. The everyday staple; dip pieces into okra, peanut or meat sauce.

Which dishes in Chad are vegetarian?

Three of the five on this page are vegetarian as usually made: Boule, Kissar and Karkanji. Recipes vary, so ask about stock, lard or fish sauce.

What do people drink in Chad?

Karkanji: sweet hibiscus drink, sometimes spiced with ginger.

How reliable is this list?

The dishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, where you can also tick off the ones you have tried. Recipes vary by region and by family, so take it as a starting point.

Keep exploring

Tick off every dish you try in Chad

Explo is a free app: light up the countries you have visited, keep the dishes you have tried, and check visa rules, weather and holidays before you go.

Get Explo

Dishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.