Ghana Food and Drink

Across the country local food can be eaten in small restaurants known as 'chop bars', where you will generally be served either rice or other starchy local staples such as kenkey together with a meat or vegetable sauce.

Almost as ubiquitous (except in a few small and very Islamic settlements in the north) are small local bars known endearingly as 'spots'. These usually serve inexpensive chilled lager-style beers in large bottles (brands include Guder, Bell and Club, all with an alcohol level of around 5%), as well as inexpensive draught beer (called bubra) in the south.

On the coast, prawns and other seafood are popular and very tasty. Most towns have a few inexpensive breakfast stalls that cook up omelettes, fresh bread and tea to order. Fruit is cheap, seasonally plentiful, and generally delicious.

Specialities

Kenkey: Firm ball of fermented maize boiled in plantain leaves and served with a spicy tomato sauce or hot peppers and fried tilapia.
Akyeke: Cassava flour couscous served with avocado.
Fufu: Sticky ball of pounded cassava, beans, yam, or plantain, usually accompanying traditional stews.
Kontomire: Colourful stew of meat, shrimp, onions and spices.
Fante fante: Palm oil stew of small fish, popular in the central regions.
Tubaani: Boiled bean cake.
Red red: Spicy concoction of rice and beans cooked in red palm oil, this is a favourite of many visitors.
Kalawole: Deep-fried plantain cubes seasoned with ginger, pepper and salt.
Palava: Spicy sauce made from spinach-like cocoyam leaves.
Jollof rice: Spicy rice dish made with red palm oil, cooked across West Africa and often cooked with chicken, fish, or meat added to the dish.
Pito: Beer brewed in the Northern region made from millet.
Zom koom: Toasted millet flour in water.
Palm wine. A potent wine made from the sap of palm trees.
Coconut juice. Typically served in the shell.

Tipping

Tipping is permitted; it is not usually included in the bill.

Drinking age

18.