UNIT ONE

CULTURAL SETTLEMENTS IN GHANA

DEFINING THE CONCEPT CULTURAL LANDSCAPE/SETTLEMENT

In 1992 the World Heritage Convention became the first international legal instrument to

recognize and protect cultural landscapes. The Committee at its 16th session adopted guidelines

concerning their inclusion in the World Heritage List.

The Committee acknowledged that cultural landscapes represent the "combined works of nature

and of man" designated in Article 1 of the Convention. They are illustrative of the evolution of

human society and settlement over time, under the influence of the physical constraints and/or

opportunities presented by their natural environment and of successive social, economic and

cultural forces, both external and internal.

The cultural landscape is the visible imprint of human activity and culture on the landscape. As

geographer Peirce Lewis explained in Axioms for Reading the Landscape (1979), "Our human

landscape is our unwitting autobiography, reflecting our tastes, our values, our aspirations, and

even our fears, in tangible, visible form."

Cultural Landscapes define a cultural landscape as a geographic area (including both cultural and

natural resources), that is associated with a historic event, activity or person, or exhibiting any

other cultural or aesthetic values.

Cultural landscapes can range from thousands of acres of rural land to homesteads with small

front yards. They can be man-made expressions of visual and spatial relationships that include

grand estates, farmlands, public gardens and parks, college campuses, cemeteries, scenic

highways, and industrial sites. Cultural landscapes are works of art, texts and narratives of

cultures, and expressions of regional identity. They also exist in relationship to their ecological

contexts (CLF)

Categories and Subcategories of Cultural Landscapes/Settlement

Cultural landscapes/Settlements fall into three main categories namely:

The clearly defined landscape designed and created intentionally by man. This embraces

garden and parkland landscapes constructed for aesthetic reasons which are often (but not

always) associated with religious or other monumental buildings and ensembles.

The second category is the organically evolved landscape. This results from an initial social,

economic, administrative, and/or religious imperative and has developed its present form by

association with and in response to its natural environment. Such landscapes reflect that process

of evolution in their form and component features.

They fall into two sub-categories:

• a relict (or fossil) landscape is one in which an evolutionary process came to an end at

some time in the past, either abruptly or over a period. Its significant distinguishing

features are, however, still visible in material form.

 • continuing landscape is one which retains an active social role in contemporary society

closely associated with the traditional way of life, and in which the evolutionary process

is still in progress. At the same time it exhibits significant material evidence of its

evolution over time.

The final category is the associative cultural landscape. The inclusion of such landscapes on

the World Heritage List is justifiable by virtue of the powerful religious, artistic or cultural

associations of the natural element rather than material cultural evidence, which may be

insignificant or even absent.

Traditional Settlements of the Ethnic Groups in Ghana

Map of Ghana Showing Distribution of Ethnic Groups

The region of modern Ghana has been inhabited by nation-states, which were often ethnic based
prior to the advent of Islamic and European civilization, and subsequent arrival of Europeans to
the region beginning in the fifteenth century. More importantly, for a successful study of the
Ghanaian past, because there were no written records from prehistory one must rely on other
sources including archaeology, oral traditions, ethnography, linguistic, art history and even the
natural sciences.
Three groups of states could be identified in pre-colonial Ghana: states in the northern zone,
states in the forest zone and states in the coastal zones. Today, it is estimated that there are about
ninetytwo separate ethnic groups in Ghana. These groups are often classified into a few large
groups, namely, the Guans, the Akan states of Adanse, Bono, Denkyira, Akwamu, Assin, Fante
and Asante. The others are the Mole-Dagbani states of Mamprusi, Dagomba, Nanumba and
Mossi, the Gonja, the Anlo-Ewe and Ga-Dangme states. The history of the origin and state
formation of these groups are steeped in myth and traditions.
The Northern Zone
From the study of oral traditions of the peoples of northern Ghana, prior to the invasion by the
Mole-Dagbani states in about the thirteenth century indigenous people inhabited the area. These
people were the Vagala, the Sisala, the Tempulensi and the Guan who lived to the west of the
White Volta. The other indigenous people were the Kokomba, the Nafeba, the Fulse, the
Kasena, the Ninisi, the Nunuma, the Gyimba, the Koma and the Chamba who lived to the east of
the Volta River. Apart from the Guan, all the ethnic groups spoke languages that were very
much the same. They also belonged to the same culture, making the same kind of things and
living in the same kind of way.
The Mole-Dagbani states refers to a group of political states that emerged in the northern
savannah lands of the region of modern Ghana and parts of the modern republic of Burkina
Faso. Even though these groups today constitute three apparently distinct ethnic groups, their
people still identify with each other. It is said by oral tradition that the founding ancestor of all
the MoleDagbani migrated from northeast of the Lake Chad to the south of the Niger bend,
Zamfara, which is modern day Nigeria. A brave warrior called Tohazie led them. They
journeyed southwestwards through Medieval Mali to settle first in Pusiga near Bawku, a village
in the northeastern part of Ghana. On arrival, they waged wars of expansion against the local
tribes and defeated them under the leadership of Gbewa. Succession disputes among decedents
of Gbewa led to the founding of Mamprugu (Mamprusi), Nanumba and the Dagomba states in
Ghana, and the Mossi state in Burkina Faso. Despite the division, they are related. That is why
they are called the Mole-Dagbani peoples. They all regard Mamprugu as their ‘parent’ kingdom
and Gambaga in Mamprugu as their spiritual home.
To the southwest of Mamprugu, Dagbon, and Nanumba emerged the kingdom of Gonja.
According to Gonja traditions, Mande warriors and traders from Mali led by Wadh Naba
(Nabaga) founded the kingdom perhaps in the second half of the sixteenth century. He was
originally sent by his overlord, the chief Mande Kaba, on a punitive expedition against the
trading centre of Begho because of a major decline in the gold exports to Mali. These invaders
failed to carry out the assignment. Instead, attracted to commercial activities in the area set up a
military base at Yagbum around AD 1554. From Yagbum aided by Dyula Muslims in Begho,
they launched an attack against the indigenes and imposed their authority on them. By the
middle of the seventeenth century, Gonja had reached its peak. It had defeated several chiefdoms
including Dagomba and had developed into a centralized state.
The Forest Zone
The Akan, the largest single ethnic grouping in the region of modern Ghana occupy the forest
and free savannah lands of Ghana. The Adanse, Akuapem, Akyem, Asante, Assin, Awowin,
Bono, Denkyira, Fante, Kwawu, Nzema, Sewhi, Twifu and Wasa are all Akan ethnic groups.
They speak a common language called Twi, or dialects of that language. They also share
common social and political institutions and practices.
There is still some argument about the origins of the Akan. Some versions of their traditions
supported by Thomas E. Bowdich assert that the ancestors of the Akan came from North Africa
or the Middle East. Another British diplomat, Joseph Dupuis holds the view that the Akan could
be traced to only as far as northern Ghana from where, in his view they were pushed by Muslim
warriors. Other held the notion that the Akan originated from the Niger-Chad region. Ghanaian
statesman and historian, J. B. Danquah traces the Akan as far as the Tigris and Euphrates in
Mesopotamia (Iraq or Iran) and thence to the medieval Ghana Empire before their final
settlement in modern Ghana. Another version of the traditions state that the Akan had always
lived in the present country.
Yet, another Ghanaian, historian and politician, Adu Boahen relying on evidence from
geography, oral traditions, linguistic and serology suggested four separate cradles as the origin
of the ancestors of the Akan people: the Chad-Benue region, the area between the Lower Volta
and the middle Niger, the region between the Comoe and the White Volta and the basin of the
Pra and Ofin. He argued that the Akan, like most of the West African Negroes and the Bantu,
evolved between the Chad and the Benue from where they entered the Dahomey Gap which is
the territory lying between the Lower Volta and the middle Niger. According to him, further
population expansion led to the dispersion of the people in groups to places like Iboland,
Yorubaland, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, and the region between the Black Volta and the Comoe
River. Boahen believes that some from this group moved further south into the forest region and
finally settled between the confluence of the Pra and Ofin rivers where they developed into the
Akan of today.
The Asante, Denkyira, Adanse, Akwamu and Akyem grew to become the large Akan states.
Their emergence as large centralized states took place between the fourteenth and seventeenth
centuries. The Akan states had to emerge late because of the impenetrable nature of the forest
and thick Savanna. The introduction of iron mining and smelting and tool-making skills helped
them to them control their environment. By the eighteenth century, the Asante state had become
the most dominant state in Ghana.
The Southern Zone
The Ewe and Ga-Adangbe are the two main ethnic groups occupying the southern zone of
Ghana. The Ewe inhabits southeastern Ghana and southern parts of the Republic of Togo and
Benin. According to the German missionary Diedrich Westermann, the Ewe, Ga-Adangbe, the
Yoruba and the Fon of Dahomey once lived together in Ketu, a city-state in modern Republic of
Benin. Oral tradition further asserts the Ewe left Ketu in two groups due to constant wars and
raids in the area. One group of Ewe moved westward to settle at Adele in Togo as their new
home territory. The other group under the leadership of Afotche first migrated to Tado
(southeastern Togo), crossed the Mono River passing through the forest on the banks to found
Notsie at the northeast of present day Lome, capital of the Republic of Togo. Oral traditions of
the Ewe indicated that it was from Notsie that the various Ewe tribes dispersed to establish a
number of states including the Anlo around the early years of the seventeenth century. By the
middle of eighteenth century, the Anlo state had become well established.
The Ga and Adangbe people are closely related in that apart from living in close proximity, they
also speak closely related dialects. Ga is used to describe the people who live in the coastal
plains stretching from Accra to Tema. Historians are not certain about the date of emergence of
the Ga into a kingdom. They originally lived in scattered communities but by the beginning of
the seventeenth century, they were able to create the powerful kingdom of Accra. The Adangbe
occupy the eastern portions of the Accra plains and the foothills of the Akuapem ridge. The Ga
oral traditions state that they came from the east, Yorubaland, southern parts of the present-day
Nigeria through Seme together with the Adangbe. The Ga story is confirmed by the Adangme.
However, scholars like Adu Boahen are skeptical about any external origin of the Ga-Adangme.
The Guan
The Guan are the oldest known people to have inhabited the region of modern Ghana. The Guan

are found in different parts of the country. They speak the Guan language. They include the

Larteh, Efutu, Awutu, Nchumuru and Gonja. According to their traditions, the Guan had

established small independent states in Ghana extending from Winneba, Mouri, Egya, through

Akuapim, Afram Plains to Northern Ghana before the arrival of the other ethnic groups into the

region of modern Ghana.

Traditional Economic Activities of People in Different Cultural Settlements in Ghana

Pre-colonial Ghanaians engaged in a wide variety of economic activities. The economic

activities included agriculture, hunting, fishing, woodworking and trade. There were also crafts
and other industries such as cloth weaving, pottery, brass works, and the mining and smelting of
iron and gold.

Agriculture

Agriculture was the basis of the economy and the basic unit of production was the extended
family. Each family constituted itself into a working unit or labor force and acted as an operative
economic entity that produced goods and distributed the fruits of labor as its members saw fit,
allowing for individual discretion and reward. Within the family, there was specialization of
labor and sexual division of occupation. The major farming practice was mixed farming.
Farmers cultivated maize, cassava, plantain and banana with cutlass and created mould with
hoes to cultivate yam. Fruits such as pineapple, pawpaw, water melons, pears and guavas were
grown throughout the country. Vegetables such as okro, onions, garden eggs, tomatoes and
pepper were grown especially in the forested and southern of the country. Ghanaians also kept
livestock like cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and fowls.
Fishing and Hunting

Fishing was the major economic activity of the people of the coastal towns and villages. At
places such as Biriwa, Kromantse, Anomabo, Egyaa, Otuam, Dwamma, Apam, Winneba and
Senya Breku fishing was done in the sea and lagoons. In the inland areas dwellers along the
banks of rivers like Pra, Ofin, Birem, Volta and Lake Bosomtwe catch fish in these rivers. While
men were involved in fish catching the women were responsible for processing, storage and
trading. They used indigenously made implements like nets, traps and spears. Ghanaians also
supplemented their meat requirements by hunting. They hunted for games included deer, hare,
bush pigs, wolves, foxes, and occasionally leopard and elephants. Before the introduction of
guns and gunpowders these game were caught by a team of hunters surrounding their game with
clubs and beating them to death.

Salt Making

Salt in Ghana was either mined or extracted from lagoon. In communities such as Daboya in
northern Ghana were salt was mined, salt-impregnated soil was scraped into containers, mixed
with water and boiled until the water evaporated and salt crystals left. Among Fante towns of
Elmina, Cape Coast, Winneba and Osu, salt was obtained by evaporation from salt pans and
among other coastal villages such as Brenu Akyinmu near Elmina by boiling sea water to
produce salt. Obtaining salt from lagoon or seawater was done mainly at the coast. In the
production of salt, land around the lagoon was decided into plots, owned by families or
individuals. A clay wall of about one to two feet high was built around each plot and several
ponds were dug inside the plot. In additions to being a boundary demarcation the clay wall was
to prevent fresh water from entering the ponds once the ponds had been filled up with the salty
lagoon water. The water in the pond was then left to evaporate. In some of the ponds, the water
dried up completely, while in others the salt settled at the bottom leaving clear water on top.

Collection/Gathering

Another economic activity of pre-colonial Ghanaians was collection of wild food and other
plants. In the savanna zone of northern Ghana, shea nuts, baobab, tamarind, dawadawa and kola
nuts were collected. Shea butter was mainly used for cooking, making pomade, soaps and for
medical purposes. The dawadawa was used as food additive to enhance taste and flavour.
Tamarind on the other hand was widely used to provide a sweet and tart flavour to savour meat
and vegetable dishes and in drinks. The kola nut served as an item of trade. It was exported in
large quantities in both the inter-state and long-distance trade. They were exported as far the
Western Sudanese states. Beyond being used as stimulants, they were required for all important
occasions and ceremonies such as marriage, naming and mortuary rites.

Mining

Ghana has a long tradition of gold mining and gold smiting. Due to the absence of modern
industrial technology for mining gold was obtained by the local people using purely traditional
methods and equipment. Gold was usually obtained from alluvial and surface deposits by
digging the earth from the river or stream with an iron pick or hoe, washing the earth in a pan,
throwing away the non-auriferous deposits and collecting the gold which had settled at the
bottom of the pan. In the cases where the gold was located in deeper deposits, the local miner
dug a shaft down to the mineral deposit by means of pick and hoes and collected the auriferous
deposit and panned it with water.

The Craft Industry

The Ghanaian heartland is artistically rich. These craft industries included metal working, soap
making, bead making leather working, cloth industry, pottery, among others. These industries
did not only provide employment for majority of Ghanaians but a lot of income and foreign
exchange were generated for the people of Ghana. The indigenous iron industry was particularly
important for the development of other industries and agriculture. It was even common for
traditional rulers to gather together and relocate the most skilled crafts people from the regions
to craft villages. Villages specialised in the production of particular crafts to provide royal
regalia and paraphernalia, as well as to supply the everyday needs of the traditional rulers and
their courts. The Kente was the most celebrated of the entire textile used in Ghana. Designed
with traditional symbols conveying meanings, they were dyed in different colours and used by
the people to express their profound thoughts.

Pottery Waist Beads The Kente Cloth

Trade

Trading was an important economic activity in Ghana. There was intra-state, inter-state and long

distance trade. Intra-state trade otherwise called local trade existed within a particular state or

society. Here there were the local community marketing places where most of the local

foodstuffs, crafts and a few necessaries were sold. Regional markets including Akuse, Salaga,

Edubiase, Kumase, Abonse, Afidwaase and Kokote were established for the inter-state trade.

Here agricultural, fishing and hunting products, salt, gold, products of craft industries and exotic

goods were exchanged. Trade was also carried out between Ghana and her neighbouring peoples.

There is strong archaeological and other documented evidence that the peoples in the region of

modern Ghana were in contact with the Western Sudan, North Africa, the Middle East and

Southern Europe. By the fifteen century a definite trade route linking the coast and forest of

Asante with Jenne and other commercial centres in the middle Niger in the Western Sudan was

in existence. The forging of the kind was the work of the Mande-speaking people whose trading

activities cut across West Africa. Apart from the Western Sudan, the people of Ghana traded

with people form North Africa, Ivory Coast and Benin.

