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{{Short description|Staple food of Ghana}}
{{Short description|Staple food of Ghana}}
{{Copy edit|date=June 2022}}{{Infobox food
{{Infobox food
| name = Banku
| name = Banku
| image = BALLS OF BANKU.jpg
| image = BALLS OF BANKU.jpg
| caption = Balls of banku
| caption = Balls of banku
| alternate_name = akume, ɛtsew
| alternate_name = ''Akple'', ''ɛtsew''
| country = [[Ghana]]
| country = [[Ghana]]
| type = [[Swallow (food)|Swallow]]
| type = [[Swallow (food)|Swallow]]
| course =
| course =
| served = Hot
| served = Hot
| main_ingredient = [[Corn]] [[dough]], [[cassava]] dough, [[salt]] and water
| main_ingredient = [[Maize|Corn]] dough, [[cassava]] dough, salt and water
| variations =
| variations =
| calories =
| calories =
| other =
| other =
|module = {{Center|{{Listen|embed=yes|filename=Tw.Banku.ogg|title=Pronunciation of Banku|type=speech|description=recorded October 2021}}}}
}}
}}
⚫
In [[Ghana]]ian cuisine, '''banku''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=Tw-Banku.ogg}}) is a slightly [[Fermentation|fermented]] cooked mixture of corn and [[cassava]] doughs formed into single-serving balls.


⚫
In [[Ghana]]ian [[cuisine]], '''''banku''''' and '''''akple''''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=Tw-Banku.ogg}}) are [[swallow (food)|swallow]] dishes made of a slightly [[Fermentation|fermented]] cooked mixture of [[maize]] and [[cassava]] doughs formed into single-serving balls.
⚫
Banku is different from any other ''akple'' product forms [[Indigenous peoples|indigenous]] to the [[Ewe people|Ewes]].<ref>(1) A Grammatical Sketch of the Akra or Ga-language - By Johannes Zimmermann, (2) Online Reference By J DZeagu-Kudjodji and Others.</ref> It is a [[Ghanaian]] dish of GaDangme (or Ga) origin, which is a mixture of fermented [[Maize|corn]] and [[cassava]] [[dough]] that has been cooked in hot water until it turns into a smooth, whitish paste,<ref name="Haard" /><ref name="TBTG">{{cite book | last1=Briggs | first1=P. | last2=Rushton | first2=K. | title=Ghana: The Bradt Travel Guide | publisher=Bradt Travel Guides | series=Bradt Guides | year=2007 | isbn=978-1-84162-205-7 | url=https://archive.org/details/ghana0000brig | url-access=registration | page=[https://archive.org/details/ghana0000brig/page/73 73]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Muyambo|first=Freda|date=2019-06-25|title=Banku|url=https://www.196flavors.com/ghana-banku/|access-date=2021-05-15|website=196 flavors|language=en-US}}</ref> served with [[soup]], [[Okra soup|okra]] stew or a pepper [[sauce]] with fish.<ref>online reference, by J Dzeagu-Kudjodji and others ;{{cite web|title=Banku|url=http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/food/banku.html|access-date=14 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=13 December 2017|title=How to prepare Banku|url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/food/How-to-prepare-banku-609361|website=Ghana Web}}</ref>


