Best Togolese Foods
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Jollof rice is Nigeria's national dish of Senegambian origin, that can be found in every country of West Africa with some variations in the ingredients. In order to prepare it, rice is cooked in a rich tomato sauce so that it soaks in all the flavors.
The most common ingredients found in jollof rice include rice, tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, salt, and pepper. On top of that, any kind of meat, vegetable, fish or spice can be added. It is important to have a delicious sauce, so in addition to tomatoes, there are also ingredients such as coconut milk, nutmeg, partminger (African basil leaf) and sometimes even Roiboos tea used in the sauce.
Fufu is a staple side dish made by pounding cassava and unripe plantains together with a big wooden pole and mashing them while adding water. As it needs to be vigorously stirred, it usually takes two people to make it - one pounding it, and the other moving it around between the pounding.
Once the mixture is smooth, it gets shaped into small balls that are then placed in a stew or soup with meat. Similar to the Tanzanian ugali, an indentation is made in the ball, used for scooping up the sauce, with fufu acting as a spoon.
The texture is quite gummy and stretchy, while the flavor is bland, but dipping it into a stew gives fufu a spicy flavor that is slightly reminiscent of peanuts.
Gboma dessi is a hearty, traditional dish from Togo that usually combines beef and spinach, though other types of meat may also be used. Diced meat is browned and slowly stewed alongside tomatoes, garlic, onions, ginger, chili peppers, and gbotemi spice blend, which usually incorporates cloves, anise, cardamom, and ajwain seeds.
Boiled spinach is added last, and the dish is typically served alongside rice or traditional ablo or akoumé dumplings.
Djenkoume are traditional Togolese tomato cornmeal fritters that are typically served as an accompaniment to other dishes. They are made with crushed garlic, grated ginger, minced onions, red palm oil, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, and cornmeal.
The ingredients are combined and cooked until the concoction develops a thick consistency. Djenkoume fritters are served while hot, and it is recommended to pair them with grilled meat.
This simple stir-fry from Togo combines shrimps and diced or sliced peppers - traditionally red, green, and yellow bell peppers. Other common additions include ginger, garlic, and onions that can be diced and fried, or optionally puréed into a paste which goes under the name n’toutou.
The ingredients are shortly stir-fried until the shrimps are thoroughly cooked. The dish can be enjoyed as an appetizer or a light main course, usually accompanied by cooked or fried sweet potatoes.
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