Burkina Faso is indeed one of the countries in the West African region that is quite interesting to visit. Despite being known as a low-income country and a landlocked country, Burkina Faso is well worth a visit. In addition to visiting some tourist destinations, you are also obliged to try a series of unique Burkina Faso culinary delights that you certainly won’t find in other areas. Well, if you are interested in visiting there, don’t forget to taste the typical Burkina Faso food.
5 Burkina Faso Food
Riz Gras
The first Burkina Faso Food specialty is Riz Gras. Riz Gras is known as Burkina Paso’s national dish which consists of white rice, tomato paste, and various vegetables such as carrots, eggplant, chilies, onions, and garlic boiled together with rice. As a side dish, this dish usually uses meat cooked by frying. Although this dish looks simple, but riz gras is a very perfect dish because it is rich in protein and carbohydrates.
Babenda
Babenda is also included in the list of typical Burkina Faso foods that you must try. Not inferior to Riz Gras, Babbenda is also a fairly popular dish. Babenda consists of a variety of vegetables such as mustard greens, kale, spinach, or Swiss chard. Interestingly, this dish is added with fermented beans called dawadawa or soumbala which gives it a pungent taste similar to the taste of blue cheese. The soumbala is mashed together with smoked or dried fish to add protein to the dish.
To
To or commonly known as saghbo is a dough-based dish. This specialty dish consists of millet, corn, or sorghum which is processed by stirring vigorously until it forms a smooth paste. To can be consumed with various stews and sauces made from meat or vegetables. For example, with okra sauce, which is made by boiling okra in water with salt and pepper as a condiment. To is never enjoyed alone but will be accompanied by soup or sauce. Because of this delicacy, To is one of the most popular Burkina Faso dishes.
Meat Dishes
In Burkina Faso, meat is one of the most luxurious dishes. Even so, processed meat in this country is also mandatory for you to try. Maybe you will think that the meat in Burkina Faso is the same as the various processed meats that you can find here, but it’s not the same.
The people of Burkina Faso usually consume a variety of meats such as lamb, goat, poultry, beef, and fish. The meat is usually processed by roasting over an open fire. The meat is then marinated so that the taste is more pronounced. For the processed spices themselves, they are quite diverse, some use Kan Kan, which is a mixture of spices made with cayenne pepper, peanut powder, and bouillon. Then some add it with pepper sauce or chutney so that the seasoning is more pronounced.
Poulet Braise
This typical Burkina Faso dish also uses chicken as the basic ingredient, namely Poulet Braise or braised chicken. Poulet Braise is one of the typical African dishes that can be enjoyed with many things. You can serve this Poulet Braise with rice and sauce or you can also serve it with fried bananas. Not only that, this poulet braise is also quite delicious if you enjoy it directly with spicy sauce or tomato sauce. Poulet Braise is prepared for several hours and cooked on a grill. You can easily find this dish not only in Burkina Faso, but also other countries in Africa.