⚫
''Banku'' is cooked in hot water until it turns into a smooth, whitish paste,<ref name="Haard" /><ref name="TBTG">{{cite book | last1=Briggs | first1=P. | last2=Rushton | first2=K. | title=Ghana: The Bradt Travel Guide | publisher=Bradt Travel Guides | series=Bradt Guides | year=2007 | isbn=978-1-84162-205-7 | url=https://archive.org/details/ghana0000brig | url-access=registration | page=[https://archive.org/details/ghana0000brig/page/73 73]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Muyambo|first=Freda|date=2019-06-25|title=Banku|url=https://www.196flavors.com/ghana-banku/|access-date=2021-05-15|website=196 flavors|language=en-US}}</ref> served with [[soup]], [[Okra soup|okra stew]] or a pepper sauce with fish.<ref>online reference, by J Dzeagu-Kudjodji and others ;{{cite web|title=Banku|url=http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/food/banku.html|access-date=14 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=13 December 2017|title=How to prepare Banku|url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/food/How-to-prepare-banku-609361|website=Ghana Web|access-date=6 June 2020|archive-date=6 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606151739/https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/food/How-to-prepare-banku-609361|url-status=dead}}</ref>
⚫
It is preferred by the people of the Southern Regions of Ghana; the [[Ewe people]], the [[Fante people]] and the [[Ga-Adangbe people]] but also eaten across other regions in [[Ghana]]. The [[Ga–Dangme people|GaDangme]] (or Ga) people have a softer variation of the food which they call Banku, while the Fante people have a drier variant of the dish they call ''ɛtsew''.<ref name="Haard">{{cite book | last=Haard | first=N.F. | title=Fermented Cereals: A Global Perspective | publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | series=FAO agricultural services bulletin | issue=138 | year=1999 | isbn=978-92-5-104296-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PtqY7dP7Ib0C&pg=PA37 | page=37}}</ref><ref name="TBTG" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Banku|url=http://ifood.tv/dough/banku/about|website=ifood.tv/|publisher=Future Today Inc|access-date=14 February 2015}}</ref>

⚫
''Akple'' is preferred by the people of the southern regions of Ghana—the Ewe people,<ref>(1) A Grammatical Sketch of the Akra or Ga-language - By Johannes Zimmermann, (2) Online Reference By J DZeagu-Kudjodji and Others.{{page?|date=September 2022}}</ref> the [[Fante people]] and the [[Ga-Adangbe people|Ga-Dangme]]—but it is also eaten across other regions in Ghana. ''Banku'' is a softer variety eaten by the Ga-Dangme (Ga or Dangbe), while the Fante people also have a drier variant of the dish they call ''ɛtsew''.<ref name="Haard">{{cite book | last=Haard | first=N.F. | title=Fermented Cereals: A Global Perspective | publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | series=FAO agricultural services bulletin | issue=138 | year=1999 | isbn=978-92-5-104296-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PtqY7dP7Ib0C&pg=PA37 | page=37}}</ref><ref name="TBTG" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Banku|url=http://ifood.tv/dough/banku/about|website=ifood.tv/|publisher=Future Today Inc|access-date=14 February 2015}}</ref>


==Etymology==
==Etymology==
It is a distinctively [[Ga–Dangme languages|Ga-Dangme]] term.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFRICA {{!}} 101 Last Tribes - Ga people |url=http://www.101lasttribes.com/tribes/ga.html |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=www.101lasttribes.com}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=May 2022}} There are similar tonal terms with different meaning in the Ga-language, such as ''Inku'' (for pomade in the Ga-language), ''Ashanku'' (for a variant of a plantain fritter called 'Tatale' in the Ga-language), and many other names ending in 'Ku'.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mensah |first=Joseph Nii Abekar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8tYeAgAAQBAJ&dq=It+is+a+distinctively+Ga-Dangme+term&pg=PA63 |title=Traditions and Customs of Gadangmes of Ghana: Descendants of Authentic Biblical Hebrew Israelites |date=2013 |publisher=Strategic Book Publishing |isbn=978-1-62857-104-2 |language=en}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}
''Banku'' is a distinctively [[Ga–Dangme languages|Ga-Dangme]] term.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFRICA {{!}} 101 Last Tribes - Ga people |url=http://www.101lasttribes.com/tribes/ga.html |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=www.101lasttribes.com}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=May 2022}} Banku is coined from the Dangbe phrase "ba mi ku". Ba means 'leaf(ves)'. Ku is the generic Ga-Dangbe term for all food of similar texture and prepared in a similar manner. Historically, banku was stored in leaves. The phrase ba mi ku simply means ku in leaves, and has been adulterated over time into banku. There are similar tonal terms with different meaning in the Ga language, such as ''Inku'' (for pomade in the Ga-language), ''Ashanku'' (for a variant of a plantain fritter called ''Tatale''), and many other names ending in 'ku'.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mensah |first=Joseph Nii Abekar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8tYeAgAAQBAJ&dq=It+is+a+distinctively+Ga-Dangme+term&pg=PA63 |title=Traditions and Customs of Gadangmes of Ghana: Descendants of Authentic Biblical Hebrew Israelites |date=2013 |publisher=Strategic Book Publishing |isbn=978-1-62857-104-2 |language=en}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=May 2022}}