 LESSON TWO

GHANAIAN CULINARY PRACTICES

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the lesson student teacher will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the different culinary practices of the

cultures in Ghana

2. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the differences between Ghanaian and

Non-Ghanaian Foods.

3. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how food can be used to promote culture.

4. Apply the knowledge to teach Upper Primary Curriculum.

GHANA’S TRADITIONAL FOODS/CUISINE AND CULLINARY PRACTICES

Ghana’s food is as diverse as its people, with every ethnic group having a special dish of their

own. From the coastal towns to the savannah regions, one can count about a thousand and one

different foods littered across the tropical country. However, some foods are known for their

delectability and are common with almost all Ghanaians.

We bring you 25 of the most popular foods in Ghana, but before we begin, here’s a short guide

to help you understand the food culture in The Star of Africa (one of Ghana’s numerous

nicknames).
Ghanaians divide their foods into breakfast, lunch, and supper – just like Europeans. Though

there’s a clear distinction between what food can be taken for breakfast, lunch and supper don’t

have that. So, what can be taken as lunch can equally be taken as supper and vice versa. Rarely

do you have Ghanaians take foods meant for breakfast as supper or lunch, but it does happen.

There’s a lot to learn from a group of people by the way they put together their meals. The

ingredients, cooking methods and energy they apply into feeding themselves extend beyond

nourishment, with their culinary skills reflecting different beliefs, traditions and habits. As such,

experiencing and experimenting with local traditional foods provides an education of the culture,

too.

Traditional Ghanaian food is typified by the distribution of food crops. With the prominence of

tropical produce like corn, beans, millet, plantains and cassava, most ethnic groups creatively

employ these foodstuffs to make mouth-watering dishes for their nourishment. Below are some

dishes to introduce you to the scope of local Ghanaian food.

Jollof rice

Originally from Senegal, Jollof is a pot dish of rice prepared with tomato sauce and served with

meat or fish that stirs up plenty of interesting debate online. The rice soaks up the juicy flavours

and turns orange when cooking, and is a national favourite that can be found in most restaurants

or dished out by street vendors at affordable prices.

Waakye
Waakye is another food that exhibits Ghanaians’ creative use of rice. The recipe is a medley of

beans and rice and was originally a Northern dish, but it can now be found almost everywhere on

the streets of Accra. Eating Waakye will open the door to a range of Ghanaian tastes and flavours

as the main dish is served with other sides such as fried plantain, garri (grated cassava), spaghetti

and avocado.

Banku and Tilapia

When you see fish being grilled on the streets of Accra it is most likely to be tilapia, a delicacy

among Ghanaians, who spice then grill the succulent freshwater fish. It complements banku, a

Southern mix of fermented corn and cassava dough, and very hot pepper, diced tomatoes and

onions. Banku is one of the main dishes of the people who live by the Ghanaian coast.

Red-red

Red-red is a filling traditional dish that consists of cowpea beans boiled to make a broth, served

with palm oil and soft, fried plantains. It is one of the Ghanaian dishes that doesn’t use a lot of

spice because the main taste comes from the ingredients it’s served with – it can also be dished

up with garri to make it even more hearty. Red-red is also a perfect choice for vegetarians as no

animal products are used.

Fufu and goat light soup

In the Eastern and Ashanti regions of Ghana, one meal guaranteed to work its wonder is fufu and

goat light soup, the proud dish of the Akan. Fufu is a staple food across West Africa but in

Ghana, it is made by pounding a mixture of boiled cassava and plantains into a soft sticky paste
to go along with aromatic and spicy tomato soup. Fufu can also be found in Northern Ghana,

although it is made with yam in this region. This weekend delight is relished across the country,

albeit with slight differences made to the core recipe.

Tuo Zaafi (TZ)

Northern Ghanaian food is dominated by the use of grains, herbs and meat as these are the main

food products of the area. Tuo Zaafi is similar to banku, although it is quite soft and less sticky,

and is made by cooking corn dough and adding a little cassava. What distinguishes Tuo Zaafi

and makes it a popular meal nationwide is the nutritious and rare herbs used in making the

accompanying soup, including dawadawa and ayoyo leaves.

Kenkey and fried fish

Kenkey is another corn-based staple similar to banku, that is made by moulding fermented corn

dough into balls and wrapping them around drying corn leaves, which are then boiled. The meal

is served with hot pepper sauce, fried crabs, octopus or fish and is a delicacy of the Accran

people.

Kelewele

No list of traditional Ghanaian foods would be complete without this savoury side dish.

Kelewele is an instant favourite among anyone who tries it, even those who aren’t big fans of

peppery food. Usually sold as a snack or side dish all over Accra, it is made by frying soft

plantains that have been soaked in a medley of peppers, ginger and garlic. The aroma is crisp and

strong, while the pleasant plantain adds some sweetness to the sour.
Omo tuo

Omo Tuo (or rice balls) are another traditional Ghanaian food that shows how the population

often reinvents the myriad ways of eating rice. It comprises soft boiled grains that are moulded

into balls and served with a variety of soups, and makes a great accompaniment to many dishes

like fufu.

Boiled yam or plantain with Kontomire stew

One present feature in local Ghanaian food is the use of a variety of leaf vegetables and local

herbs and spices. The highly nutritious Kontomire stew is made from boiled tender cocoyam

leaves, salted fish and boiled eggs, and goes perfectly with boiled yams, plantains and avocado.
MAIN STAPLE FOODS IN GHANA

The typical staple foods in the southern part of Ghana include cassava and plantain. In the

northern part, the main staple foods include millet and sorghum. Yam, maize and beans are used

across Ghana as staple foods. Sweet potatoes and cocoyam are also important in the

Ghanaian diet and cuisine. With the advent of globalization, cereals such as rice and wheat have

been increasingly incorporated into Ghanaian cuisine. The foods below represent Ghanaian

dishes made out of these staple foods.

Foods made with maize

Akple, a traditional meal of the Ewe, is made with corn flour and can be eaten with pepper

sauces, stews or any soup. It is typically served with okra soup (fetridetsi) or herring stew

(abɔbitadi). Akple is never prepared in the same way as Banku. An important distinguishing

factor between the two products is that Banku requires the use of a special preformulated watery

material called "Slightly-Fermented Corn-Cassava Dough Mix", cooked to a soft solid

consistency of "Corn-Cassava Dough AFLATA", enroute to a soft form of Banku with further

cooking, and the "Slightly-Fermented Corn-Cassava Dough Mix" is never 'the signature material'

of any form of the Akple product.

Banku, with all its impressive varieties was formulated by the Ga Dangme (or Ga) tribe of

the Greater Accra Region, as a slight deviation from the process of preparation of Ga-Kenkey,

requiring a different manipulation of 'THE AFLATA' mixed with cassava dough, but unlike Ga-

Kenkey it does not require the use of corn husk. One particular Major-Clan of the GaDangme (or

Ga) tribe is credited with the original recipe of the banku meal even though it may be argued
among the major clans.[1] Sometimes only cornflour is used but in many areas cassava dough is

cooked together with the fermented corn dough.[2]

Mmore is cooked fermented corn dough without cassava, prepared like banku among the Akan

people.

Kenkey/komi/dokonu is fermented corn dough, wrapped in corn originating from the Ga who call

it komi or Ga kenkey. Another variety originating from the Fanti people is Fante Dokono or Fanti

Kenkey which is wrapped with plantain leaves that give it a different texture, flavour and colour

as compared to the Ga kenkey. Both are boiled for long periods into consistent solid balls.

Tuo Zaafi is a millet, sorghum or maize dish originating from Northern Ghana

Fonfom is a maize dish popular in south-western Ghana

Foods made with rice

Waakye—a dish of rice and beans with a purple-brown color. The color comes from

the indigenous grass Sorghum bicolor.[3] This side dish bears striking similarities to West Indian

rice and peas. The rice is cooked and steamed with an indigenous leaf, coconut and a pulse such

as black-eyed peas or kidney beans.

Omo Tuo/Rice ball—sticky mashed rice, normally eaten with Ghanaian soup.

Plain rice—boiled rice accompanies many of the variety of red stews.

Jollof rice—rice cooked in a stew consisting of stock, tomatoes, spices, and meat boiled together.

This dish originated from the Djolof traders from Senegal who settled in the Zongos before the

colonial period. Adapted for local Ghanaian tastes, it is typically eaten with goat, lamb, chicken

or beef that has been stewed, roasted or grilled.

Fried rice—Chinese-style fried rice adapted to Ghanaian tastes.

Angwa moo—also referred to as "oiled rice". This is unlike fried rice which you cook the rice

before frying. Oiled rice is cooked by first onion-frying the oil, then adding water after the

onions have browned, giving the rice a different fragrance. The rice is then cooked in the water-

oil mixture, to give the rice an oily feel when ready. It may be cooked with vegetables or minced

meat, added to taste. It is mostly served with earthenware-ground pepper, with either tinned

sardines or fried eggs complementing it.

Ngwo moo (palm rice)—an alternative to the oiled rice, cooked with palm oil instead of cooking

oil. The taste is determined by the type of palm oil used.

Foods made with cassava

Kokonte or abete—from dried peeled cassava powder usually served alongside groundnut soup,

consisting of a variety of meat such as tripe, lamb, or smoked catfish.

Fufu—pounded cassava and plantain, pounded yam and plantain, or pounded cocoyam/taro. This

side dish is always accompanied by one of the many varieties of Ghanaian soups.

Gari—made from cassava. Often served with Red red, a fish and black-eyed pea stew,

or shito and fish.

Attiéké or Akyeke—made from cassava and popular among the Ahanta, Nzema and Akan-

speaking people of Ivory Coast.

Plakali—made from cassava and popular among the Ahanta, Nzema and Akan-speaking people

of Ivory Coast.
Foods made with beans

A deviation to the starch and stew combination are Red red and tubaani, primarily based on

vegetable protein (beans). Red red is a popular Ghanaian bean and fish stew served with fried

ripe plantain and often accompanied with gari, fish and pulses. It earns its name from the palm

oil that tints the bean stew and the bright orange color of the fried ripe plantain. Tubaani is a

boiled bean cake, called moin moin in Nigeria.

Foods made with yam

Ampesie—boiled yam. It may also be made with plantain, cocoyam, potatoes, yams or cassava.

This side dish is traditionally eaten with fish stew containing tomatoes, oil and spices.

Yam fufu—fufu made with yam instead of cassava or plantain or cocoyam, this soft dough is

traditionally eaten with Ghanaian soup. It is popular in Northern and southeastern Ghana.

Mpotompoto (yam casserole or porridge)—slices of yam cooked with much water and pepper,

onions, tomatoes, salt and preferred seasoning.

Soups and stews

Most Ghanaian side dishes are served with a stew, soup or mako (a spicy condiment made from

raw red and green chilies, onions and tomatoes (pepper sauce). Ghanaian stews and soups are

quite sophisticated, with liberal and delicate use of exotic ingredients, a wide variety of flavours,

spices and textures.

Vegetables such as palm nuts, peanuts, cocoyam leaves, ayoyo, spinach, wild mushroom, okra,

garden eggs (eggplant), tomatoes and various types of pulses are the main ingredients in

Ghanaian soups and stews and in the case of pulses, may double as the main protein ingredient.
Beef, pork, goat, lamb, chicken, smoked turkey, tripe, dried snails, and fried fish are common

sources of protein in Ghanaian soups and stews, sometimes mixing different types of meat and

occasionally fish into one soup. Soups are served as a main course rather than a starter. It is also

common to find smoked meat, fish and seafood in Ghanaian soups and stews.

They include crab, shrimp, periwinkles, octopus, snails, grubs, duck, offal, and pig's trotters.

Also oysters.

Meat, mushrooms and seafood may be smoked, salted or dried for flavour enhancement and

preservation. Salt fish is widely used to flavour fish based stews. Spices such as thyme, garlic,

onions, ginger, peppers, curry, basil, nutmeg, sumbala, Tetrapleura tetraptera (prekese) and bay

leaf are delicately used to achieve the exotic and spicy flavours that characterize Ghanaian

cuisine.

Palm oil, coconut oil, shea butter, palm kernel oil and peanut oil are important Ghanaian oils

used for cooking or frying and may sometimes not be substituted for in certain Ghanaian dishes.

For example, using palm oil in okro stew, eto, fante fante,[4] red red or Gabeans, egusi stew

and mpihu/mpotompoto (similar to poi).[5] Coconut oil, palm kernel oil and shea butter have lost

their popularity for cooking in Ghana due to the introduction of refined oils and

negative Ghanaian media adverts targeted at those oils. They are now mostly used in

few traditional homes, for soap making and by commercial (street food) food vendors as a

cheaper substitute to refined cooking oils.

Common Ghanaian soups are groundnut soup,[6] light (tomato) soup,[6] kontomire (taro leaves)

soup, palm nut soup,[7] ayoyo soup and okra soup.

Ghanaian tomato stew or gravy is a stew that is often served with rice or waakye. Other

vegetable stews are made with kontomire, garden eggs, egusi (pumpkin seeds), spinach, okra,

etc.

Breakfast meals

Most of the dishes mentioned above are served during lunch and supper in modern Ghana.

However, those engaged in manual labour and a large number of urban dwellers still eat these

foods for breakfast and will usually buy them from the streets. Another popular breakfast is

called huasa koko (northern porridge). This is usually prepared by the northerners. it is normally

sweet and enjoyable when a northerner or Muslim prepares this type of porridge. it is enjoyed

with koose or bread with some groundnut.

In large Ghanaian cities, working-class people would often take fruit, tea, chocolate drink, oats,

rice porridge/cereal(locally called rice water) or kooko (fermented maize porridge)

and koose/akara or maasa (beans, ripe plantain and maize meal fritters).[8] Other breakfast foods

include grits, tombrown (roasted maize porridge), and millet porridge.[8]

Bread is an important feature in Ghanaian breakfast and baked foods. Ghanaian bread, which is

known for its good quality, is baked with wheat flour and sometimes cassava flour is added for

an improved texture. There are four major types of bread in Ghana. They are tea bread (similar to

the baguette), sugar bread (which is a sweet bread), brown (whole wheat) bread, and butter

bread. Rye bread, oat bread and malt bread are also quite common.[9]

Sweet Foods
There are many sweet local foods which have been marginalized due to their low demand and

long preparation process. Ghanaian sweet foods (or confectionery) may be

fried, barbecued, boiled, roasted, baked or steamed.

Fried sweet foods include cubed and spiced ripe plantain (kelewele) sometimes served with

peanuts. Koose made from peeled beans (and its close twin acarajé or akara made from beans

which are not peeled), maasa,[10][11] pinkaaso,[12] and bofrot/Puff-puff[13] (made from wheat

flour); waakye [14] dzowey and nkate cake (made from peanuts);[15] kaklo and tatale[16] (ripe

plantain fritters); kube cake and kube toffee (made from coconut); bankye

krakro, gari biscuit,[17][18] and krakye ayuosu (made from cassava); condensed milk, toffee,

plantain chips (or fried plantain)[19] and wagashi[20] (fried farmer's cheese) are fried Ghanaian

savory foods (confectionery).

Kebabs are popular barbecues and can be made from beef, goat, pork, soy

flour, sausages and guinea fowl. Other roasted savoury foods include roasted plantain, maize,

yam and cocoyam.

Steamed fresh maize, yakeyake, kafa, akyeke, tubani, moimoi (bean cake), emo dokonu (rice

cake) and esikyire dokonu (sweetened kenkey) are all examples of steamed and boiled foods

whilst sweet bread, (plantain cake), and meat pie similar to Jamaican patties and empanadas are

baked savoury foods. Aprapransa, eto (mashed yam) and atadwe milk (tiger nut juice) are other

savory foods. Gari soakings is a modern favorite. It is a blend of gari (dried, roasted cassava),

sugar, groundnut (peanut) and milk.

Beverages
In southern Ghana, Ghanaian drinks such as asaana (made from fermented maize) are common.

