For many, travelling to Africa is a remarkably cultured experience, with access to a wide range of activities and foods to sate your appetite for adventure.
Here are 5 top local foods to try whilst you’re travelling in Africa that will tickle your tastebuds.
1. Jollof Rice
Traditionally from West Africa, Jollof rice is typically made with long grain rice, tomatoes, onions, chillies and spices and is often served with meat and other vegetables. It is one of the most common dishes served in Africa, and can be traced to Senegal in origin.
Although there are variations to the recipe from country to country, jollof rice is typically eaten with meats like lamb, beef, turkey or fish as a tasty accompaniment to a wholesome and delicious meal.
2. Fufu
Originating in Africa and the Caribbean, fufu is a similar texture to a dumpling and is traditionally made from cassava.
The texture is soft, starchy and stretchy which makes fufu the perfect companion for many soups and stews, and is easy to swallow.
Fufu belongs to a category of foods known as “swallow foods”, meaning that no chewing is required to eat it! Traditionally, a small piece of fufu is used to scoop up soup or stew and swallow without chewing. Fufu, as with all swallow foods, should only be eaten with the right hand.
3. Garantita
In Algeria, Garantita is a popular street food made primarily from chickpea flour, and it’s the perfect plant-based tart or cake, although it’s definitely a savoury snack. Typically, Garantita is served hot alongside cumin and harissa and covered with a beaten egg before baking.
If you’re planning on travelling to Africa for volunteering opportunities like Conservation Travel Africa, it’s a good idea to scout out plant-based snacks and meals in the local area. In Africa, nuts, some flours and pastas can be very expensive and hard to find.
4. Piri Piri Chicken
South Africa is home to piri piri chicken (also known as the English variant peri-peri), and is created from chilli peppers grown traditionally in South Africa. Typically piri piri sauce is made from peppers and garlic with an oily base.
Piri piri chicken is often flavourful and spicy and can be marinated before grilling to give the meat its tender flavour. Commercially, the most successful example of piri piri chicken is the South African chain Nandos, which is incredibly popular in the UK.
5. Moroccan Tagine
Tagine is an extremely popular dish outside Africa, so it’s likely you may have already tried it. The tagine is a hearty and warming dish and is slow cooked in a specially made tagine pot with meat, spices, dried fruit and nuts and is typically served with bread.
If you want to get creative and make your own tagine pot, YouTube has a series of great tutorials to get you started on crafting a clay tagine pot to cook your tagine in.
Which are the best local foods to try whilst volunteering in Africa for you? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
