ExploFood · Africa
What to eat in Ghana
Five dishes to try in Ghana, the most typical first. One is vegetarian.
Five dishes to try in Ghana
Jollof rice
Rice cooked in spiced tomato and pepper sauce, served with chicken or fish.
How to have it: Ghana and Nigeria argue over whose is best; chop bars and street sellers have it everywhere.
Fufu and light soup
Pounded cassava and plantain served in a peppery goat or fish soup.
How to have it: Eaten with the right hand and swallowed without chewing; try it at a chop bar at lunch.
Waakye
Rice and beans cooked with sorghum leaves, topped with egg, spaghetti and shito.
How to have it: Sold in the morning by roadside sellers, often wrapped in leaves; add gari and shito.
Red red
Black-eyed pea stew in red palm oil, served with fried plantain.
How to have it: A cheap lunch; often vegetarian, but some cooks add smoked fish, so ask.
Kenkey
Fermented corn dough steamed in husks, eaten with fried fish and hot pepper.
How to have it: A Ga coastal staple around Accra; buy it with fried fish and fresh pepper sauce.
What to eat next door
Plan the trip
Questions
What food is Ghana famous for?
Jollof rice (rice cooked in spiced tomato and pepper sauce, served with chicken or fish) comes first on our list, followed by Fufu and light soup, Waakye, Red red and Kenkey.
What is the national dish of Ghana?
Ask ten people and you get several answers. The dish we put first for Ghana is Jollof rice: rice cooked in spiced tomato and pepper sauce, served with chicken or fish. Ghana and Nigeria argue over whose is best; chop bars and street sellers have it everywhere.
Which dishes in Ghana are vegetarian?
One of the five on this page is vegetarian as usually made: Red red. Recipes vary, so ask about stock, lard or fish sauce.
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
Practical · 3 min readEat your way through a country: how to find the national dishesFood is the fastest way into a place. How to find a country's signature dishes, order them well, eat safely and keep a record of what you have tried.
Planning · 4 min readHow to build a travel bucket list you'll actually useTurn a long wish list into a short plan: sort places by ease, season and effort, pick your next three, and keep the list alive after every trip.
Planning · 4 min readHow to choose the best time to visit anywhereWeather is only one part of it. Learn how to weigh seasons, crowds, prices and events, with real examples of the best months for popular destinations.- Country guidesCountry guidesBest months, weather, holidays and plugs for every country.
- Free toolWhere can I go?Every country your passport opens, sorted by how easy it is.
Tick off every dish you try in Ghana
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 ExploDishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.