Along the Lake Volta and in southern Ghana, palm wine extracted from the palm tree can be

found, but it ferments quickly and then it is used to distill akpeteshie (a local gin). Akpeteshie can

be distilled from molasses too. In addition, a beverage can be made

from kenkey and refrigerated into what is in Ghana known as ice kenkey. In northern Ghana,

bisaab/sorrel, toose and lamujee (a spicy sweetened drink) are common non-

alcoholic beverages whereas pitoo (a local beer made of fermented millet) is an alcoholic

beverage.

In urban areas of Ghana drinks may include fruit juice, cocoa drinks, fresh coconut

water, yogurt, ice cream, carbonated drinks, malt drinks and soy milk.[21][22] In addition,

Ghanaian distilleries produce alcoholic beverages from cocoa, malt, sugar cane, local medicinal

herbs and tree barks. They include bitters, liqueur, dry gins, beer, and aperitifs.

Street foods in Ghana

Street food is very popular in both rural and urban areas of Ghana. Most Ghanaian families eat at

least three times a week from street food vendors, from whom all kinds of foods can be bought,

including staple foods such as kenkey, red red and waakye. Other savoury foods such as raw

steak , boiled corn cob, boflot (bo-float) and roasted plantain are sold mainly by street food

vendors.

Ice kenkey is a popular chilled dessert sold by street vendors in open-air markets.[25]

Most Popular Soups in Ghana

Most foods in Ghana are taken with soups or stew. So, here is a list of the major soups that are

loved by all and sundry from the gulf to the north.

Peanut/ Groundnut Butter Soup

Peanut/groundnut butter soup is made from, you guessed right, peanut butter. The creamy soup is

made by mixing the peanut butter with water and stirred till the oil in the peanut butter rises to

the top. It is later added to a mixture of boiled and blended tomatoes, pepper, onions, ginger, and

garlic and cooked to give it its unique taste. You can add any meat or seafood of your choice.

Light Soup (Tomato Soup)

Locally referred to as light soup because of its lightness/thinness as compared to the peanut

butter soup, it is very easy to prepare and very spicy. Just boil pepper, tomatoes, and garden eggs

together, then blend them. Sieve the chaff and add some blended onions, garlic, and ginger. The

meat is steamed separately with spices to ensure it is soft and delectable before adding it to the

soup for its special aroma and flavor.

Okra Soup

The name of the soup is derived from the major ingredient which is okra. There are two

variations to this soup – dry okra soup and fresh okra soup depending on the location. The

southerners grow fresh okra so they use the fresh okra while the Northerners, due to their dry

weather, grow dry okra. It is eaten along with several foods as we will soon discover.

Having gone through the major soups that are popular in Ghana let’s dive into the world of

Ghanaian cuisine.

Numerous Ghanaian foods don’t have English names or their equivalents, neither do they have

American or European ‘counterparts’ (Yes, they are that unique). Therefore, I’ll do my best to

explain them.
BREAKFAST

Most Ghanaians prefer to take breakfast depending on their jobs and status in society. Those who

work white-collar jobs will prefer light foods like tea, chocolate drink, or porridge accompanied

with bread or biscuits. However, those whose work requires manual labor prefer to take what

they term “heavy food” like plain rice or beans with sauce or stew.

1. Koko with Koose/Bread (Corn Meal Porridge and Bean Cake/Bread)

This food, though can be taken at any time of the day, is mostly eaten as breakfast. It is a

common sight to see lots of buyers line up in a queue just to purchase this delicacy – queuing for

food is very common in most African cities. The food is prepared from corn dough which has

been left to ferment for a few days (3 days approximately) to make it tastier. Unfermented corn

dough normally leaves a biting and sour taste in the mouth. The cornmeal porridge is normally

accompanied by bean cakes or bread.

2. Hominy Corn Porridge

This widely popular breakfast is akin to European hominy grits. It is made from hominy corn,

and that’s all you need to make this hearty breakfast. It is boiled in water for a few hours to

soften the corn and then your meal is ready. It is a very delicious breakfast loved by both parents

and children alike because of its nutritional quality. Raw hominy corn porridge has a tangy taste,

therefore, sugar and milk are added to sweeten it and make it more palatable.

3. Rice Water Porridge

Another plain but nutritious breakfast is the rice water porridge. Very popular in the Southern

and Middle belts of Ghana, this simple but delightful breakfast only requires three ingredients –

water, salt, and rice. Most people usually add sugar and milk to sweeten it, but unlike the hominy

corn porridge, it can be taken raw as well

LUNCH/DINNER

Lunch and dinner are the most important meals to a Ghanaian. As I mentioned earlier, there’s no

difference between food prepared for lunch and food prepared for dinner; they are

interchangeable.

Banku with Soup and Seafood

Banku is a combination of fermented corn dough with cassava dough which is mixed and stirred

in hot water till it becomes solid. It is a very common dish in the Southern, Eastern, and Western

parts of Ghana. Banku is eaten along with different kinds of soups, stews, and sauces – from

peanut-butter soup to pounded palm nut soup. However, the most popular soup that resonates

well with banku is okra stew or soup. Cowskin, locally called ‘wele’, is added along with any

seafood of your choice.

Fufu and Soup

This is a popular dish across the country and its neighbors. It is called foufou or foutou in the

Francophone countries while the English-speaking countries, like Nigeria, call it fufu. Prepared

from a combination of boiled tropical cassava and plantain or yam which is pounded to a pulp, it

is eaten with mainly light soup. Fufu can also be eaten with peanut butter soup, pounded-palm
nut soup, and vegetable soup made from either spinach or cocoyam leaves. The most delicious

fufu with soup dish features snails, mushrooms, and fish.

Waakye (Rice and Beans with Millet Leaves)

This is one of the most cherished dishes in most households in Ghana. As the name suggests, the

main ingredients in this dish are rice and beans which are both boiled in water with millet leaves

till they become soft. The delicacy is named after the millet leaves which are locally referred to

as waakye. It is normally accompanied by yellowish granulated cassava, tomato sauce, and a hot

black pepper sauce referred to as ‘shito’. Waakye is eaten with mostly cow meat and eggs, but

others also add chicken or guinea fowl.

Rice Balls (Omotuo) with Peanut-Butter Soup

The Southerners love this dish so much that they have dedicated a special day for the eating of

this food – Sunday afternoons. Some local restaurants, popularly known as ‘Chop Bars,’ only

serve this food on Sundays. Omotuo is made from boiled rice which is stirred into small balls,

thus the name rice balls. When stirred properly, the balls become soft and smooth, making it easy

to gulp down with peanut butter soup. To top it all off, this food is served with a variety of offals.

Etor (Mashed Yam with Eggs)

Mashed yam with eggs is widely referred to as food for the gods due to its use for religious

purposes. However, outside of religion, it can be eaten as and when you choose to. It is very tasty

and easy to prepare – maybe that’s why the gods love it. Just boil yam till it’s soft and mash it.

Add hot palm oil to it and some boiled eggs, and you are good to god. The food for the gods can

equally be enjoyed by the mortals.

Yam Pottage

Like many other staple foods in Ghana, yam can be used to prepare a variety of meals, and this

includes yam pottage. Yam pottage is yam infused with tomato soup and flavored with dry

sardines and garlic to make it tastier. Since there are various varieties of yam pottage (sometimes

called yam porridge), you are at liberty to cook it the way you want. Others choose to use palm

oil instead of tomato soup. Dried sardines and salted dry tilapia are added to give it an inviting

and mouthwatering aroma.

Tuo Zaafi

Tou Zaafi, widely known as TZ is very common to the people of Northern Ghana, especially the

Dagombas. Prepared from dry cornflour, it requires a bit of skill to prepare. It is very soft and

easy to swallow. Like the banku and fufu mentioned earlier, it requires some soup to gulp it

down. The most popular soup that comes with TZ is jute leaf soup known as ‘ayoyo’ in the local

parlance. Depending on your preference, you can add tomato stew to give a different flavor or

just maintain the jute leaves.

Tubaani (Bean Pudding)

Just like TZ, Tubaani resonates well with the people of Northern Ghana, and those who reside in

the Zongo communities of the south. It has a very distinct and pleasant aroma which draws lots

of patrons once it’s ready. Made from ground black-eyed peas or beans, it is mixed with water

and stirred into a pudding. Then it is steamed over boiling water and served with fried onions and

pepper.

Wasawasa (Yam Flour Meal)

This is one of the most respected foods in the North. Legend has it that the food will turn out

sour and tasteless if your immediate surroundings are filthy. Therefore, people take the pains to

clean out the entire surroundings before preparing the meal to prevent a tasteless meal. It is

prepared from ground yam fluor which eventually becomes either dark brown or black tiny balls

during the process of cooking. It has a very sweet taste and is loved by all especially royalty.

Wasawasa is eaten along with hot black pepper and stew garnished with sliced onions and

tomatoes.

Plantain and Kontomire Stew (Plantain and Cocoyam Leave Stew)

Like many Ghanaian foods, plantain and cocoyam leaves are eaten fresh from the farm, since

cooking with stale cocoyam leaves and plantain makes the food unappealing and less tasty. The

sight of and smell of fresh cocoyam leaves and plantain leaves your mouth watering. The dish is

simple and can be done in less than an hour.

The plantain is peeled and boiled while the cocoyam leaves are cut, boiled, and then ground in a

locally made bowl called ‘apotoyiwa’ or earthenware bowl. Hot palm oil is added to the leaves

with salted tilapia and boiled eggs. The fried oil and salted fish give a very strong and pleasant

aroma that attracts flies so it’s advisable to eat this delicacy indoors to prevent unwanted visitors.

Fried Yam Chips and Octopus/Fish

Though it is comparable to KFC’s chicken and chips, it is quite different because the local sellers

make sure they fry the yam till it becomes crisp. It is eaten along with tomato gravy or the

famous black pepper sauce, ‘shito’. For your protein needs, all sorts of fried fish and poultry can

be added, depending on your location. Those who live close to the sea normally add fried

octopus or fish while those who live inland will make do with fried chicken or cow meat. Fried
yam and chips can be found in all the major towns in Ghana including the tourist attraction

centers. It is cheap, easy to prepare, and portable.

Akple with Okra Soup

Akple is very common to the people of the Volta Region of Ghana. It is very similar to banku,

they even have similar ingredients. However, the major difference between banku and akple is

that, whilst banku uses corn dough, Akple uses cornflour. Those from the southern part of the

Volta Region prefer to eat their Akple with okra soup and crabs whilst their northern

counterparts love to eat akple with pepper sauce and anchovies.

Kokonte

If there’s any delicacy that is popular throughout all of Ghana, then it is this meal. Almost every

tribe prepares this meal because cassava, its main ingredient, grows in almost all the regions in

Ghana. It is made from cassava and has several funny nicknames which include “face the wall”,

“black gold”, “agyenkwa” (savior), and “lapiwa”. Kokonte is normally taken with peanut butter

soup – they make a perfect match. However, it is also eaten with other soups like palm kernel

and okra soups with assorted fish or meat. Others also prefer to go with pepper sauce and

anchovies.

Angwamu (Oil Rice) Baby Rice

The Ghanaian oil rice, called Angwamu in the South and baby rice in the North, is amongst the

simplest dishes to prepare. All you need is water, vegetable oil, salt, and onions and within thirty

minutes your food is ready. It is enjoyed by people of all ages but is highly recommended for

babies that is why it is called baby rice. The delicious food is eaten with pepper sauce and fried

eggs or sardines and has a delectable taste that leaves you yearning for more.
Kenkey

Kenkey is another delicacy that is common to Ghanaians. It is one of the foods that unite

Ghanaians because it is virtually everywhere. Locally, it is either referred to as komi or dorkunu.

The dish is boiled corn dough in dry corn husks. It is a very tedious meal to prepare, thus, it is

not a meal to prepare when you are tired or hungry. Most households do not prepare it because of

the time and energy it consumes, rather they prefer to buy it from food vendors. It is mainly

eaten with pepper sauce and hot black pepper sauce (shito) and fried fish.

MOST POPULAR SNACKS

Snacks are very common in the West African country. They are mostly sold along the streets and

one can grab them for less than a dollar. Let’s take a quick look at some of them.

Plantain Chips

This is a very common snack that is loved by all and sundry. It comes in two flavors riped and

the unripe plantain. Both are very tasty but many of the citizens prefer the ripe plantain chips to

the unripe ones due to their sugary taste. Plantain chips are prepared in a similar way to french

fries. The plantain is peeled and sliced into flat chips, salted, and fried till they are crisp. You can

get them for less than a dollar and are very sweet and crunchy.

Bofrot (Fried Doughnuts)

Ghana has its version of doughnuts which is referred to as ‘bofrot’. It is a very common snack

which is sold along with Koko (corn dough porridge). It is mostly eaten as breakfast, though a

few people prefer to eat it as a snack. Its preparation is quite tedious and if care is not taken it
might burn. It is prepared by mixing flour, eggs, vegetable oil, and dry yeast. It is then deep-fried

till it turns golden brown, ready for consumption.

Bean Cakes (Koose)

Since Ghana grows varieties of beans and cowpeas, it has several foods that are made using them

as chief ingredients. A prime example is bean cakes. These cakes are eaten with porridge made

from corn dough or millet. They are very popular in the northern parts but can be found in the

major cities in Ghana. When fried properly, bean cakes have a crunchy outer layer and a soft

core. Some people add pepper to make it a bit spicy and to enhance the taste, otherwise, they

taste just fine without pepper.

Agbeli Kaklo

‘Agbeli’ is an Ewe word for cassava, the kaklo doesn’t have an English word, and since it is

indigenous to Ghana, there is no foreign equivalent. It is made from grated cassava which is

salted and fried. This sweet snack is eaten with hard coconut. It is crisp and crunchy with a

slightly tough outer layer but is soft inside. Though Agbeli Kaklo originated among the Ewe

tribe, it was very popular on the streets of the capital city, Accra.

Nkatie Cake (Peanut Cake)

Nkatie, a twi word for peanut, is made into a candy bar by grinding and mixing it with melted

sugar. It is a very popular snack among school children because of its sweetness. Nkatie cake has

transcended all regional and national borders with Guinea and Senegal picking up the delicious

snack.

Gari ( Granulated Cassava) Soaking

Gari soaking is the Ghanaian version of corn flakes. It is a very simple food which can be eaten

as lunch or snacks. The name gari soaking says it all. It is soaked gari (granulated cassava)

soaked in water and eaten with peanuts and sugar. Other versions of this meal have salt in

addition to the ingredients mentioned above. It is very delicious and the cheapest meal on this

list. Thus, it is very common throughout the country. Students, especially, boarders, love this

meal and have coined several names for it. Some call it The Student’s Companion while others

call it The Life Saver, among a host of other names.

Ghanaian food is as unique as its people. Ghana has been named the Gateway to Africa because

of its hospitable citizens. It is home to a diverse array of cultures and has some interesting and

exciting traditions. Its tourist sites attract over a million tourists a year. It recently hosted an

event dubbed the Year of Return which was championed by the President of the republic. The

Year of Return saw lots of tourists flood the nation and bask in the glory of its warm sun.

Though it is a small country, its heart is big to accommodate everyone.

It is undeniable fact that every group of people have their own way of life including the food

they eat. This food differentiation could possibly be the reason for the physiological difference

among the various tribes in Ghana.

 LESSON THREE

FOODS AND PROMOTION OF CULTURE IN GHANA

By the end of the lesson student teacher will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the importance of indigenous foods to the

culture of the people in a community,

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the importance of indigenous Ghanaian

foods to Ghanaian culture and identify.

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the importance of how foods can be used

to promote Ghanaian culture and identity.

• Apply the knowledge to teach+ Upper Primary Curriculum.

WAYS OF PROMOTING GHANAIAN CULINARY PRACTICES

Evolution of the National Cultural Policy

Nkrumah appeared to choose his battles with regard to the original official cultural policy, which

focused on areas of cultural expression where he calculated he would gain the most impact with

the least resistance. Cultural freedom was not the emphasis of official national policy launched

by Nkrumah after independence in 1957. Utilizing state support to develop the arts in the service

of nation building, Nkrumah directed the creation of councils, organizations, and centers to forge

a common national identity and culture. Since independence, cultural policy changed over time

from being heavily state sponsored and directed, to being self-sustaining through the promotion

of tourism. Additionally, the policy changed from an exclusive focus on the performing arts to

include the support of cuisine as culture. From the promotion of a common national identity, to
an agenda of cultural integration, to the promotion of cultural tourism and food, each stage

represents a gradual transition of cultural policy. Beginning with a policy that excludes food, to

one that features cuisine and its connection with cultural preservation, Ghanaians maintain ethnic

boundaries and highlight their pride in a culturally diverse nation.

