Lekki Senegalais // Senegalese Food
Upon popular request, here are some of the most common dishes. A couple notes:
Upon popular request, here are some of the most common dishes. A couple notes:
- Meals are eaten at a communal bowl
- The bowl is on the ground and the family kneels around it, smaller kids are often between the legs of their mothers
- The matriarch of the family will usually dole out the vegetables and meat from the center of the bowl to the edges of the bowl in each person's respective space.
- Meals are usually eaten with the right hand (or a spoon if you're feeling Patron - like a boss)
The Main Course
Ceebu Jen (Rice & Fish):
Often served with carrots, bitter tomato, squash, sweet potato, egg plant, hibiscus sauce (aka bisap), etc. Sometimes served with dried and/or salted fish instead of the fresh stuff; not as tasty, but sometimes that's whats available. This is THE DISH of Senegal.
Ceebu Neebe (Rice & Beans):
Same sides as Ceebu Jen. Maybe my favorite.
Maffe:
A peanut butter based sauce with the occasional sweet potato or other vegetable mixed in and maybe some dried fish. It sometimes tastes amazing; and sometimes, it tastes like it looks.
Baxal:
As basic as it gets, but so so good. White rice with crushed peanuts. Often mixed with spicy powder for an appreciated zing. I could eat this forever.
Ceere Mboom:
A millet based couscous with a sauce made from the "mboom" plant, found all over like a weed, but with some good nutritional value. It's tasty with a soup like texture that adds to the bland flavor of the couscous and its sand like texture. This is dinner almost every night.
Ceere Mbase:
Similar to ceere mboom, but the sauce for this dish is a soupy peanut butter base with beans. It sometimes has a spicy kick to it and reminds me of a good tortilla soup. I enjoy this. If dinner isn't ceere mboom, it's ceere mbase.
Ceere Meew:
couscous and a powdered milk mix with some sugar. No picture yet... but you probably get the point.
Breakfast Sandwiches:
Found all over Senegal, in the bush or in the city, are these wonderful breakfast stands were you can get beans, pea mash, onion sauce, potato sauce, hard boiled eggs, omelettes, tuna sauce, mayo, etc. (it's all luck of the draw on who is serving what that day) all lathered on a baguette (or tapalapa if you're lucky). It's a great way to start your day normally for about 500 cfa or a US dollar.
PHOTO TO COME
Snacks:
Fataya:
Fried Love. The empanadas of Senegal. A personal favorite. They come in all shapes and sizes, sometimes with the sauce on the inside, sometimes with the sauce on top of a bunch of them all in a bag. 100 cfa (less than 20 cents) will get you four!
As basic as it gets, but so so good. White rice with crushed peanuts. Often mixed with spicy powder for an appreciated zing. I could eat this forever.
Ceere Mboom:
A millet based couscous with a sauce made from the "mboom" plant, found all over like a weed, but with some good nutritional value. It's tasty with a soup like texture that adds to the bland flavor of the couscous and its sand like texture. This is dinner almost every night.
Ceere Mbase:
Similar to ceere mboom, but the sauce for this dish is a soupy peanut butter base with beans. It sometimes has a spicy kick to it and reminds me of a good tortilla soup. I enjoy this. If dinner isn't ceere mboom, it's ceere mbase.
Ceere Meew:
couscous and a powdered milk mix with some sugar. No picture yet... but you probably get the point.
Breakfast Sandwiches:
Found all over Senegal, in the bush or in the city, are these wonderful breakfast stands were you can get beans, pea mash, onion sauce, potato sauce, hard boiled eggs, omelettes, tuna sauce, mayo, etc. (it's all luck of the draw on who is serving what that day) all lathered on a baguette (or tapalapa if you're lucky). It's a great way to start your day normally for about 500 cfa or a US dollar.
PHOTO TO COME
Snacks:
Fataya:
Fried Love. The empanadas of Senegal. A personal favorite. They come in all shapes and sizes, sometimes with the sauce on the inside, sometimes with the sauce on top of a bunch of them all in a bag. 100 cfa (less than 20 cents) will get you four!
Beignets:
Tasty fried dough. Every culture needs their own donut and Senegal is no exception. Similar pricing to fatayas.
Tapalapa (Village Bread):
The baguette of the bush. Hard to find in cities because they all eat machine made baguettes that are not nearly as tasty. Tapalapa is rich and dense. If you get it fresh out of the oven, you're living.
Drink:
Attaya:
The drink of senegal. often served after meals is a green tea with a wonderful amount of sugar poured into small glasses and served to everyone around. Making the foam on top of the glass is key. See how in the picture below.
Cafe Touba:
Coffee roasted with a spice that tastes a lot like chia. like all drinks here, it's served with a lot of sugar and I could drink (and have drank) this all day.
PHOTO TO COME
Nescafe:
It's instant coffee, you don't need a picture. But served with a lot of sugar, you can often buy it in the street from vendors wheeling around their nescafe and cigarette carts: very convenient.
Kingkililba (aka Dutee):
A pink tea that tastes quite sweet and but relaxing. sometimes served with milk making it rich. I really enjoy this, especially after a day of fasting over Ramadan.
PHOTO TO COME
Bisap (Hibiscus):
A purple drink made from hibiscus and sugar. So so sweet and reminds me of red candy coins we used to get at Menards when we were little. It is sometimes frozen and made into popsicles and on a hot day, it's to die for.
Guey (Baobab):
A cream colored drink made from the ever so beautiful baobab tree. Per usual, it is made with a lot of sugar and tastes amazing when frozen (as seen in the picture) in this hot hot weather. If not for the sugar, it wouldn't be overly sweet and has a great hearty fruit flavor.
Tasty fried dough. Every culture needs their own donut and Senegal is no exception. Similar pricing to fatayas.
Tapalapa (Village Bread):
The baguette of the bush. Hard to find in cities because they all eat machine made baguettes that are not nearly as tasty. Tapalapa is rich and dense. If you get it fresh out of the oven, you're living.
Drink:
Attaya:
The drink of senegal. often served after meals is a green tea with a wonderful amount of sugar poured into small glasses and served to everyone around. Making the foam on top of the glass is key. See how in the picture below.
Cafe Touba:
Coffee roasted with a spice that tastes a lot like chia. like all drinks here, it's served with a lot of sugar and I could drink (and have drank) this all day.
PHOTO TO COME
Nescafe:
It's instant coffee, you don't need a picture. But served with a lot of sugar, you can often buy it in the street from vendors wheeling around their nescafe and cigarette carts: very convenient.
Kingkililba (aka Dutee):
A pink tea that tastes quite sweet and but relaxing. sometimes served with milk making it rich. I really enjoy this, especially after a day of fasting over Ramadan.
PHOTO TO COME
Bisap (Hibiscus):
A purple drink made from hibiscus and sugar. So so sweet and reminds me of red candy coins we used to get at Menards when we were little. It is sometimes frozen and made into popsicles and on a hot day, it's to die for.
Guey (Baobab):
A cream colored drink made from the ever so beautiful baobab tree. Per usual, it is made with a lot of sugar and tastes amazing when frozen (as seen in the picture) in this hot hot weather. If not for the sugar, it wouldn't be overly sweet and has a great hearty fruit flavor.
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