Ghana Eating

Eating

Eating

Food is extremely cheap in Ghana. Traditional food is fun to try and easy to enjoy. Fufu, the most widely served traditional dish, consists of pounded balls of yam, plantain, or cassava served with soup, called a stew, and a side of goat meat or fish. Stews are typically made of groundnuts, okra, other vegetables, and a large amount of palm oil. Banku is a fermented corn version of the dish.

Rice dishes are also typical, but not considered a "real" meal by many Ghanaians, males especially. Jollof rice is a dish as varied as its chef, but generally consists of white rice cooked with vegetables, meat pieces, spices, and palm oil. Waakye is a mix of beans and rice, typically served with gari, a powder of ground cassava. Often rice dishes are served with shredded lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes on the side with a dollop of Heinz salad cream or mayonnaise. Such meals are extremely cheap from street vendors and come as little as $1.60 to $2.70 or (15,000-25,000 cedis).

Plantains, yams, and sweet potatoes are prepared in various ways and serve as small snacks. Kelewele, a spiced fried plantain snack, is especially delicious. Fresh fruits such as pineapple, mango, papaya, coconut, oranges, and bananas are delightful when in season and come when applicable by the bag for as little as 10 cents.

A great African meal in a restaurant can cost as little as $3-7 (30,000-70,000 cedis). For instance, a lobster and shrimp dinner can cost a mere $6. There are also a number of Western and Chinese style restaurants available especially in Osu, a trendy suburb of Accra.

Drinking

Drinking water from the tap is not generally considered to be safe, so choices include plastic bottled water (eg. Voltic, 1.5l appx. 6000 cedis), boiled or filtered tap water, and "pure water" sachets. These sachets are filtered and come in 500 ml. portions. Many foreigners prefer bottled water. Water in sealed plastic sachets is generally not considered safe. Athough easily accessible and an unique experience, small studies have shown varying amounts of fecal bacteria suggestive the source may be tap water. If you want to play it safe, stick with carbonated beverages.

In Accra's expat visited bars, a beer will cost between 15-25000 cedis. Fruit juices 10000 cedis, water 8-10000 cedis. Star and Club are two of the more popular beers served.

A soft drink such as Coke, Fanta, 7UP (called "minerals" by locals) are widely available for 2,500 cedis.