== Ingredients ==
== Ingredients and preparation ==
⚫
The main [[ingredient]]s for preparing Banku are [[Cornmeal|corn flour]], [[cassava]] [[dough]], [[salt]] and [[water]], as distinguished in the ''akple'' products preparation. Banku and ''akple'' product forms are different yet similar in appearance as dumplings.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Annan|first1=Dorcas Aba|title=Akple & Ground Pepper with Grilled Tilapia|url=http://www.accra-guesthouse.com/showArticle/34|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214200200/http://www.accra-guesthouse.com/showArticle/34|archive-date=14 February 2015|access-date=14 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Briggs|first=P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ShVTAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA84|title=Ghana|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|year=2014|isbn=978-1-84162-478-5|series=Bradt Travel Guide Ghana|page=84}}</ref> They are traditionally eaten with hands.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Edwards|first1=E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F8WvAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA50|title=Sensible Objects: Colonialism, Museums and Material Culture|last2=Gosden|first2=C.|last3=Phillips|first3=R.|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|year=2006|isbn=978-1-84788-315-5|series=Wenner-Gren International Symposium Series|page=50}}</ref> Akple is usually eaten with an [[Okra|Okro]] [[soup]] known as "Fetri Detsi" among the Ewes.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-06-26|title=Ghana: Okro Stew|url=https://www.196flavors.com/ghana-okro-stew/|access-date=2020-03-09|website=196 flavors|language=en-US}}</ref>


== Preparation ==
{{How-to|section|date=June 2022}}
{{How-to|section|date=June 2022}}
The main ingredients for preparing ''banku'' are [[Cornmeal|corn flour]], [[cassava]], salt and water. ''Banku'' and ''akple'' are made with similar ingredients.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Annan|first1=Dorcas Aba|title=Akple & Ground Pepper with Grilled Tilapia|url=http://www.accra-guesthouse.com/showArticle/34|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214200200/http://www.accra-guesthouse.com/showArticle/34|archive-date=14 February 2015|access-date=14 February 2015}}</ref><ref name="TBTG"/>
⚫
Preparation of the dough takes time. [[Cassava]] is peeled, chopped and mixed with corn grains and soaked for a day. The water is poured off and the cassava and maize is milled into a smooth, fine and wet dough. The next stage in the preparation process is the fermentation of the dough. This takes between two and five days depending on climatic temperatures.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ghana: Banku|url=https://www.196flavors.com/ghana-banku/|date=2019-06-25|website=196 flavors|language=en-US|access-date=2020-06-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Gracia|first=Zindzy|date=2018-03-01|title=How to prepare banku|url=https://yen.com.gh/106552-how-prepare-banku.html|access-date=2021-10-09|website=Yen.com.gh - Ghana news.|language=en}}</ref>

⚫
[[Cassava]] is peeled, chopped and mixed with corn grains and soaked for a day. The water is poured off and the cassava and maize are milled into a smooth, fine and wet dough. The dough is then fermented for two to five days, depending on temperature.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ghana: Banku|url=https://www.196flavors.com/ghana-banku/|date=2019-06-25|website=196 flavors|language=en-US|access-date=2020-06-01}}</ref><ref name="Gracia">{{Cite web|last=Gracia|first=Zindzy|date=2018-03-01|title=How to prepare banku|url=https://yen.com.gh/106552-how-prepare-banku.html|access-date=2021-10-09|website=Yen.com.gh - Ghana news.|language=en}}</ref>

The corn and cassava dough is mixed with water and then boiled. The mixture is stirred gradually until the [[slurry]] becomes dough-like again and is then kneaded until it is smooth. Water is added around the "dough-in-pan-island", enough to almost cover the surface. It then needs to be covered well and allowed to boil, ensuring even cooking and steaming of the dough in the covered pan. Next, the dough is kneaded with a [[spatula]] to incorporate the water into it until it is smooth.


The process is repeated with centering, watering, and kneading until the dough is soft and evenly cooked. The cooked dough is portioned into small balls.
Then, the corn and cassava dough are mixed with at least 500ml of water in a deep stainless steel saucepan. The mixture is then put over a medium flame and stirred until the slurry begins to boil. The mixture is stirred gradually until the slurry becomes dough-like. Using a wooden [[spatula]] the dough is kneaded until it is smooth. When smooth, any dough stuck to the sides of the pan is removed and centered into the dough.