As part of the development of the African Personality, the arts policy of the Nkrumah

government emphasized rural cultural preservation in rejoinder to past colonial experiences.

Before colonization, missionaries tended to discourage local cultural activities that were believed

to sustain indigenous spiritual beliefs. This negative view of local culture persisted during

colonialism with the administrative application of progressive modernizing influences.

Ghanaian elites absorbed these attitudes as evidenced by their lack of support for native cultural

practices. Nkrumah's goal was to reverse this negative view and to incorporate various disparate

artistic traditions into a common Ghanaian identity based upon a uniquely Ghanaian sensibility.

The Arts Council organized various regional festivals whose venue changed annually among the

regional capitals.

Irrespective of Nkrumah's attempts at being culturally inclusive by fostering a greater awareness

of regional cultural distinctions, there was still considerable opposition to the implementation of

the cultural policy. Uneven in its implementation and with an agenda that was too strictly

focused on a combination of tradition and Pan Africanist identity projection, artists found it

difficult to grow and to incorporate the experiences of being part of the modern global economy.

The following poem by Joe De Graft uses food to illustrate the frustration artists like him felt

over national cultural patronage. Ghanaians were experiencing changing cultural influences that

they were not allowed to represent in their work.

A poet and playwright educated in the classics at Mfantsipim in the Gold Coast colony in the

1940’s, De Graft was appointed by Nkrumah as the director of the Ghana Drama Studio in 1962.

His body of work reflects important relevant themes of a recently independent Ghana. Those

themes include the difficulty of artists struggling to realize themselves in a society which does

not value them and what they stand for. Consumption of different foods highlighted the

urbanization and increasing global influences on the food repertoire. Artists needed to reflect

what they experienced, and this need often came into Those themes include the difficulty of

artists struggling to realize themselves in a society which does not value them and what they

stand for. Consumption of different foods highlighted the urbanization and increasing global

influences on the food repertoire. Artists needed to reflect what they experienced, and this need

often came into conflict with the objectives of the national project. Those themes include the

difficulty of artists struggling to realize themselves in a society which does not value them and

what they stand for. Consumption of different foods highlighted the urbanization and increasing

global influences on the food repertoire. Artists needed to reflect what they experienced, and

this need often came into conflict with the objectives of the national project.

In later years under the administration of Colonel Ignatius K. Acheampong and the National

Redemption Council (NRC), the adoption of a cultural policy oriented to the philosophy of an

African Personality was retained as the guiding strategy. During Acheampong's administration

(1972 to 1975), spending on the arts was drastically curtailed owing to factors such as the

international oil crisis. However, the official cultural policy was still sanctioned and published

by the Ministry of Education and Culture in 1975. Perhaps as a reaction to the combined

downturn in the market value of cocoa in the previous decade and of the oil crisis, the document

contains mention of the principle of self-reliance in order to achieve a "complete and systematic
transformation... to build a modern nation with a spirit of its own." Mandating cultural

integration and national understanding by way of providing opportunities for studying additional

Ghanaian languages and the distribution of multilingual materials, this particular version of

cultural policy still did not include any mention of cuisine as culture. Other retentions include

the emphasis on craftsmen and performance groups. Citing the concern over the encouragement

and development of creativity, the policy does articulate the goal of incorporating more input

from the community and for artistic growth; "Biographical studies of traditional and

contemporary artists as well as research into problems facing artists and their artistic creations,

including the problem of consensus and critical standards, or the problem of relevance

(considered in terms of audience reaction and response) will be encouraged in order to provide

guidelines for new directions in creative activities or in sponsorship." At this stage, the

Acheampong administration, in an effort to differentiate itself from previous administrations,

reversed elements of Nkrumah's policy that stifled the growth of artists with an emphasis on

local traditions. It allowed the incorporation of new values via the inclusion of indigenous and

other materials in new ways.

The 1983 economic crisis deepened, causing Jerry Rawlings to request assistance from the IMF.

The new economic policy as directed by the IMF required an emphasis on private enterprise and

trade liberalization. The National Commission on Culture was an agency, one of many charged

with becoming self-sustaining, designed to seek out foreign funding to support the arts in Ghana.

An entrepreneurial spirit was encouraged in accordance with new economic policy requirements

in the launching of Arts Fairs in major cities to facilitate the establishment of contacts for artists.

Rawlings maintained the Pan Africanist cultural ideology of Nkrumah’s time by seeking out

support from the African American business community and with the launching of the Pan
African Historical Theater Festival, more commonly known as PANAFEST. In recognition of

the African diaspora and a commemoration of the Atlantic slave trade that contributed to this

dispersal, the Cape Coast Castle and Elmina became center pieces of the Festival and the new

“heritage tourism” industry. Contributions from USAID in 1991 to restore and develop a display

focus for the castles, tended to obscure the long history of the sites to focus almost exclusively

on the period of the Atlantic slave trade.

The 2004 Cultural Policy of Ghana, produced by the National Commission on Culture under the

John Kufuor administration, was developed with an eye toward traditional cultural preservation

and the promotion of food’s role in national economic development. Strength and unity is a

theme reserved from the very first cultural policy, along with an emphasis on the performing

arts, language, and various cultural institutions such as museums and monuments. Incorporation

of maxims preserved the Pan African outlook, while allowing the incorporation of outside

influences in the evolution of Ghanaian culture: “This is established by our concept of Sankofa,

which establishes linkages with the positive aspects of our past and the present. The concept

affirms the co-existence of the past and the future in the present. It therefore, embodies the

attitude of our people to the interaction between traditional values and the demands of modern

technology within the contemporary international cultural milieu.”

2004 CULTURAL POLICY:

10.4 Foods

10.4.1 Ghana has a rich diversity of foods and culinary cultures from its diverse ethnic

Cultures. The state shall:

actively support research into production and preservation of local foods; and the compilation of

traditional recipes and methods of preservation. Encourage the consumption of Ghanaian cuisine

from all parts of the country and discourage the over dependence on imported foods.

Explore the nutritional values of our local foodstuff and promote them.

Encourage the introduction of cuisine from other African Cultures.

10.4.2 Ghanaian dishes shall be a predominant feature of menus at State functions and in

public catering institutions

10.4.3 Ghanaians shall be encouraged to develop a culture of producing what they eat and eating

what they produce.

There is an emphasis on the richness of the regional variation in foods in this policy and a

recognition of regional migratory influences on cuisine. While locally produced food remains

the focus, there is still no sign of the conscious development of a national cuisine. Rather, there

is a heavy emphasis on national self-reliance with respect to agricultural production. The

encouragement of the introduction of cuisines from other African Cultures echoes the Pan

African sentiments of the first and all subsequent cultural policies. Thus, while original and

subsequent elements such as an emphasis on the preservation of tradition, and the inclusion of

outside influences are present, the focus is on increased agricultural production in order to meet

the needs of Ghana’s citizens for sustenance and economic empowerment. Various small

adjustments over time have still not brought about any major change in the cultural policy to

include a national cuisine.

 The latest incarnation of the cultural policy demonstrates the evolving national character

as one that embraces performative ethnic difference: “Encourage the consumption of Ghanaian

cuisine from all parts of the country…”, and “Encourage the introduction of cuisine from other

African Cultures.” It also validates that national cuisine is not necessary for national

cohesiveness, and that nations can be brought to being notwithstanding differences in lineage.

Last, this cultural policy encourages participation at the level of consumption in the pledge of

support for local preparation methods, and the charge to the people to develop a culture that

values local production and consumption.

4.4 State Entertainment

Despite the stipulation of the 2004 cultural policy, Ghanaian dishes were not a prominent

feature of menus at state functions and in public catering institutions. Cuisine served at state

functions in state owned hotels, and at offsite locations such as the State House, usually featured

continental fare. The reverse of the formality of native dress in Ghana, there is an association

between formality and continental cuisine, while regional cuisine is considered to be informal.

According to Chef Fordjour, Executive Chef of the state owned La-Palm Royal Beach Hotel,

state banquets can present a logistical problem as “African foods are finger foods and soups.”

Fordjour admits that for most catered state functions, continental dishes are offered as serving

Ghanaian dishes becomes a logistical issue in more formal settings, where it is nearly impossible

to individually plate five hundred servings of fufu. Buffet style is possible, but is less formal and

not always an option depending on what is requested. The designation of continental food as

formal reveals a certain tension between the African oriented cultural policy and a sort of

residual colonialism, as exhibited in the serving of continental cuisine at its state institutions.
The La-Palm Royal features the beachside Ghanaian Village Restaurant, a replica of a northern

village. The Continental Restaurant at La-Palm highlights some local Ghanaian dishes,

alongside a large selection of international main courses.

Spatially, continental fare is organized to preference Western and Chinese foods. The La-Palm

Royal Beach Hotel features six eateries, two of which showcase Ghanaian food and one, The

Royal Dragon, which features Chinese. The Continental Restaurant serves both Continental and

Ghanaian dishes at its lunch buffet, with a heavier emphasis on European food. The Ghanaian

Village Restaurant is billed as Pan African eatery that features almost exclusively Ghanaian

regional foods. Housed on a thatched patio adjacent to the beach and located furthest from the

main building, the diner is treated to first class service with an Atlantic Ocean view. However,

the beach is gated off, due to the propensity for a segment of the Ghanaian population to reside

on the beach. The gate protects the diner from hawkers and some of the more unsavory aspects

of beach living near Accra. The spatial organization of foods at state hotels reflects the tensions

between local food promotion and foreign foods. It also addresses the problems of

representation that post-colonial Ghana is currently working out with respect to the performative

aspects of Ghanaian nationalism.

National Best Farmer

One of the more successful government strategies that follows the mandates of the 2004 cultural

policy, is that of the National Best Farmer. This policy celebrates local foodways by honoring its

farmers. Other current food policies are made obvious in several ways. Websites, the Official

Cultural Policy, state owned hotels such as the Golden Tulip, the Tourism Authority, libraries,

and the Food Research Institute all reveal its priorities. An echo of the odwira festival from pre-
colonial times, the annual Yam Festival in Ghana is also called the "Homowo" or "To Hoot at

Hunger" Festival. It is a celebration of victory over hunger and can be traced back to pre-

colonial times when a particularly severe drought affected the population. Because a good yam

harvest is important for survival, the people give thanks to the spirits of the earth and sky and

perform rituals to ensure a good harvest. Instituted by coastal Ga people of Ghana, but

celebrated by various other ethnic groups as well, it coincides with the planting of crops before

the rainy season in the south from May to August. This festival is celebrated in many rural

communities, in parts of neighboring Nigeria, and is observed in Accra with bans on noise to

allow the gods to concentrate on producing an abundant harvest.

In a modern rendition of the traditional harvest commemoration, the Ghanaian government

initiated the Farmer of the Year celebration beginning in 1985 to recognize and celebrate its

farmers. The 1970s and 1980s were times of volatility in terms of food security due to lack of

rainfall. Increasing urbanization further threatened food security in Ghana. The celebration was

conceived to show appreciation for farmers’ efforts during times of drought, to encourage youth

to choose farming as a profession, and to introduce modern methods and government policies.

Since 1988, the first Friday in December has been set aside as a countrywide holiday to honor

successful farmers at the national level. There are many categories; cocoa, foodstuffs, animal

husbandry, and poultry. A national ‘best farmer’ is then chosen from this category, and the

winner is awarded with a car, cash, farming equipment, and a house. Past themes include “Grow

More Food” or the 2013 theme, "Reducing Post-Harvest losses for Sustainable Food Security

and Nutrition". Today, more than seventy percent of Ghanaians are subsistence farmers and

Ghana continues to face post-harvest losses of food staples, especially of grains and cassava

These post-harvest losses are mainly due to difficulties in transportation and lack of appropriate
storage facilities. These events underscore the primacy of food availability in policy and

planning for the nation, in that the focus is still on increasing production. Post-harvest losses too

have been a concern since the Nkrumah era, and are still a challenge today.

Foodways/Culture and Identity

The attitudes concerning foodways in Ghana are varied. Cuisine is at once regional and hybrid,

and views show a concern for cultural preservation and representation. Surveys reflect the

regionalism of Ghana’s cuisine, and cookbooks aim to preserve regional foods and techniques,

while at times incorporating foreign elements. “If you don’t eat fufu, it means you have not

eaten.” So stated J. Y. Appiah, Managing Director of “Y” Semereka Limited. Mr. Appiah, a

manufacturer’s representative of civil and building contractors and farmers claimed he ate fufu

each evening, and he would eat it three times each day if he could get it. This trained accountant

from the Brong Ahafo region responded to the question of what the national dish of

Ghana is with “Depends on your tribe,” adding that the Akan are in the majority and they take

fufu. (The Asante are the principal sub-grouping of the Akan people.) He believed the

government should support Ghanaian food with their policies but that the leadership is

“…disorganized, disinterested, and see no immediate benefit to the government. They’d rather

spend money.” He went on to relate that there are no guarantees from buyers for those who

chose to farm, adding that high risk and high cost prevent farming from being a lucrative

occupation in Ghana. The only product guaranteed by the government is cocoa, an export.

When it comes to fufu it takes time to digest. “When you eat fufu once during the day and you

are good to go. It stays with you all day.”

Fran Osseo-Asare was not of the opinion that the national dish of Ghana was fufu.
Osseo-Asare, a TED Fellow and African Gastronome, lecturer, author of a number of books on

African cuisine, and founder of “BETUMI: The African Culinary Network,” is a rural sociologist

by training. When asked what the national dish of Ghana is, Dr. Osseo-Asare stated that it

“Depends on who you talk to!” She stressed that Ghana is composed of ten different

administrative regions, inhabited by millions, with significant cultural contributions from both

British and French heritage due to the portion of Togo absorbed just before independence. She

emphasized the key word is cuisines, not cuisine. Today workers migrate all around the country.

Northerners go south for gold mining. Ghanaians travel abroad and intermarriage is common.

There exists a general blurring of regional ethnic identity. This phenomenon is similar to the

one described by Arjun Appadurai in post-colonial India in his work “How to Make a National

Cuisine: Cookbooks in Contemporary India”. The Nigerians who have been migrating to

Ghana since independence have affected the ‘national cuisine’; gari, a fermented, roasted,

granulated cassava is an example of a Nigerian food popular in Ghana. Other commonly eaten

foods include fried fish, fufu, and ampesi (boiled starchy vegetables) eaten with stew. Common

starches in the north are corn, millet, and sorghum, whereas in coastal areas, yam, cassava, and

plantain are more widespread. Customary dishes are prepared dozens of different ways and carry

different names depending on the regional and outside influences

 LESSON FOUR

THE AGRO-ECOLOGICAL ZONES OF GHANA

Farming systems evolve as a result of an interaction of the physical, biological, exogenous and

endogenous factors (Ruthenberg, 1980). The major farming systems in Ghana are discussed in

relation to the agro-ecological zones that essentially establish the systems. As shown in table 3.1,

there are five main agro-ecological zones in Ghana, namely, (i) the high rain forest, (ii) the semi-

deciduous forest, (iii) the forest-savannah transition, (iv) the interior savannah and (v) the coastal

savannah.

Major Crops Grown in the Agro-ecological Zones

Category of Crops

Zone Cereals Roots/Tubers Vegetables Trees Industrial

Plantain

High Rain Maize Rice Cassava Okro Cocoa

F.rest Plantain Pepper Citrus

Banana Garden eggs Coconut

Cocoyam Oil palm

Rubber

SemiDeciduous Maize Rice Cassava Okro Coconut

Forest Plantain Banan Pepper Oil palm

Cocoyam Garden eggs Citrus

Coffee
 Forest- Maize Cassava Tomato Citrus Cotton

Savannah Rice Plantain Okro Oil palm Tobacco

Transition Sorghum Cocoyam Pepper Cashew Kenaf

Yam Garden Teak Groundnut

eggs

Northern Maize Yam Tomato Shea-butter Cotton

Savanna Rice Cassava Onion Tobacco

Sorghum Kenaf

Millet Groundnut

Coastal Maize Rice Cassava Tomato Coconut Nut

Savanna Shallot

Source: Badiane, O., Nyanteng, V.K., Seini, W.A. 1992. Food Security, Comparative

Advantages, and Fertilizer Use in Ghana. International Food Policy Research Institute, USA/

Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), Legon, Ghana.

