FROM JOLLOF TO BOLOGNESE AND BACK TO JOLLOF
The day I moved out of my parents’ house was the day I knew I had lost something.
Ghanaian food!
When me and my little sister were younger we ate my parents’ Ghanaian cooking almost every day — until the day we were fed up with it. We demanded something different and new, so my mother cooked traditional dishes that we hadn’t eaten yet. But that was not what we wanted. We asked for spaghetti bolognese, and spinach with mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs: a German dish we used to eat in daycare. In hindsight, it was totally bland.
I felt ashamed eating Ghanaian dishes everyday. We never took home-cooked meals to school, all you’d eat during your breaks was sandwiches and a few snacks, but when other kids would describe the meals that were awaiting them at home, I knew that they would not understand dishes like Fufuo with light soup. And so we started complaining at home.
My parents did not understand, but they love to eat and they are very curious. So my mom started cooking spaghetti bolognese and casseroles — and in my humble opinion she makes the best bolognese. My dad loves Asian cuisines and due to his work he started watching Vietnamese and Thai chefs, went shopping for ingredients and tried out recipes.
I am so grateful for my parents’ curiosity and willingness to try other cuisines. It opened our horizons and made us want to try everything, at least once.
When we got older my mother re-introduced us to Ghanaian cuisine. She started making jollof, a rice dish commonly eaten with broiled chicken and salad. We had always loved eating jollof rice because it is always served at hall parties. But when she started cooking waakye again, also a rice dish which is served with red beef stew and fried eggs, I really knew I was open to eating Ghanaian dishes again.
And, so, when I was 27, I moved to Accra for a few months to do an internship. I decided to go to Ghana to reconnect with my roots and also to learn how to navigate through Ghana.
After acclimating I had the best time, and I most definitely enjoyed the food. My favorite dish is fufuo (made the traditional way) with almost any soup. Fufuo is a pulp made from boiled cassava and/or plantain, which is usually pounded in a giant wooden mortar with a big pestle. It is served in a bowl full of soup. Fufuo itself doesn’t have a strong taste, so it is the best “carrier” for a spicy and flavourful soup. It feels like a hug that warms your belly. You’re supposed to eat it with your right hand, because food tastes better when eaten out of your hand.
It took me a culinary journey around the world to bring me back to my family‘s traditional cooking. Unfortunately, with me moving out, I no longer have quick access to Ghanaian food — I barely know how to cook Jollof rice. But I am now trying to get it back by learning, from my mother, from the internet, from wherever I can get authentic recipes.
WAAKYE
This dish is called Waakye, served with a Red tomato stew, a fried or boiled egg, shito, gari, salad and sometimes spaghetti. It is my favorite dish. Only skilled people know how to make Waakye, in my opinion.
FUFUO
This dish is called fufuo. I eat it with almost any soup but "abenkwan" (palm nut soup) or "nkatenkwan" (ground nut soup) are my personal favorites. When Ghanaian immigrants came to Germany there were very few options to make fufuo the traditional way, so they opted for potato flakes and starch to have a more convenient and quieter way of making food from back home.
Personally, I don't eat the substitute for two reasons. Firstly because I don't like the taste of it. Secondly because I don't have to eat it to remind me of home. I eat the traditional fufuo in Ghana to feel welcomed whenever I'm there and to reconnect to a tiny piece of my home.
KONTOMIRE
This dish is called kontomire, which is also known as palava sauce. It is basically a delicious stew made out of cocoyam leaves, and besides kenkey it is my absolute favourite food.
When I stayed in Accra for 3 months I visited Kumasi with my boyfriend to introduce him to my family but also to visit my late grandma's home. There we were greeted by my uncle’s wife with the best kontomire I've ever eaten. It was served with fish and boiled yams and it reminded me of forgotten childhood memories and home. I still think of that feeling almost five years later.
Text and Illustrations: Sharonda Quainoo