⚫
''Banku'' and ''akple'' are traditionally eaten with hands.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Edwards|first1=E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F8WvAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA50|title=Sensible Objects: Colonialism, Museums and Material Culture|last2=Gosden|first2=C.|last3=Phillips|first3=R.|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|year=2006|isbn=978-1-84788-315-5|series=Wenner-Gren International Symposium Series|page=50}}</ref> ''Akple'' is usually eaten with an ''[[Okra|okro]]'' (okra) soup known as ''Fetri Detsi'' among the Ewes.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-06-26|title=Ghana: Okro Stew|url=https://www.196flavors.com/ghana-okro-stew/|access-date=2020-03-09|website=196 flavors|language=en-US}}</ref> It can be served with [[soup]], [[stew]] or [[Black pepper|pepper]] sauce with meat or fish.<ref name="Gracia"/>
Water is added around the "dough-in-pan-island", enough to almost cover the surface. It then needs to be covered well and allowed to boil, ensuring even cooking and steaming of the dough in the covered pan. Next, the dough is kneaded with a spatula to incorporate the water into it until it is smooth. The process is repeated with centering, watering, and kneading until the dough is soft and evenly cooked. Using a small bowl the Banku is portioned into a bowl. The process continues until there is no more Banku left in the saucepan. It can be served with [[soup]], [[stew]] or [[pepper]] with meat or fish.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gracia|first=Zindzy|date=2018-03-01|title=How to prepare banku|url=https://yen.com.gh/106552-how-prepare-banku.html|access-date=2021-05-15|website=Yen.com.gh - Ghana news.|language=en}}</ref>


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
Line 39: Line 41:
Akple.jpg|Akple
Akple.jpg|Akple
Banku ne mako.jpg|''Banku'' and pepper
Banku ne mako.jpg|''Banku'' and pepper
Grilled tilapia with banku.jpg|Grilled [[tilapia]] with ''Bbnku''
Grilled tilapia with banku.jpg|Grilled [[tilapia]] with ''banku''
Banku soup with crab and fermented maize.jpg|''Banku'' with ''[[Okra|okro]]'' stew and crab
Banku soup with crab and fermented maize.jpg|''Banku'' with ''[[Okra|okro]]'' 'okra' stew and crab
BANKU WITH FRIED FISH & HOT PEPPER.jpg|''Banku'' with fried fish and hot pepper
BANKU WITH FRIED FISH & HOT PEPPER.jpg|''Banku'' with fried fish and hot pepper
A ball of “Akple” tied in a rubber.jpg|A ball of akple tied in a rubber
A ball of “Akple” tied in a rubber.jpg|A ball of akple tied in plastic
Akple and Borbi Tadi.jpg|Akple ''(upper-right)'' and borbi tadi
Akple and Borbi Tadi.jpg|Akple ''(upper-right)'' and borbi tadi
GH local food.jpg|A woman preparing ''banku'' in Ghana
GH local food.jpg|A woman preparing ''banku'' in Ghana
Line 65: Line 67:
[[Category:Swallows (food)]]
[[Category:Swallows (food)]]
[[Category:Togolese cuisine]]
[[Category:Togolese cuisine]]
[[Category:Foods]]
[[Category:Cuisine by country]]

Latest revision as of 08:39, 20 May 2024

Banku
Balls of banku
Alternative namesAkple, ɛtsew
TypeSwallow
Place of originGhana
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredientsCorn dough, cassava dough, salt and water

In Ghanaian cuisine, banku and akple (// ⓘ) are swallow dishes made of a slightly fermented cooked mixture of maize and cassava doughs formed into single-serving balls.