At the national level, five main farming systems have also been identified as being practiced in

Ghana (Sakyi-Dawson, 2000). These are: (i) bush fallow systems, (ii) cash tree cropping system,

(iii) compound farming system, (iv) mixed farming system and (v) special horticulture. Although

one or a combination of any of these farming systems can be found in any of the agro-ecological

zones of the country, each zone has a specific dominant type(s) that are determined by the crops

and livestock that the zone can support. The major crops grown in the agro-ecological zones are

shown on the table.

The distribution of the national level farming systems within the main agro-ecological

zones has been influenced by factors such as the soil type, rainfall pattern, vegetation, land

tenure, the major pests and diseases of both crops and livestock, income level of farmers within

the area and social factors. Some of these factors have not only fashioned the farming systems

that are presently found in the different agro-ecological zones, but also constitute major

constraints to the development of alternative improved or more sustainable farming systems.

The high rain forest covers an area of 9,500sq km or 4% of the geographical area of Ghana. It is

located in the extreme southwest of the country and occurs in the Western Region. The zone has

the highest rainfall in the country with an annual mean of 2,200mm and a range of 1,800-

2,800mm. The rainfall distribution is bimodal. The major rainy season is generally from March

to July and the minor season is from mid-September to November. The natural vegetation is

evergreen forest giving the idea of highly fertile soil underneath.

The semi-deciduous forest zone covers an area of 50,000 sq. km or 22% of the land area of

Ghana. It covers parts of the Western, Central, Eastern, Volta, Ashanti and BrongAhafo Regions.

The annual rainfall ranges from 1,200mm to 1,800mm with an average of 1,500mm. The pattern

of the rainfall is similar to that in the high rainforest zone. It is bimodal, the major rains

beginning in March to July and the minor season rains, from mid-September to November. The

soils contain higher organic matter and are of inherently better fertility status than the soils in the

high rain forest (Gerner, et al, 1995).

The transitional zone lies between the deciduous forest and the Guinea savanna zones. It

occupies an area of 26,000 sq. km. or 11% of the area of the country. It covers parts of the

Eastern, Volta, Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo Regions. The annual rainfall ranges from 1,100mm to

1,500 mm with an average of 1,300mm. The rainfall pattern is similar to those in the high rain

forest and the deciduous forest zones. The soils are low in inherent fertility.

The interior savannah is made up of the Guinea and the Sudan savannahs. The Guinea savanna

zone covers an area of 127,900 sq. km or 54% of the area of Ghana. It covers most of the

Northern Region, the southern part of the Upper West Region and the northern part of the Volta

Region. The rainfall pattern is unimodal. The annual rainfall ranges from 1,000mm to 1,200mm

with an average of 1,100mm. The rainy season usually begins in April and ends in September.

The Sudan savanna zone lies in the northern-most part of the counry and covers an area of 7,200

sq. km or 3% of the country. It covers almost all of the Upper East Region, a greater part of the

Upper West Region and a small part of the Northern Region. The rainfall pattern is unimodal

like the Guinea savanna zone. The annual rainfall ranges from 500mm to 1,000mm with an

average of 800mm. The single rainy season begins in April and ends in September.

Apart from the cultivation of crops, different livestock are kept. The farming system in the

interior savannah zone is therefore a mixture of crops and livestock. Specific crop mixtures, with

their specific spatial and temporal sequence can be found within the mixed farming/cropping

system on compound and bush farms found in the interior savannah zone. Cropping systems in

the zone are mainly sorghum-based.

The coastal savanna zone covers an area of 16,700 sq. km. or 7% of the area of Ghana. It covers

all of the Greater Accra Region and parts of the Central Eastern and Volta Regions. The rainfall

pattern is bi-modal. The major season rains begin in March and ends in July, and the minor

season rains are from mid-September to November. The annual ranfall ranges from 600mm to

1,200mm with an average of 800mm. The soils in this zone are of two groups, less fertile sandier

greysols and relatively more fertile and heavier vertisols.

 LESSON FIVE

GHANA’S TRADITIONAL FOODS/CUISINE AND CULLINARY PRACTICES

Ghana’s food is as diverse as its people, with every ethnic group having a special dish of their

own. From the coastal towns to the savannah regions, one can count about a thousand and one

different foods littered across the tropical country. However, some foods are known for their

delectability and are common with almost all Ghanaians.

There are 25 of the most popular foods in Ghana, but before we begin, here’s a short guide to

help you understand the food culture in The Star of Africa (one of Ghana’s numerous

nicknames).

Ghanaians divide their foods into breakfast, lunch, and supper – just like Europeans. Though

there’s a clear distinction between what food can be taken for breakfast, lunch and supper don’t

have that. So, what can be taken as lunch can equally be taken as supper and vice versa. Rarely

do you have Ghanaians take foods meant for breakfast as supper or lunch, but it does happen.

There’s a lot to learn from a group of people by the way they put together their meals. The

ingredients, cooking methods and energy they apply into feeding themselves extend beyond

nourishment, with their culinary skills reflecting different beliefs, traditions and habits. As such,

experiencing and experimenting with local traditional foods provides an education of the culture,

too.

Traditional Ghanaian food is typified by the distribution of food crops. With the prominence of

tropical produce like corn, beans, millet, plantains and cassava, most ethnic groups creatively
employ these foodstuffs to make mouth-watering dishes for their nourishment. Below are some

dishes to introduce you to the scope of local Ghanaian food.

Jollof rice

Originally from Senegal, Jollof is a pot dish of rice prepared with tomato sauce and served with

meat or fish that stirs up plenty of interesting debate online. The rice soaks up the juicy flavours

and turns orange when cooking, and is a national favourite that can be found in most restaurants

or dished out by street vendors at affordable prices.

Waakye

Waakye is another food that exhibits Ghanaians’ creative use of rice. The recipe is a medley of

beans and rice and was originally a Northern dish, but it can now be found almost everywhere on

the streets of Accra. Eating Waakye will open the door to a range of Ghanaian tastes and flavours

as the main dish is served with other sides such as fried plantain, garri (grated cassava), spaghetti

and avocado.

Banku and Tilapia

When you see fish being grilled on the streets of Accra it is most likely to be tilapia, a delicacy

among Ghanaians, who spice then grill the succulent freshwater fish. It complements banku, a

Southern mix of fermented corn and cassava dough, and very hot pepper, diced tomatoes and

onions. Banku is one of the main dishes of the people who live by the Ghanaian coast.

Red-red

Red-red is a filling traditional dish that consists of cowpea beans boiled to make a broth, served

with palm oil and soft, fried plantains. It is one of the Ghanaian dishes that doesn’t use a lot of
spice because the main taste comes from the ingredients it’s served with – it can also be dished

up with gari to make it even more hearty. Red-red is also a perfect choice for vegetarians as no

animal products are used.

Fufu and goat light soup

In the Eastern and Ashanti regions of Ghana, one meal guaranteed to work its wonder is fufu and

goat light soup, the proud dish of the Akan. Fufu is a staple food across West Africa but in

Ghana, it is made by pounding a mixture of boiled cassava and plantains into a soft sticky paste

to go along with aromatic and spicy tomato soup. Fufu can also be found in Northern Ghana,

although it is made with yam in this region. This weekend delight is relished across the country,

albeit with slight differences made to the core recipe.

Tuo Zaafi (TZ)

Northern Ghanaian food is dominated by the use of grains, herbs and meat as these are the main

food products of the area. Tuo Zaafi is similar to banku, although it is quite soft and less sticky,

and is made by cooking corn dough and adding a little cassava. What distinguishes Tuo Zaafi

and makes it a popular meal nationwide is the nutritious and rare herbs used in making the

accompanying soup, including dawadawa and ayoyo leaves.

Kenkey and fried fish

Kenkey is another corn-based staple similar to banku, that is made by moulding fermented corn

dough into balls and wrapping them around drying corn leaves, which are then boiled. The meal

is served with hot pepper sauce, fried crabs, octopus or fish and is a delicacy of the Accran

people.

Kelewele

No list of traditional Ghanaian foods would be complete without this savoury side dish.

Kelewele is an instant favourite among anyone who tries it, even those who aren’t big fans of

peppery food. Usually sold as a snack or side dish all over Accra, it is made by frying soft

plantains that have been soaked in a medley of peppers, ginger and garlic. The aroma is crisp and

strong, while the pleasant plantain adds some sweetness to the sour.

Omo tuo

Omo Tuo (or rice balls) are another traditional Ghanaian food that shows how the population

often reinvents the myriad ways of eating rice. It comprises soft boiled grains that are moulded

into balls and served with a variety of soups, and makes a great accompaniment to many dishes

like fufu.

Boiled yam or plantain with Kontomire stew

One present feature in local Ghanaian food is the use of a variety of leaf vegetables and local

herbs and spices. The highly nutritious Kontomire stew is made from boiled tender cocoyam

leaves, salted fish and boiled eggs, and goes perfectly with boiled yams, plantains and avocado.
 LESSON SIX

LINKS BETWEEN CULINARY PRACTICES AND SOURCES OF FOOD

PRODUCTION

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the lesson student teacher will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the links between culinary practices

and food production in their agro-ecological zones.

2. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the links between culinary practices

and food production in other agro-ecological zones in Ghana.

3. Apply knowledge and understanding to teach the basic school curriculum.

The typical staple foods in the southern part of Ghana include cassava and plantain. In the

northern part, the main staple foods include millet and sorghum. Yam, maize and beans are used

across Ghana as staple foods. Sweet potatoes and cocoyam are also important in the

Ghanaian diet and cuisine. With the advent of globalization, cereals such as rice and wheat have

been increasingly incorporated into Ghanaian cuisine. The foods below represent Ghanaian

dishes made out of these staple foods.

Foods made with maize

Akple, a traditional meal of the Ewe, is made with corn flour and can be eaten with pepper

sauces, stews or any soup. It is typically served with okra soup (fetridetsi) or herring stew
(abɔbitadi). Akple is never prepared in the same way as Banku. An important distinguishing

factor between the two products is that Banku requires the use of a special preformulated watery

material called "Slightly-Fermented Corn-Cassava Dough Mix", cooked to a soft solid

consistency of "Corn-Cassava Dough AFLATA", enroute to a soft form of Banku with further

cooking, and the "Slightly-Fermented Corn-Cassava Dough Mix" is never 'the signature material'

of any form of the Akple product.

Banku, with all its impressive varieties was formulated by the Ga Dangme (or Ga) tribe of

the Greater Accra Region, as a slight deviation from the process of preparation of Ga-Kenkey,

requiring a different manipulation of 'THE AFLATA' mixed with cassava dough, but unlike Ga-

Kenkey it does not require the use of corn husk. One particular Major-Clan of the GaDangme (or

Ga) tribe is credited with the original recipe of the banku meal even though it may be argued

among the major clans.[1] Sometimes only cornflour is used but in many areas cassava dough is

cooked together with the fermented corn dough.[2]

Mmore is cooked fermented corn dough without cassava, prepared like banku among the Akan

people.

Kenkey/komi/dokonu is fermented corn dough, wrapped in corn originating from the Ga who call

it komi or Ga kenkey. Another variety originating from the Fanti people is Fante Dokono or Fanti

Kenkey which is wrapped with plantain leaves that give it a different texture, flavour and colour

as compared to the Ga kenkey. Both are boiled for long periods into consistent solid balls.

Tuo Zaafi is a millet, sorghum or maize dish originating from Northern Ghana

Fonfom is a maize dish popular in south-western Ghana

Foods made with rice

Waakye—a dish of rice and beans with a purple-brown color. The color comes from

the indigenous grass Sorghum bicolor.[3] This side dish bears striking similarities to West Indian

rice and peas. The rice is cooked and steamed with an indigenous leaf, coconut and a pulse such

as black-eyed peas or kidney beans.

Omo Tuo/Rice ball—sticky mashed rice, normally eaten with Ghanaian soup.

Plain rice—boiled rice accompanies many of the variety of red stews.

Jollof rice—rice cooked in a stew consisting of stock, tomatoes, spices, and meat boiled together.

This dish originated from the Djolof traders from Senegal who settled in the Zongos before the

colonial period. Adapted for local Ghanaian tastes, it is typically eaten with goat, lamb, chicken

or beef that has been stewed, roasted or grilled.

Fried rice—Chinese-style fried rice adapted to Ghanaian tastes.

Angwa moo—also referred to as "oiled rice". This is unlike fried rice which you cook the rice

before frying. Oiled rice is cooked by first onion-frying the oil, then adding water after the

onions have browned, giving the rice a different fragrance. The rice is then cooked in the water-

oil mixture, to give the rice an oily feel when ready. It may be cooked with vegetables or minced

meat, added to taste. It is mostly served with earthenware-ground pepper, with either tinned

sardines or fried eggs complementing it.

Ngwo moo (palm rice)—an alternative to the oiled rice, cooked with palm oil instead of cooking

oil. The taste is determined by the type of palm oil used.

Foods made with cassava

Kokonte or abete—from dried peeled cassava powder usually served alongside groundnut soup,

consisting of a variety of meat such as tripe, lamb, or smoked catfish.

Fufu—pounded cassava and plantain, pounded yam and plantain, or pounded cocoyam/taro. This

side dish is always accompanied by one of the many varieties of Ghanaian soups.

Gari—made from cassava. Often served with Red red, a fish and black-eyed pea stew,

or shito and fish.

Attiéké or Akyeke—made from cassava and popular among the Ahanta, Nzema and Akan-

speaking people of Ivory Coast.

Plakali—made from cassava and popular among the Ahanta, Nzema and Akan-speaking people

of Ivory Coast.

Foods made with beans

A deviation to the starch and stew combination are Red red and tubaani, primarily based on

vegetable protein (beans). Red red is a popular Ghanaian bean and fish stew served with fried

ripe plantain and often accompanied with gari, fish and pulses. It earns its name from the palm

oil that tints the bean stew and the bright orange color of the fried ripe plantain. Tubaani is a

boiled bean cake, called moin moin in Nigeria.

Foods made with yam

Ampesie—boiled yam. It may also be made with plantain, cocoyam, potatoes, yams or cassava.

This side dish is traditionally eaten with fish stew containing tomatoes, oil and spices.
Yam fufu—fufu made with yam instead of cassava or plantain or cocoyam, this soft dough is

traditionally eaten with Ghanaian soup. It is popular in Northern and southeastern Ghana.

Mpotompoto (yam casserole or porridge)—slices of yam cooked with much water and pepper,

onions, tomatoes, salt and preferred seasoning.

Soups and stews

Most Ghanaian side dishes are served with a stew, soup or mako (a spicy condiment made from

raw red and green chilies, onions and tomatoes (pepper sauce). Ghanaian stews and soups are

quite sophisticated, with liberal and delicate use of exotic ingredients, a wide variety of flavours,

spices and textures.

Vegetables such as palm nuts, peanuts, cocoyam leaves, ayoyo, spinach, wild mushroom, okra,

garden eggs (eggplant), tomatoes and various types of pulses are the main ingredients in

Ghanaian soups and stews and in the case of pulses, may double as the main protein ingredient.

Beef, pork, goat, lamb, chicken, smoked turkey, tripe, dried snails, and fried fish are common

sources of protein in Ghanaian soups and stews, sometimes mixing different types of meat and

occasionally fish into one soup. Soups are served as a main course rather than a starter. It is also

common to find smoked meat, fish and seafood in Ghanaian soups and stews.

They include crab, shrimp, periwinkles, octopus, snails, grubs, duck, offal, and pig's trotters.

Also oysters.
Meat, mushrooms and seafood may be smoked, salted or dried for flavour enhancement and

preservation. Salt fish is widely used to flavour fish based stews. Spices such as thyme, garlic,

onions, ginger, peppers, curry, basil, nutmeg, sumbala, Tetrapleura tetraptera (prekese) and bay

leaf are delicately used to achieve the exotic and spicy flavours that characterize Ghanaian

cuisine.

