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What to eat in Africa? Top 18 African Bean Dishes

Last update: Fri Feb 14 2025
Top 18 African Bean Dishes
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01

Stew

EGYPT and  one more country
4.2
Ful medames
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Ful medames is an ancient, pre-Ottoman and pre-Islamic national dish of Egypt, a traditional breakfast food consisting of slowly simmered fava beans seasoned with a squeeze of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and selected spices. Some remnants of the dish were found in the 12th Dynasty Pharaonic tombs in Egypt, and any food that has been found in an ancient tomb must have been a wildly popular culinary treat.


Because it is a breakfast food that is also good for breaking the fasting, the dish is extremely popular during Ramadan. Although it's an Egyptian dish, it is also prepared throughout North Africa and the Middle East. Ful medames is a staple of the Egyptian diet, so much that the price of beans is regulated by the government in order to ensure that they are affordable to the poorest citizens. 

MOST ICONIC Ful medames

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02

Stew

MOROCCO and  3 more regions
4.1
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Loubia is a traditional North African dish consisting of stewed white beans. This dish is very popular in Moroccan, Tunisian, Algerian, and Libyan homes, where the beans that have been simmered in a zesty tomato-based sauce are typically scooped up with homemade flatbread.


It is comfort food that can be served both as an appetizer, garnished with some coriander or parsley, and as a side dish - especially when used as an accompaniment to fried fish. Simple, quick, and delicious - it is unsurprising that loubia is commonly found in homes throughout Maghreb region.

03

Rice Dish

NORTHERN REGION, Ghana
4.1
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Although it originated in northern parts of Ghana, the rice-and-bean-based dish known as waakye is today consumed on a national level. Whether it's eaten for breakfast or lunch, this dish can be made as rich and as filling as one likes by adding an almost unending list of accompaniments.


The most typical ones include fried plantains, the spaghetti-like talia, a black pepper sauce called shito, boiled eggs, avocados, a tomato-based soup which contains meat, and gari foto — a mashed sauce made with finely grated cassava. 

MOST ICONIC Waakye

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04

Vegetable Soup

EGYPT and  one more region
4.0
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Bissara is a comforting Egyptian and Moroccan dish made with puréed beans – either split peas or dried fava beans. It can be prepared in the form of a soup or porridge, while the thicker versions are commonly used as a dip. The puréed beans are typically seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic, and the dish is often served with paprika and cumin on the side, while crusty bread is almost mandatory.


Bissara is traditionally served for breakfast, and it is especially popular during winter.

05
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Red red is a popular Ghanaian stew consisting of beans, red palm oil, tomato paste, and flavorings such as garlic, ginger, chili, and onions. Some cooks like to add meat or fish broth into the stew, but it is completely optional. The stew is traditionally served with fried plantains on the side.

MOST ICONIC Red red

06

Stew

SOUTH AFRICA
3.8
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Chakalaka is a spicy South African vegetable stew consisting of tomatoes, beans, and onions as its key ingredients, although some cooks might add various other ingredients such as carrots, bell peppers, chilis, and ginger. Originally, chakalaka was invented in Johannesburg, where it became a staple dish.


Today, it is a key component of most South African barbecues, where it is served as a side dish accompanying meat. Some people like to serve it as a cold salad, when combined with other greens. This stew is traditionally served with breads such as mealie pap, or with amasi, a type of thick sour milk. 

MOST ICONIC Chakalaka

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07

Stew

CAPE VERDE
3.7
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This slow-cooked corn (hominy) and bean stew is made with vegetables (plantains, sweet potatoes, squash, and yams), meat (marinated pork, chorizo sausages, or tuna), and spices (bay leaves, garlic, and pimento). It is the perfect “poor man’s dish” – inexpensive, filling, and packed with protein.


It hails from Cape Verde, a ten-island archipelago off the west African coast, and dates back to the 15th century when Portuguese settlers first began growing American vegetables. The dish comes in two varieties – cachupa rica (rich) and cachupa pobre (poor), the only difference between the two being that rica is made with meat while pobre is made with vegetables. 
08
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Kabaro au curry is a traditional dish originating from Madagascar. It’s usually made with a combination of lima beans, onions, tomatoes, olive oil, curry powder, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. The beans are soaked overnight and cooked in a pot along with onions sautéed in olive oil, garlic, spices, and tomatoes.


Water is added to the pot and the mixture is simmered until the beans are soft. If properly prepared, this bean stew should have a thick consistency. If it becomes too thick, the stew is diluted with water.

09
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Wali na maharage is a Tanzanian dish made with red beans and rice. The rice is usually cooked with coconut milk or oil, while the beans are cooked until mushy. The dish is seasoned with a variety of spices such as pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and cumin.


It can be served as an accompaniment to vegetables, fish, or meat.

10

Stew

CAPE VERDE
n/a
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Cachupinha is a simple and easy version of Cape Verde's national dish, cachupa. It's usually made with a combination of hominy, squash, fava beans, tomatoes, chouriço sausage, peppercorns, coriander, onions, olive oil, and salt. The onions, sausage, and peppercorns are sautéed in olive oil, and then mixed with the soaked hominy and the rest of the ingredients.


The mixture is brought to a boil and simmered until the vegetables become soft. The dish is seasoned with salt and sprinkled with chopped coriander before serving.

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Stew
KIAMBU COUNTY, Kenya
n/a
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15
Stew
NIGERIA
n/a
16
17
Stew
LESOTHO
n/a
18
Porridge
SOUTH AFRICA
n/a

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

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African Bean Dishes