Best Senegalese 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.
Yassa, also known as chicken yassa or poulet yassa, is Senegal's national dish, a stew consisting of chicken that is marinated in lemon, lots of onions, and vinegar. The chicken needs to marinate in the mixture for at least eight hours, making sure that the lemon juice and vinegar take the bite out of the onions and tenderize the tough poultry found in the Casamance region.
Chicken pieces are then cooked over medium-high heat until the marinade becomes a sauce in itself. This process results in an incredibly flavorful and tender meat that is traditionally served with fluffy rice in brightly decorated plates. Other examples of good accompaniments include fufu and couscous, with or without the chickpeas.
MOST ICONIC Yassa
Tapalapa is a traditional bread, also very popular in Guinea. It is made with a mixture of millet and wheat flour with the addition of maize flour, cowpea flour, yeast, salt, and water. Visually, it looks somewhat similar to the French baguette on the exterior, but on the inside, it is much more dense and heavy, and its flavor is reminiscent of pretzels.
The bread is typically bought for breakfast, and people like to pair it with jam, butter, or eggs.
Thiébou yapp is a hearty Senegalese stew made with a combination of rice, meat, and vegetables. It is usually prepared with steamed broken rice, which is added to a meat broth containing browned chunks of beef or lamb, and the concoction is then simmered until fully cooked.
Typical ingredients include onions, garlic, bell peppers, cabbage, eggplants, habanero peppers, mustard, carrots, tomatoes, paprika, vinegar, oil, and chopped parsley. This stew is a variation of the Senegalese national specialty thiébou jen, which uses fish instead of meat.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Thieboudienne
MOST ICONIC Thiébou yapp
Capitaine à la Saint-Louisienne is a Senegalese fish specialty consisting of fish that is stuffed with a combination of spices. It is typically prepared with perch, more precisely Nile perch, because capitaine, which translates to captain is the term used for this fish type in Senegal.
In Africa, the Nile perch is considered an essential food item and a delicacy. The method of preparation of this dish is similar to that of mulet farci à la Saint-Louisienne, another Senegalese fish delicacy. Juicy and packed with flavors, this specialty is usually served with a generous drizzle of sauce, accompanied by rice or chips on the side.
Ndambé is a type of traditional Senegalese stew prepared with black-eyed peas as the main ingredient. The pre-cooked black-eyed peas are usually combined with a sauce consisting of onions and tomato paste, flavored with garlic, bay leaves, bouillon cube, vinegar, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
This warm and filling stew can optionally contain sweet potatoes and meat, usually beef or lamb. This Senegalese winter specialty is typically eaten for breakfast or dinner, accompanied by bread, rice, couscous, or quinoa.
Thiou à la viande is a traditional dish that is typically served over white rice. It can be made with any meat, usually beef or lamb that is cut into small pieces, browned, and then cooked in a tomato-based sauce with chopped vegetables.
Typical vegetables include potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots, cabbage, onions, and tomatoes. The stew is usually served over white rice, but it can also be consumed on its own, typically with bread on the side.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Chakery is a sweet West African dessert with a creamy texture. It consists of couscous, milk, yogurt, and sour cream. Chakery is usually served at the end of an African meal, and it is recommended to add pineapple chunks in it for extra sweetness, then garnish the dish with some cinnamon on top.
Avocat au crevettes is a Senegalese appetizer that is based on avocados, shrimps, and chickpeas or black-eyed peas. The dish consists of avocado purée (made with ripe avocados, lemon juice, and yogurt or sour cream), cooked shrimps, boiled chickpeas or black-eyed peas, tomato slices, onions, wedges or slices of hard-boiled eggs, slices of pimientos, lettuce, parsley, and seasonings.
All the ingredients are placed in a specific order on a serving plate that results in an elegant and colorful dish. Shredded lettuce goes on the bottom of the plate, followed by chickpeas and the smooth avocado purée, while hard-boiled eggs garnished with pimiento slices and thick slices of tomatoes sprinkled with chopped onions are placed on the sides.
Mulet farci à la Saint-Louisienne is a Senegalese fish delicacy from Saint-Louis. It consists of a cleaned, deboned mullet filled with a seasoned paste made with mullet flesh, parsley, cilantro, minced garlic, green onions, breadcrumbs, and tomato paste or finely chopped tomatoes.
The fish can be stuffed either in its entirety or cut into larger pieces, and each piece is then filled with the fish paste. Once stuffed, the mullet is baked in a baking dish, over vegetables cut into pieces, and it is optionally drizzled with broth.
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