Palm oil, coconut oil, shea butter, palm kernel oil and peanut oil are important Ghanaian oils

used for cooking or frying and may sometimes not be substituted for in certain Ghanaian dishes.

For example, using palm oil in okro stew, eto, fante fante,[4] red red or Gabeans, egusi stew

and mpihu/mpotompoto (similar to poi).[5] Coconut oil, palm kernel oil and shea butter have lost

their popularity for cooking in Ghana due to the introduction of refined oils and

negative Ghanaian media adverts targeted at those oils. They are now mostly used in

few traditional homes, for soap making and by commercial (street food) food vendors as a

cheaper substitute to refined cooking oils.

Common Ghanaian soups are groundnut soup,[6] light (tomato) soup,[6] kontomire (taro leaves)

soup, palm nut soup,[7] ayoyo soup and okra soup.

Ghanaian tomato stew or gravy is a stew that is often served with rice or waakye. Other

vegetable stews are made with kontomire, garden eggs, egusi (pumpkin seeds), spinach, okra,

etc.

Breakfast meals

Most of the dishes mentioned above are served during lunch and supper in modern Ghana.

However, those engaged in manual labour and a large number of urban dwellers still eat these
foods for breakfast and will usually buy them from the streets. Another popular breakfast is

called huasa koko (northern porridge). This is usually prepared by the northerners. it is normally

sweet and enjoyable when a northerner or Muslim prepares this type of porridge. it is enjoyed

with koose or bread with some groundnut.

In large Ghanaian cities, working-class people would often take fruit, tea, chocolate drink, oats,

rice porridge/cereal(locally called rice water) or kooko (fermented maize porridge)

and koose/akara or maasa (beans, ripe plantain and maize meal fritters).[8] Other breakfast foods

include grits, tombrown (roasted maize porridge), and millet porridge.[8]

Bread is an important feature in Ghanaian breakfast and baked foods. Ghanaian bread, which is

known for its good quality, is baked with wheat flour and sometimes cassava flour is added for

an improved texture. There are four major types of bread in Ghana. They are tea bread (similar to

the baguette), sugar bread (which is a sweet bread), brown (whole wheat) bread, and butter

bread. Rye bread, oat bread and malt bread are also quite common.[9]

Sweet Foods

There are many sweet local foods which have been marginalized due to their low demand and

long preparation process. Ghanaian sweet foods (or confectionery) may be

fried, barbecued, boiled, roasted, baked or steamed.

Fried sweet foods include cubed and spiced ripe plantain (kelewele) sometimes served with

peanuts. Koose made from peeled beans (and its close twin acarajé or akara made from beans

which are not peeled), maasa,[10][11] pinkaaso,[12] and bofrot/Puff-puff[13] (made from wheat

flour); waakye [14] dzowey and nkate cake (made from peanuts);[15] kaklo and tatale[16] (ripe
plantain fritters); kube cake and kube toffee (made from coconut); bankye

krakro, gari biscuit,[17][18] and krakye ayuosu (made from cassava); condensed milk, toffee,

plantain chips (or fried plantain)[19] and wagashi[20] (fried farmer's cheese) are fried Ghanaian

savory foods (confectionery).

Kebabs are popular barbecues and can be made from beef, goat, pork, soy

flour, sausages and guinea fowl. Other roasted savoury foods include roasted plantain, maize,

yam and cocoyam.

Steamed fresh maize, yakeyake, kafa, akyeke, tubani, moimoi (bean cake), emo dokonu (rice

cake) and esikyire dokonu (sweetened kenkey) are all examples of steamed and boiled foods

whilst sweet bread, (plantain cake), and meat pie similar to Jamaican patties and empanadas are

baked savoury foods. Aprapransa, eto (mashed yam) and atadwe milk (tiger nut juice) are other

savory foods. Gari soakings is a modern favorite. It is a blend of gari (dried, roasted cassava),

sugar, groundnut (peanut) and milk.

Beverages

In southern Ghana, Ghanaian drinks such as asaana (made from fermented maize) are common.

Along the Lake Volta and in southern Ghana, palm wine extracted from the palm tree can be

found, but it ferments quickly and then it is used to distill akpeteshie (a local gin). Akpeteshie can

be distilled from molasses too. In addition, a beverage can be made

from kenkey and refrigerated into what is in Ghana known as ice kenkey. In northern Ghana,

bisaab/sorrel, toose and lamujee (a spicy sweetened drink) are common non-

alcoholic beverages whereas pitoo (a local beer made of fermented millet) is an alcoholic

beverage.
In urban areas of Ghana drinks may include fruit juice, cocoa drinks, fresh coconut

water, yogurt, ice cream, carbonated drinks, malt drinks and soy milk.[21][22] In addition,

Ghanaian distilleries produce alcoholic beverages from cocoa, malt, sugar cane, local medicinal

herbs and tree barks. They include bitters, liqueur, dry gins, beer, and aperitifs.

Street foods in Ghana

Street food is very popular in both rural and urban areas of Ghana. Most Ghanaian families eat at

least three times a week from street food vendors, from whom all kinds of foods can be bought,

including staple foods such as kenkey, red red and waakye. Other savoury foods such as raw

steak , boiled corn cob, boflot (bo-float) and roasted plantain are sold mainly by street food

vendors.

Ice kenkey is a popular chilled dessert sold by street vendors in open-air markets.[25]

Most Popular Soups in Ghana

Most foods in Ghana are taken with soups or stew. So, here is a list of the major soups that are

loved by all and sundry from the gulf to the north.

Peanut/ Groundnut Butter Soup

Peanut/groundnut butter soup is made from, you guessed right, peanut butter. The creamy soup is

made by mixing the peanut butter with water and stirred till the oil in the peanut butter rises to

the top. It is later added to a mixture of boiled and blended tomatoes, pepper, onions, ginger, and

garlic and cooked to give it its unique taste. You can add any meat or seafood of your choice.

Light Soup (Tomato Soup)

Locally referred to as light soup because of its lightness/thinness as compared to the peanut

butter soup, it is very easy to prepare and very spicy. Just boil pepper, tomatoes, and garden eggs

together, then blend them. Sieve the chaff and add some blended onions, garlic, and ginger. The

meat is steamed separately with spices to ensure it is soft and delectable before adding it to the

soup for its special aroma and flavor.

Okra Soup

Okra Soup; Photo credit: Kwabena

The name of the soup is derived from the major ingredient which is okra. There are two

variations to this soup – dry okra soup and fresh okra soup depending on the location. The

southerners grow fresh okra so they use the fresh okra while the Northerners, due to their dry

weather, grow dry okra. It is eaten along with several foods as we will soon discover.

Having gone through the major soups that are popular in Ghana let’s dive into the world of

Ghanaian cuisine.

Numerous Ghanaian foods don’t have English names or their equivalents, neither do they have

American or European ‘counterparts’ (Yes, they are that unique). Therefore, I’ll do my best to

explain them.

BREAKFAST

Most Ghanaians prefer to take breakfast depending on their jobs and status in society. Those who

work white-collar jobs will prefer light foods like tea, chocolate drink, or porridge accompanied
with bread or biscuits. However, those whose work requires manual labor prefer to take what

they term “heavy food” like plain rice or beans with sauce or stew.

1. Koko with Koose/Bread (Corn Meal Porridge and Bean Cake/Bread)

This food, though can be taken at any time of the day, is mostly eaten as breakfast. It is a

common sight to see lots of buyers line up in a queue just to purchase this delicacy – queuing for

food is very common in most African cities. The food is prepared from corn dough which has

been left to ferment for a few days (3 days approximately) to make it tastier. Unfermented corn

dough normally leaves a biting and sour taste in the mouth. The cornmeal porridge is normally

accompanied by bean cakes or bread.

2. Hominy Corn Porridge

This widely popular breakfast is akin to European hominy grits. It is made from hominy corn,

and that’s all you need to make this hearty breakfast. It is boiled in water for a few hours to

soften the corn and then your meal is ready. It is a very delicious breakfast loved by both parents

and children alike because of its nutritional quality. Raw hominy corn porridge has a tangy taste,

therefore, sugar and milk are added to sweeten it and make it more palatable.

3. Rice Water Porridge

Another plain but nutritious breakfast is the rice water porridge. Very popular in the Southern

and Middle belts of Ghana, this simple but delightful breakfast only requires three ingredients –

water, salt, and rice. Most people usually add sugar and milk to sweeten it, but unlike the hominy

corn porridge, it can be taken raw as well

LUNCH/DINNER

Lunch and dinner are the most important meals to a Ghanaian. As I mentioned earlier, there’s no

difference between food prepared for lunch and food prepared for dinner; they are

interchangeable.

Banku with Soup and Seafood

Banku is a combination of fermented corn dough with cassava dough which is mixed and stirred

in hot water till it becomes solid. It is a very common dish in the Southern, Eastern, and Western

parts of Ghana. Banku is eaten along with different kinds of soups, stews, and sauces – from

peanut-butter soup to pounded palm nut soup. However, the most popular soup that resonates

well with banku is okra stew or soup. Cowskin, locally called ‘wele’, is added along with any

seafood of your choice.

Fufu and Soup

This is a popular dish across the country and its neighbors. It is called foufou or foutou in the

Francophone countries while the English-speaking countries, like Nigeria, call it fufu. Prepared

from a combination of boiled tropical cassava and plantain or yam which is pounded to a pulp, it

is eaten with mainly light soup. Fufu can also be eaten with peanut butter soup, pounded-palm

nut soup, and vegetable soup made from either spinach or cocoyam leaves. The most delicious

fufu with soup dish features snails, mushrooms, and fish.

Waakye (Rice and Beans with Millet Leaves)

This is one of the most cherished dishes in most households in Ghana. As the name suggests, the

main ingredients in this dish are rice and beans which are both boiled in water with millet leaves

till they become soft. The delicacy is named after the millet leaves which are locally referred to

as waakye. It is normally accompanied by yellowish granulated cassava, tomato sauce, and a hot

black pepper sauce referred to as ‘shito’. Waakye is eaten with mostly cow meat and eggs, but

others also add chicken or guinea fowl.

Rice Balls (Omotuo) with Peanut-Butter Soup

The Southerners love this dish so much that they have dedicated a special day for the eating of

this food – Sunday afternoons. Some local restaurants, popularly known as ‘Chop Bars,’ only

serve this food on Sundays. Omotuo is made from boiled rice which is stirred into small balls,

thus the name rice balls. When stirred properly, the balls become soft and smooth, making it easy

to gulp down with peanut butter soup. To top it all off, this food is served with a variety of offals.

Etor (Mashed Yam with Eggs)

Mashed yam with eggs is widely referred to as food for the gods due to its use for religious

purposes. However, outside of religion, it can be eaten as and when you choose to. It is very tasty

and easy to prepare – maybe that’s why the gods love it. Just boil yam till it’s soft and mash it.

Add hot palm oil to it and some boiled eggs, and you are good to god. The food for the gods can

equally be enjoyed by the mortals.

Yam Pottage

Like many other staple foods in Ghana, yam can be used to prepare a variety of meals, and this

includes yam pottage. Yam pottage is yam infused with tomato soup and flavored with dry

sardines and garlic to make it tastier. Since there are various varieties of yam pottage (sometimes
called yam porridge), you are at liberty to cook it the way you want. Others choose to use palm

oil instead of tomato soup. Dried sardines and salted dry tilapia are added to give it an inviting

and mouthwatering aroma.

Tuo Zaafi

Tou Zaafi, widely known as TZ is very common to the people of Northern Ghana, especially the

Dagombas. Prepared from dry cornflour, it requires a bit of skill to prepare. It is very soft and

easy to swallow. Like the banku and fufu mentioned earlier, it requires some soup to gulp it

down. The most popular soup that comes with TZ is jute leaf soup known as ‘ayoyo’ in the local

parlance. Depending on your preference, you can add tomato stew to give a different flavor or

just maintain the jute leaves.

Tubaani (Bean Pudding)

Just like TZ, Tubaani resonates well with the people of Northern Ghana, and those who reside in

the Zongo communities of the south. It has a very distinct and pleasant aroma which draws lots

of patrons once it’s ready. Made from ground black-eyed peas or beans, it is mixed with water

and stirred into a pudding. Then it is steamed over boiling water and served with fried onions and

pepper.

Wasawasa (Yam Flour Meal)

This is one of the most respected foods in the North. Legend has it that the food will turn out

sour and tasteless if your immediate surroundings are filthy. Therefore, people take the pains to

clean out the entire surroundings before preparing the meal to prevent a tasteless meal. It is

prepared from ground yam fluor which eventually becomes either dark brown or black tiny balls

during the process of cooking. It has a very sweet taste and is loved by all especially royalty.
Wasawasa is eaten along with hot black pepper and stew garnished with sliced onions and

tomatoes.

Plantain and Kontomire Stew (Plantain and Cocoyam Leave Stew)

Like many Ghanaian foods, plantain and cocoyam leaves are eaten fresh from the farm, since

cooking with stale cocoyam leaves and plantain makes the food unappealing and less tasty. The

sight of and smell of fresh cocoyam leaves and plantain leaves your mouth watering. The dish is

simple and can be done in less than an hour.

The plantain is peeled and boiled while the cocoyam leaves are cut, boiled, and then ground in a

locally made bowl called ‘apotoyiwa’ or earthenware bowl. Hot palm oil is added to the leaves

with salted tilapia and boiled eggs. The fried oil and salted fish give a very strong and pleasant

aroma that attracts flies so it’s advisable to eat this delicacy indoors to prevent unwanted visitors.

Fried Yam Chips and Octopus/Fish

Though it is comparable to KFC’s chicken and chips, it is quite different because the local sellers

make sure they fry the yam till it becomes crisp. It is eaten along with tomato gravy or the

famous black pepper sauce, ‘shito’. For your protein needs, all sorts of fried fish and poultry can

be added, depending on your location. Those who live close to the sea normally add fried

octopus or fish while those who live inland will make do with fried chicken or cow meat. Fried

yam and chips can be found in all the major towns in Ghana including the tourist attraction

centers. It is cheap, easy to prepare, and portable.

Akple with Okra Soup

Akple is very common to the people of the Volta Region of Ghana. It is very similar to banku,

they even have similar ingredients. However, the major difference between banku and akple is
that, whilst banku uses corn dough, Akple uses cornflour. Those from the southern part of the

Volta Region prefer to eat their Akple with okra soup and crabs whilst their northern

counterparts love to eat akple with pepper sauce and anchovies.

Kokonte

If there’s any delicacy that is popular throughout all of Ghana, then it is this meal. Almost every

tribe prepares this meal because cassava, its main ingredient, grows in almost all the regions in

Ghana. It is made from cassava and has several funny nicknames which include “face the wall”,

“black gold”, “agyenkwa” (savior), and “lapiwa”. Kokonte is normally taken with peanut butter

soup – they make a perfect match. However, it is also eaten with other soups like palm kernel

and okra soups with assorted fish or meat. Others also prefer to go with pepper sauce and

anchovies.

Angwamu (Oil Rice) Baby Rice

The Ghanaian oil rice, called Angwamu in the South and baby rice in the North, is amongst the

simplest dishes to prepare. All you need is water, vegetable oil, salt, and onions and within thirty

minutes your food is ready. It is enjoyed by people of all ages but is highly recommended for

babies that is why it is called baby rice. The delicious food is eaten with pepper sauce and fried

eggs or sardines and has a delectable taste that leaves you yearning for more.

Kenkey

Kenkey is another delicacy that is common to Ghanaians. It is one of the foods that unite

Ghanaians because it is virtually everywhere. Locally, it is either referred to as komi or dorkunu.

The dish is boiled corn dough in dry corn husks. It is a very tedious meal to prepare, thus, it is

not a meal to prepare when you are tired or hungry. Most households do not prepare it because of
the time and energy it consumes, rather they prefer to buy it from food vendors. It is mainly

eaten with pepper sauce and hot black pepper sauce (shito) and fried fish.

MOST POPULAR SNACKS

Snacks are very common in the West African country. They are mostly sold along the streets and

one can grab them for less than a dollar. Let’s take a quick look at some of them.

