ExploFood · Africa
What to eat in Senegal
Five dishes to try in Senegal, the most typical first. Two are vegetarian.
Five dishes to try in Senegal
Thieboudienne Ceebu jën
Fish and broken rice cooked in tomato sauce with vegetables.
How to have it: The national lunch dish; eaten from a shared platter, ideally in Saint-Louis or Dakar.
Yassa
Chicken or fish marinated in lemon and onions, then simmered in a tangy sauce.
How to have it: Originally from Casamance; order poulet yassa with white rice at any local restaurant.
Mafé
Rich peanut-butter stew with beef or lamb and root vegetables.
How to have it: Hearty and filling, served over rice; a common choice at lunchtime eateries.
Thiakry
Millet couscous mixed with sweetened yogurt or curdled milk.
How to have it: Sold chilled in cups at markets and served at celebrations.
Café Touba
Coffee roasted with grains of Selim and sometimes clove, peppery and sweet.
How to have it: Poured from carts on street corners all day for a few hundred francs.
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Questions
What food is Senegal famous for?
Thieboudienne (fish and broken rice cooked in tomato sauce with vegetables) comes first on our list, followed by Yassa, Mafé, Thiakry and Café Touba.
What is the national dish of Senegal?
Ask ten people and you get several answers. The dish we put first for Senegal is Thieboudienne: fish and broken rice cooked in tomato sauce with vegetables. The national lunch dish; eaten from a shared platter, ideally in Saint-Louis or Dakar.
Which dishes in Senegal are vegetarian?
Two of the five on this page are vegetarian as usually made: Thiakry and Café Touba. Recipes vary, so ask about stock, lard or fish sauce.
What do people drink in Senegal?
Café Touba: coffee roasted with grains of Selim and sometimes clove, peppery and sweet.
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.
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Tick off every dish you try in Senegal
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Get ExploDishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.