Banku is cooked in hot water until it turns into a smooth, whitish paste,[1][2][3] served with soup, okra stew or a pepper sauce with fish.[4][5]

Akple is preferred by the people of the southern regions of Ghana—the Ewe people,[6] the Fante people and the Ga-Dangme—but it is also eaten across other regions in Ghana. Banku is a softer variety eaten by the Ga-Dangme (Ga or Dangbe), while the Fante people also have a drier variant of the dish they call ɛtsew.[1][2][7]

Etymology

[edit]

Banku is a distinctively Ga-Dangme term.[8][failed verification] Banku is coined from the Dangbe phrase "ba mi ku". Ba means 'leaf(ves)'. Ku is the generic Ga-Dangbe term for all food of similar texture and prepared in a similar manner. Historically, banku was stored in leaves. The phrase ba mi ku simply means ku in leaves, and has been adulterated over time into banku. There are similar tonal terms with different meaning in the Ga language, such as Inku (for pomade in the Ga-language), Ashanku (for a variant of a plantain fritter called Tatale), and many other names ending in 'ku'.[9][failed verification]

Ingredients and preparation

[edit]

The main ingredients for preparing banku are corn flour, cassava, salt and water. Banku and akple are made with similar ingredients.[10][2]

Cassava is peeled, chopped and mixed with corn grains and soaked for a day. The water is poured off and the cassava and maize are milled into a smooth, fine and wet dough. The dough is then fermented for two to five days, depending on temperature.[11][12]

The corn and cassava dough is mixed with water and then boiled. The mixture is stirred gradually until the slurry becomes dough-like again and is then kneaded until it is smooth. Water is added around the "dough-in-pan-island", enough to almost cover the surface. It then needs to be covered well and allowed to boil, ensuring even cooking and steaming of the dough in the covered pan. Next, the dough is kneaded with a spatula to incorporate the water into it until it is smooth.

The process is repeated with centering, watering, and kneading until the dough is soft and evenly cooked. The cooked dough is portioned into small balls.

Banku and akple are traditionally eaten with hands.[13] Akple is usually eaten with an okro (okra) soup known as Fetri Detsi among the Ewes.[14] It can be served with soup, stew or pepper sauce with meat or fish.[12]

[edit]
  • Akple
    Akple
  • Banku and pepper
    Banku and pepper
  • Grilled tilapia with banku
    Grilled tilapia with banku
  • Banku with okro 'okra' stew and crab
    Banku with okro 'okra' stew and crab
  • Banku with fried fish and hot pepper
    Banku with fried fish and hot pepper
  • A ball of akple tied in plastic
    A ball of akple tied in plastic
  • Akple (upper-right) and borbi tadi
    Akple (upper-right) and borbi tadi
  • A woman preparing banku in Ghana
    A woman preparing banku in Ghana
  • Preparing banku
    Preparing banku

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Haard, N.F. (1999). Fermented Cereals: A Global Perspective. FAO agricultural services bulletin. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. p. 37. ISBN 978-92-5-104296-0.
  2. ^ a b c Briggs, P.; Rushton, K. (2007). Ghana: The Bradt Travel Guide. Bradt Guides. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-84162-205-7.
  3. ^ Muyambo, Freda (2019-06-25). "Banku". 196 flavors. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
  4. ^ online reference, by J Dzeagu-Kudjodji and others ;"Banku". Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  5. ^ "How to prepare Banku". Ghana Web. 13 December 2017. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  6. ^ (1) A Grammatical Sketch of the Akra or Ga-language - By Johannes Zimmermann, (2) Online Reference By J DZeagu-Kudjodji and Others.[page needed]
  7. ^ "Banku". ifood.tv/. Future Today Inc. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  8. ^ "AFRICA | 101 Last Tribes - Ga people". www.101lasttribes.com. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
  9. ^ Mensah, Joseph Nii Abekar (2013). Traditions and Customs of Gadangmes of Ghana: Descendants of Authentic Biblical Hebrew Israelites. Strategic Book Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62857-104-2.
  10. ^ Annan, Dorcas Aba. "Akple & Ground Pepper with Grilled Tilapia". Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  11. ^ "Ghana: Banku". 196 flavors. 2019-06-25. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
  12. ^ a b Gracia, Zindzy (2018-03-01). "How to prepare banku". Yen.com.gh - Ghana news. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  13. ^ Edwards, E.; Gosden, C.; Phillips, R. (2006). Sensible Objects: Colonialism, Museums and Material Culture. Wenner-Gren International Symposium Series. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-84788-315-5.
  14. ^ "Ghana: Okro Stew". 196 flavors. 2019-06-26. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
[edit]
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