Plantain Chips

This is a very common snack that is loved by all and sundry. It comes in two flavors riped and

the unripe plantain. Both are very tasty but many of the citizens prefer the ripe plantain chips to

the unripe ones due to their sugary taste. Plantain chips are prepared in a similar way to french

fries. The plantain is peeled and sliced into flat chips, salted, and fried till they are crisp. You can

get them for less than a dollar and are very sweet and crunchy.

Bofrot (Fried Doughnuts)

Ghana has its version of doughnuts which is referred to as ‘bofrot’. It is a very common snack

which is sold along with Koko (corn dough porridge). It is mostly eaten as breakfast, though a

few people prefer to eat it as a snack. Its preparation is quite tedious and if care is not taken it

might burn. It is prepared by mixing flour, eggs, vegetable oil, and dry yeast. It is then deep-fried

till it turns golden brown, ready for consumption.

Bean Cakes (Koose)

Since Ghana grows varieties of beans and cowpeas, it has several foods that are made using them

as chief ingredients. A prime example is bean cakes. These cakes are eaten with porridge made

from corn dough or millet. They are very popular in the northern parts but can be found in the
major cities in Ghana. When fried properly, bean cakes have a crunchy outer layer and a soft

core. Some people add pepper to make it a bit spicy and to enhance the taste, otherwise, they

taste just fine without pepper.

Agbeli Kaklo

‘Agbeli’ is an Ewe word for cassava, the kaklo doesn’t have an English word, and since it is

indigenous to Ghana, there is no foreign equivalent. It is made from grated cassava which is

salted and fried. This sweet snack is eaten with hard coconut. It is crisp and crunchy with a

slightly tough outer layer but is soft inside. Though Agbeli Kaklo originated among the Ewe

tribe, it was very popular on the streets of the capital city, Accra.

Nkatie Cake (Peanut Cake)

Nkatie, a twi word for peanut, is made into a candy bar by grinding and mixing it with melted

sugar. It is a very popular snack among school children because of its sweetness. Nkatie cake has

transcended all regional and national borders with Guinea and Senegal picking up the delicious

snack.

Gari ( Granulated Cassava) Soaking

Gari soaking is the Ghanaian version of corn flakes. It is a very simple food which can be eaten

as lunch or snacks. The name gari soaking says it all. It is soaked gari (granulated cassava)

soaked in water and eaten with peanuts and sugar. Other versions of this meal have salt in

addition to the ingredients mentioned above. It is very delicious and the cheapest meal on this

list. Thus, it is very common throughout the country. Students, especially, boarders, love this

meal and have coined several names for it. Some call it The Student’s Companion while others

call it The Life Saver, among a host of other names.

Ghanaian food is as unique as its people. Ghana has been named the Gateway to Africa because

of its hospitable citizens. It is home to a diverse array of cultures and has some interesting and

exciting traditions. Its tourist sites attract over a million tourists a year. It recently hosted an

event dubbed the Year of Return which was championed by the President of the republic. The

Year of Return saw lots of tourists flood the nation and bask in the glory of its warm sun.

Though it is a small country, its heart is big to accommodate everyone.

It is undeniable fact that every group of people have their own way of life including the food

they eat. This food differentiation could possibly be the reason for the physiological difference

among the various tribes in Ghana.

 UNIT SEVEN

FOOD AS EXPRESSION OF CULTURE

Why do different tribes or ethnic groups like particular foods from the lot? Could it be that

different tribes are ascribed to different foods? Could it also be that tribes like particular

foods due to their geographical location where the foods are available? Whichever is the

reason, the following are the tribes and the foods they like.

1. Asantes -fufu and nkrakra soup

2. Fantes -Fante kenkey and pepper

3. Nzemas - aky3k3 and

4. Dagaabas - tuozaafi and dwodwo soup + pito

5. Ewes -akpl3 and okro soup

6. Dagombas -tuozaafi and sour leaf soup

7. Bono -yam fufu and dried okro soup

8. Kusaase- akpl3 and slippery soup

9. Sefwis -fufu and pepper soup

10. Gas -ga kenkey and pepper

11. Bimobas/Gruma -tuozaafi and sour leaf soup

12. Frafras -tuozaafi and kuka leaf soup +pito

13. Breku -banku and pepper

14. Wala -tuozaafi and sour leaf soup

These are wonderful rich traditional foods that need to be eaten.

It will help boost our agricultural sector and provide us with the needed nutrition. It will also

inject income into our economy.

Culturally speaking, in essence, what one eats defines who one is and is not. This statement

addresses the third question asked in the research, what are examples of how food and food

habits contribute to the development and transmission of culture?

Culture is defined as the beliefs, values, and attitudes practiced and accepted by members of a

group or community. Culture is not inherited; it is learned. The food choices of different

cultural groups are often connected to ethnic behaviors and religious beliefs. Kittler, P.G.,

Sucher, K.P., & Nelms (2012) addressed the influence of food habits on an individual’s self-

identity by stating,

“Eating is a daily reaffirmation of [one’s] cultural identity”. Many people affiliate the foods from

their culture, their childhood with warm, good feelings and memories. The food is part of who

we are and become. It ties us to our families and holds a special worth to a person. Foods from

our culture, from our family often become the comfort foods we seek as adults in times of

frustration and stress.

As an Italian American, the author began to consider how her heritage, handed down through the

food on her plate, signified who she has become today. During the seminar held in Naples, Italy,
a focus of the lectures was an examination of how “Italian” food and the “Mediterranean diet”

are marketed and have affected the socioeconomic reality of the region. During a lecture, the

author asked about food traditions in Italian families. She learned a custom was the Sunday

dinner. Every Sunday, the matriarch of the family prepared a large pot of spaghetti. The entire

family then gathers together to eat pasta and enjoy each other’s company at Nana’s

(Grandmother’s) house. The author is a second generation Italian American. As a child, every

Sunday morning her father (first generation Italian) and sometimes her mother (nonItalian) made

spaghetti. It was a family tradition. Dear old Aunt Julia would come by precisely at dinner time

with a hot loaf of bread (another Italian tradition is bring bread as a gift when invited for dinner)

and the family ate and laughed and shared stories with one another. The warm buttered bread and

a big salad were always served with the spaghetti. The memory as well as the spaghetti was

delicious. This memory, connected to family’s heritage and culture, confirmed to the author that

food is much more than nutrients. There were emotional connections, a sense of belonging, and

ethnic pride found in the food on the author’s Italian plate.

Cultural identity, however, is not restricted by the specific foods one associates with a given

ethnic or racial group. One’s social class, standing in the community, and profession are

signifiers of culture as well. For instance, in American society there are norms and standards

which are followed in social settings when dining. The proper use of food and behaviors

connected with civilized eating habits, also known as manners or etiquette is an expression of

group membership. In the United States a certain set of appropriate dining expectations exist for

a variety of dining occasions. One does not speak with a mouth full of food, especially during

formal dining occasions. Certain conversational topics would be inappropriate to share at the
dinner table. Sharing a meal with another person connotes equality and is a way to show

acceptance of one another professionally and personally.

Refer to the Cultural Policy of Ghana (2004)

 UNIT EIGHT

DISTINCTION BETWEEN GHANAIAN DISHES AND FOREIGN DISHES

1. Ghanaian traditional dishes are mainly produced by Ghanaians. We grow what we eat.

Whereas foreign dishes are not primarily produced in Ghana.

2. Ghanaian dishes are the expression of the Ghanaian culture whereas the foreign dishes do not

express the culture of Ghanaians.

3. Ghanaian dishes are produced through organic means whereas foreign dishes are at times

genetically modified although the west have tried to infiltrate the Ghanaian markets with GMOs.

4. The food crops used to prepare Ghanaian dishes are crops that can be only be produced under

the tropical climate.

5. Ghanaian dishes are relatively cheaper in terms of cost.

GROUP ASSIGNMENT/SUBJECT PROJECT WORK

 UNIT NINE

EVOLUTION OF PRODUCTION

(from hunting and gathering to domestication; subsistence farming to commercialisation)

Hunting, Gathering, and Fishing

Before the advent of agriculture, hunting, gathering, and fishing were the most common means

of subsistence throughout the world. Of course, what people hunted or gathered depended on

where they lived. The size of hunting and gathering clans varied according to climate and

resource availability. Hunting and gathering communities in areas of abundance could support

larger populations. People living on the margins of forests could gather food in the forest when

hunting yielded poor results and then return to hunting when circumstances improved.

The First Agricultural Revolution

Out of areas of plenty came agriculture, the deliberate tending of crops and livestock to produce

food, feed, fiber, and fuel. Geographer Carl Sauer believed the experiments necessary to

establish agriculture and settle in one place would occur in lands of plenty. Only in such places

could people afford to experiment with raising plants or take the time to capture animals and

breed them for domestication. Sauer studied the geography of the First Agricultural Revolution,

focusing on the location of agriculture hearths and what kinds of agricultural innovations took

place in those hearths.

Where did plant domestication begin? Sauer, who spent a lifetime studying cultural origins and

diffusion, suggested that Southeast and South Asia may have been the scene, more than 14,000

years ago, of the first domestication of tropical plants. There, he believed, the combination of

human settlements, forest margins, and fresh water streams may have given rise to the earliest

planned cultivation of root crops—crops that are reproduced by cultivating either the roots or

cuttings from the plants (such as tubers, including manioc or cassava, yams, and sweet potatoes

in the tropics). A similar but later development may have taken place in northwestern South

America.

The planned cultivation of seed crops, plants that are reproduced by cultivating seeds, is a more

complex process, involving seed selection, sowing, watering, and well-timed harvesting. Again,

the practice seems to have developed in more than one area and at different times. Some scholars

believe that the first domestication of seed plants occurred in the Nile River Valley in North

Africa, but the majority view is that this crucial development took place in a region of Southwest

Asia (also called the Fertile Crescent), through which flow the two major rivers of present-day

Iraq: the Tigris and the Euphrates. The cultivation of seed crops marked the beginning of what

has been called the First Agricultural Revolution.

Domestication of Animals

Some scholars believe that animal domestication began earlier than plant cultivation, but others

argue that animal domestication began as recently as 8000 years ago—well after crop

agriculture. Whichever is the case, goats, pigs, and sheep became part of a rapidly growing array

of domesticated animals, and in captivity they changed considerably from their wild state. As
with the growing of root crops, the notion of animal domestication must have emerged over time,

in stages.

The process of animal domestication began as people become more sedentary.

Subsistence Agriculture

Subsistence agriculture—growing only enough food to survive—was the norm throughout most

of human history. Subsistence farmers often hold land in common; surpluses are shared by all the

members of the community; accumulation of personal wealth is restricted; and individual

advancement at the cost of the group as a whole is limited. Subsistence agriculture declined

during the 1900s with the diffusion of industrialized agriculture and the goal of constantly

production both to feed growing populations and to sell more agricultural goods. The United

States and other industrialized countries sought to move farmers "beyond" subsistence into

industrialized production as part of development programs begun in the 1960s.

Understanding the Spatial Layout of Agriculture

When commercial agriculture is geared to producing food for people who live in a nearby town

or city, a geographical pattern of land use based on the "perishability" of products and cost of

transportation often emerges. In the 1800s, Johann Heinrich von Thünen (1783—1850)

experienced the Second Agricultural Revolution firsthand: he farmed an estate not far from the

town of Rostock, in northeast Germany. Studying the spatial patterns of farming around towns
such as Rostock, von Thünen noted that as one moved away from the town, one commodity or

crop gave way to another. He also noted that this process occurred without any visible change in

soil, climate, or terrain. When he mapped this pattern, he found that each town or market center

was surrounded by a set of more-or-less concentric rings within which particular commodities or

crops dominated.

Nearest the town, farmers produced commodities that were perishable and commanded high

prices, such as dairy products and strawberries. In this zone, much effort would go into

production in part because of the value of the land closer to the city. In von Thünen's time, the

town was still surrounded by a belt of forest that provided wood for fuel and building; but

immediately beyond the forest the ring-like pattern of agriculture continued. In the next ring

crops were less perishable and bulkier, including wheat and other grains. Still farther out,

livestock raising began to replace field crops.

Von Thünen used these observations to build a model of the spatial distribution of agricultural

activities around settlements (Fig. 11.7). As with all models, he had to make certain assumptions.

For example, he assumed that the terrain was flat, that soils and other environmental conditions

were the same everywhere, and that there were no barriers to transportation to market. Under

such circumstances, he reasoned, transport costs would govern

the use of land. He reasoned that the greater the distance to market, the higher the transport costs

that had to be added to the cost of producing a crop or commodity.

The Von Thünen model (including the ring of forest) is often described as the first effort to

analyze the spatial character of economic activity. The Thünian patterns discerned in many parts

of the world are not solely the result of the forces modeled by von Thünen. Differences in

climate type and soil quality weigh heavily on the kinds of goods produced in a place. Yet if you

drive east out of Denver, heading for Nebraska, you cannot miss a certain concentric zonation

that puts dairying and market gardening nearest the city, cash grains such as corn (plus soybeans)
in the next "ring," more extensive grain farming and livestock raising beyond, and cattle

ranching in the outermost zone.

Geographer Lee Liu studied the spatial pattern of agricultural production in one province of

China, giving careful consideration to the intensity of the production methods and the amount of

land degradation. Liu found that the farmers living in a village would farm lands close to the

village as well as lands far away from the village with high levels of intensity. However, the

methods used varied spatially, resulting in land improvements close to the village and land

degradation farther from the village. In lands close to the village, farmers improved lands

through "decades of intensive care," in particular putting organic material onto the fields, which

made the grasslands close to the village "fertile and productive." In lands more remote from the

village, farmers tended to use more "chemical fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides" and fewer

conservation tactics, resulting in land degradation, whereby "the originally fertile remote land

became degraded." Liu argued that this pattern in modern China occurs in large part because

farmers live in the village, not in the remote fields, and therefore put most of their time and

energy into the fields closest to them.

Even when agricultural production does not conform to the concentric rings of von Thünen's

model, his underlying concern with the interplay of land use and transportation costs frequently

still explains agricultural patterns. The fresh flowers grown in the Caribbean for sale in New

York City could be viewed as the application of the von Thünen model on a larger scale, for it is

less expensive to grow flowers in the Caribbean and ship them to New York City than it is to

grow them in other locations.

FOOD PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

1. Hunting

Although used to be an important activity it is now confined to a few places and to few ethnic

groups and people. Only a few tribes such as the Pygmies of the Zairian forests and the Bushmen

of the Kalahari continue to hunt and collect on a full time basis. Elsewhere, hunting and

collecting may take place but only as a supplement to agriculture or pastorial activities.

2. Pastoralism - Livestock

An important way of life for millions on drylands of Africa. A form of subsidence agriculture

based on the herding of domesticated animals. It is adapted to dry climates where intensive

subsistence agriculture is difficult or impossible. Pastoral Nomads live in the arid and semi-arid

belts of North Africa, West, East and parts of Central Asia. The Fulanis of West Africa

and Maasai of Kenya are examples of nomadic groups. The Nomadic tribes are divided into 3

Groups:

a. True Nomads such as the Fulani, Tuaregs and Masai who are constantly on the move with

their large herds of cattle and consider nomadism as a way of life.

b. Transhumance is a seasonal migration of the nomads and their livestock between mountains

and lowland pastures in search of green pasture following changes in climate and vegetation..

c. Sedentary Agriculturalists : settled pastoralists attend to their farms as well as keep such

animals as cattle, sheep and goats.

3. Crop Cultivation

It is a form of agriculture in which only enough crops are produced to meet the requirements

of the family. In good years, there may be a surplus to sell and put aside for hard times.

Subsistence farmers primarily rarely use fertilizers and the sizes of their farms are very small.

The whole farming system is based on human labor and draft animals. The key implements

are the hoe and cutlass (matchette). Type of crops grown depends upon the climate and

environment. Whereas Africans in the forest belt grow root crops like yams and cassava;

plantains, oil palm; their counterparts in the savanna grow millets, sorghum etc. Maize, cassava

(manioc), peanuts, beans, sweet potatoes introduced to Africa by the Portuguese, possibly from

Brazil. There are 4 main agrarian areas: a) Forest cultivators who adopt either Shifting

Cultivation or Land Rotation as a method of farming, b) Savanna cultivators and Oasis

cultivators who use irrigation extensively.

Rotational Bush Fallow System:

In this farming system, local groups clear small portions of land by slashing the vegetation and

burning the debris after leaving it to dry in the sun. As a result, shifting cultivation is sometimes

known as Slash-and-Burn Agriculture. Crops are then cultivated on the plot of land for a certain

number of years and when production declines (in the third or fourth year), the plot of land is

abandoned and new farms are created in a similar manner. People who practice bush fallow

system of cultivation live in small rural villages. In the past, the farmers used to rotate with their

settlements and belongings. They moved all settlements occasionally to settle near the new

farms. This system was called Shifting cultivation.

With rapid increases in population, the size of plots reduces and the number of years a cultivated

land may lie fallow to regain its fertility is shortened.

Plantation Agriculture: A form of industrialized agriculture found primarily in tropical

rainforest regions of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is a permanent agriculture in which cash crops

introduced by the Colonialists (such as banana, coffee, tea and cocoa) are cultivated and

harvested for sale. This farming receives the most attention from African governments because

of the exports it generates.

Characteristics of Traditional Agricultural Systems.

Traditional farmers in developing countries today grow about 20% of the world's food on about

75% of its cultivated land. INTER-PLANTING which is the simultaneous cultivation of several

crops on the same crop of land is common. Some inter-planting strategies practiced in by farmers

include the following:

Polyvarietal cultivation: a plot of land is planted with several varieties of the same crop.

Intercropping: two or more different crops are simultaneously planted on the same crop of land.

(Merits include- pest control, self sufficiency, full use of fertilizers and nutrients). For example a

carbohydrate rich grain that uses soil nitrogen may be planted alongside a protein-rich legume

that puts the nutrients back.

Agroforestry or Alley Cropping: crops and trees are planted together. For example, a grain or

legume can be planted around fruit-bearing orchard trees or in rows between fast-growing trees

that can be used for fuelwood.

Polyculture: A more complex form of intercropping in which many different plants maturing at

various times are planted together. If cultivated properly, such farms can provide food, fuel, and

fertilizers and also meet other food needs of farmers.

Merits of the Poly-culture type of Farming are:

✓ Root systems at different depths in the soil capture nutrients and moisture efficiently and

minimize the need for fertilizer and irrigation.

✓ Year round plant coverage also protects the soil from weeds, and erosion.

✓ The mixed cropping is a check on insects that may feed on one crop and leave the others.

✓ Crop diversity is also an insurance against bad weather.

✓ Recent ecological research on crop yields of 14 ecosystems found that on the average,

polyculture (with four or five crops) produces higher yields per unit of area than high-

input monoculture.

4. Fishing

Fishing is common among coastal dwellers and those living around rivers, lakes and creeks.

Methods used include dug-out canoes, nets etc. Modern technology has brought the outboard

motor, but the use of large trawlers not common.

COLONIAL EFFECTS ON INDIGENOUS FOOD PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

Colonial rule brought significant changes to traditional agriculture in Africa.

1. Introduction of new crops such as pineapple, corn and also cash crops

2. Large portions of fertile land were appropriated and reserved for European farms and

plantations in Zimbabwe, Kenya and other parts of Africa.

3. Reserved Forests and Game reserves were created with often serious implications for farmers

and pastorialists.

4. Cash crops were promoted as a means of involving Africans in the International trade and

ensuring supply of tropical products for European Industry. Some of the crops include cotton,

cocoa, coffee, peanuts oil palm etc. (See Page 163 for maps)

5. Cash cropping supplanted food crop cultivation and necessitated the Importation of food from

European countries.

Attempts to Restructure African Agriculture

1. State Farms – Ghana, Mozambique, Angola and Ethiopia

2. Planned Resettlement Schemes – Kenya, Tanzania

3. Irrigation schemes – Mali, Nigeria, Ghana etc

4. Large scale capitalist Agriculture - Cote’d Ivoire, Botswana

 UNIT TEN

IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

• Health, Safety and Environmental Issues in food production

• Agriculture is one of the principal sectors of Ghana’s economy. The country has for the past

few years experienced continuous decline in GDP contribution from the sector, but it still

remains the foundation on which the country’s economy rests. This is clear from the fact that

most rural farm households derive their livelihood from this sector. The sector contributed

22.0% against 28.6% from the industrial sector and 49.5% from the services sector to the GDP

of the country [1]. In Ghana, the agricultural sector is principally dominated by small-scale

farmers. Among the arable crops in Ghana, cereals are the most widely cultivated and

consumed category. Maize continues to lead as the most important staple food in Ghana. This

is because maize is very important for improving food security and poverty reduction as it is

the staple food for most Ghanaians. In 2013, 1,764,477 MT of maize was produced and out of

this value, Ashanti Region which was the third largest production region recorded a value of

201,786 MT [2]. Considering the soaring up of the population in Ghana and heavy dependence

on agriculture for food, farmers have adopted some strategies in the bid to increase the

productivity of crops. These are an intensive use of land, agrochemical usage, irrigation,

disease and pest resistant varieties, and so forth. Farmers are highly motivated to using these

strategies due to the emphasis placed by most agricultural development policies in Ghana

which suggest the use of external inputs such as machinery and agrochemicals as the panacea

to increasing food productivity. This has led to increasing the use of synthetic agrochemicals

instead of the biological, cultural, and mechanical method for boosting production, controlling

pest, weed, and disease.

• Agrochemical is any chemical that is used in agricultural production to improve productivity

and control of pest and diseases. It encompasses fertilizers, pesticides (weedicides,

insecticides, rodenticides, and fungicides), and plant regulators. In the bid to control maize

pests such as stem borers, armyworms, silkworm, and weevils, weeds, and maize diseases such

as downy mildew, maize rust, leaf blight, and leaf spot, for improvement in productivity, maize

farmers have over the years resorted to the use of agrochemicals. The types of agrochemicals

used are grouped into pesticides (fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, rodenticide, etc.) and

fertilizers.

• According to Horna et al. [5], the use of pesticides by farmers to control weeds, increase

agricultural productivity, and preserve agricultural produce has reached a crescendo thereby

calling for urgent attention. There are concerns about the indiscriminate use of agrochemicals

with nonadherence of safety precautions of agrochemical use by maize farmers in Ghana

(including Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipality). The use of Personal Protective Equipment

(PPE) remains a thing of choice to these maize farmers. Other precautionary measures like

avoiding of eating, drinking, and smoking during agrochemical application is still not adhered

to by farmers. Instead of farmers properly disposing of empty containers of agrochemicals,

they use them for fetching water, keep cooked food in them, store seed stocks for next season

usage, and so forth.

• Many farmers do not have adequate knowledge and information on the health hazards

associated with handling and use of pesticides. According to Okoffo et al., inappropriate use

of pesticides to control pests and diseases has major health implications for smallholder

farmers and this is now on the global scale attracting global attention of researchers, policy-

makers, and the general public (consumers). Improper use and disposal of containers of
 pesticide are mainly caused by inadequate knowledge, inadequate equipment, and storage,

application of unregistered and nonapproved pesticides, and the use of an excessive dosage.

The exposure of farmers to agrochemicals has short term and long term effects.

• The ability to apply the right quantity is dependent on awareness of the health implications and

the physiological effect on crop output and the quality of the produce. Agrochemicals affect

maize crops directly. Overdose and much exposure of maize plant to agrochemicals cause

scorches, yellowing, necrosis of the foliage, and distortions of the leaves. In this instance, a

higher rate of application has the potency to affect maize output level. Residues of

agrochemicals sometimes remain in maize edible parts which have a health impact on the

consumer.

• Despite these, manufacturers of agrochemicals exploit several methods such as graph, labels,

and pictures to raise the awareness of the users about the health risks associated with their use

of the products. Government agencies (Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Standard Board and

Environmental Protection Agency) and Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) have not

relented on their efforts to creating farmers’ awareness of health implications of agrochemical

use. Meanwhile, the achievable targets have not been reached. This means that there are certain

socioeconomic and demographic factors that influence the farmer’s awareness level of health

implications of agrochemical use. The study, therefore, seeks to assess the factors that

influence the farmers’ awareness of health implications of agrochemical use as well as the

effect of the awareness on maize output. The study is expected to contribute significantly to

information and knowledge on the factors that influence maize farmers’ awareness levels of

health implications of agrochemical use. The study will also provide information to policy-

makers and agricultural extension officers to come out with effective training programs for
 farmers. It is, therefore, important to know the limiting factors to farmers’ awareness of health

risks associated with agrochemical use. The research outcome can, therefore, be used by the

Ministry of Agriculture, agrochemical companies, and other agencies to raise awareness of the

need for safe handling and use of agrochemical by farmers through the identification of the

drivers that influences farmers’ level of awareness of health implications of agrochemical use.

• Pesticides Use in Ghana. The use of agrochemicals, particularly pesticides, has become an

integral part of the Ghanaian agricultural activities, being used on cash crops, cereals, fruits,

and vegetable production. Dinham [10] reported that about 87% of vegetable farmers use

chemical pesticides to control pests and diseases. In Ghana, the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) is the regulatory body that oversees the use of recommended pesticides. The

Pesticides Control and Management Act (528) was promulgated in 1996 to regulate proper use

of pesticides in Ghana. The Act (528) gave EPA the sole mandate to register all pesticides

imported, exported, manufactured, distributed, advertised, sold, and used. The act, divided into

four parts, comprises regulation of pesticides, licensing of pesticide dealers, enforcement of

penalties on defaulters, and general provisions. The full implementation of the provisions of

the act is done by EPA with the help of Ghana Ports and Harbors’ authority (GPHA), Customs

Exercise and Preventive Service (CEP’S), Ghana Standards Board (GSB), Ministry of Food

and Agriculture (MoFA), and Factory Inspectorate Department of Ministry of Employment

and Social Welfare. With strict regulation, the general society will be protected from the

harmful effects of pesticides. However, some chemicals used by farmers are badly labelled,

poorly packaged, and irresponsibly promoted and these add to the hazards involved in

pesticides use. Thus, the implementation of the act is not followed of late, hence the urgent

need to review the safety precautions in pesticides use.

• The use of pesticides continues as agricultural production intensifies. However, agricultural

production is fraught with abuse, misuse, and overuse of these chemicals. Associated with

increased and inappropriate use and handling of agrochemicals are environmental and health

problems. Since most farmers in the country are illiterates, lacking the requisite training,

protection equipment, and safety information, there have been tendencies of overapplication

than the recommended rate or frequency per season. Runoff from these chemicals continues to

contaminate food crops and even spread to affect water bodies. The problem is compounded

by the fact that farmers usually wash knapsack sprayers and their clothes in water bodies after

spraying. Meanwhile, most rural folks depend on lakes, streams, and rivers as sources of

drinking water thereby linking chemical contamination exposures closely with toxicity. It has

been demonstrated from previous studies that residues of both banned and currently used

pesticides such as organochlorines and organophosphates, respectively, have been found in

terrestrial food and aquatic environments [13–15]. Farmers exposed to chemicals are usually

illiterate and lack the requisite training, equipment, and the necessary safety information.

Farmers usually apply these hazardous agrochemicals like organochlorines and

organophosphate more than the recommended rate or frequency per season. In Ghana, most

rural folks depend on lakes, streams, and rivers as sources of drinking water. Meanwhile, these

sources of water are not free from residues of pesticides as farmers usually wash knapsack

sprayers and their clothes into these water sources after spraying. According to NPAS [16],

chemical pesticides destabilize agroecological systems and biodiversity by contaminating the

environment. It also affects human health through the intake of residues of pesticides in water,

food, or direct contact. The effects of pesticides on human health are compounded since some

farmers allow children to do the spraying without personal protective gears. Storing of
 consumables (food and water) in pesticide containers is a common practice among farmers

living in rural areas in Ghana. Pesticides have contributed to several recent deaths and an untold

number of illnesses in Upper East Region of Ghana.

Tourism and Leisure

Tourism can simply be said as travel for pleasure or business. Some people believe touring isn’t

complete without experiencing everything that comes with the tourist site including the people

and their way of life. Local food is perceived as food grown and made within a particular

ethnicity or locality with indigenous ingredients and herbs. However, in terms of Ghanaian

dishes, local food does not only mean food that is locally made but food that have cultural

meanings and have historical origins, for example, Kpekple/ kpokpoi which is a kind of food

eaten by the Ga tribe during the celebration of Homowo festival, which is to hoot at hunger.

Tourists’ consumption of local food while on holiday was mostly based on pragmatic situations

but today it has grown beyond enduring it to consuming to enhance their holiday experiences.

Many people are ecstatic to even try foods foreign to them and tell all the tales of it when they

get back to their home countries.

Food consistency in tourism is yearly enhanced because food sets off almost all our human

senses— sight, smell, touch, and taste; hence, it is positioned strategically during tourist holidays

for experiences.
 UNIT ELEVEN

GHANAIAN FOODS AND TOURISM

Ghanaian foods are irresistible and it is of no doubt that most tourists visit because they yearn for

a specific meal and cannot forget about it after one visit. A lot of people have been made aware

of Jollof because they’ve heard of the Ghanaian-Nigerian Jollof war and are so eager to know

how good it tastes to be the better judge. Fufu which is also a popular Ghanaian and Nigerian

meal went viral in 2020 where many foreigners were seen trying it. These situations have

contributed to the international popularity of these meals and their origin. As many people

become more eager to travel and eat local foods, they enhance the economic development of the

country, i.e. from hotel bookings to transportation, to buying food and so on the hospitality

industry benefits greatly. This boosts the revenue of the country by improving sales for the hotel

companies, food industries, and other industries utilised during tourism seasons.

The role of Food in Tourism

Before the food is served, it goes through many procedures from planting to harvesting to

processing and so on. With all these procedures involved to make food in large quantities for

tourists and native consumption, the food sector creates job opportunities in all these sub-

sections needed to produce the final results. This can reduce the rate of unemployment in the

country which can also extensively reduce the rate of street begging and social vices and increase

the per capita income in Ghana.

Food in tourism also helps promote the Ghanaian culture in all parts of the world. Most

Ghanaian foods have some kind of historical origin backing them and whenever these dishes are

set up or mounted, especially during festivals and touring times the story behind them is always

shared. For example the discovery of yam, according to the ewe tribe yam was mistakenly

discovered when a man hid a tuber he found during a famine underground. After some time he

grew hungry and when he took it out had formed many tubers hence the name “ete” meaning

swollen in the ewe.

During such widespread history, some of the facts are not only made known to foreigners but

also to the natives who might have forgotten the story. Most Ghanaian dishes are commonly

called in local names and this helps to promote the various Ghanaian languages for example

during tours to the northern region of Ghana and some northern festivals the origin of waakye

which is from the Hausa words “shinkafa da wake “meaning rice and beans is made known to

the tourists and through this, who knows, they may be motivated to learn a local language.

Ghanaian food plays a massive role in the tourism industry and that sector can be improved by;

Compelling the sustenance of Ghanaian food since interest in it by international tourists is by

developing the packaging, quality, and sanitary conditions of most places where food is sold,

similarly, government agencies that oversee food vending and the quality of raw materials

produced like the Food And Drugs Board must also do their work well by ensuring that

Ghanaian foods are included on the menus of most hotels, restaurants to advocate and promote

Ghanaian food more(i.e. since Chinese people who visit Ghana would rather go to a Chinese

restaurant, seeing one or two Ghanaian dishes will heighten their curiosity and they might

eventually try it).

Research by FE Amuquandoh in 2013 also proved that Ghana can reduce loss of revenue

overseas if the food imported to feed international tourists and locals is reduced. The

consumption of locally produced food items and the utilisation of local ingredients in the

preparation of menus will reduce the risk of diseases and imports which will boost revenue for

every sector from farming to processing to tertiary operators like food vendors and restaurants

thereby improving the finances of the country as a whole.

Food production and consumption are intertwined with tourism and leisure. Ghana has made

great strides in incorporating her local dishes with tourism and leisure. Some of the socio-

economic benefits of this are numerous. These include:

1. job creation in the areas of tourism

2. Revenue generation to government

3. Projecting Ghana to the world in order to attract investors

4. Promoting social cohesion

• Intercultural exchanges

• Areas of economic development

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