Book a table Ghana’s food tells the story of its regions, peoples and harvests. Here’s where our favourites come from — and why they matter.
Ashanti & the Akan heartlands
Pounded cassava and plantain, traditionally beaten by hand in a wooden mortar — often a family job. Served with a light, peppery tomato soup, fufu is the Sunday meal of many Akan homes and a dish for welcoming guests.
Greater Accra & the Volta (Ga and Ewe)
Fermented corn and cassava dough stirred until smooth and stretchy. Banku is a coastal staple of the Ga and Ewe peoples; with okro stew it is everyday comfort food, eaten by hand and shared from one bowl.
Accra & the Volta Lake
Grilled tilapia — much of it from Lake Volta — with banku and hot pepper sauce is the classic Accra ‘chop bar’ and evening street meal, made for gathering with friends.
West Africa, with a proud Ghanaian style
Its roots trace to the old Wolof (Jolof) empire of Senegambia, but Ghana has made it its own with fragrant long-grain rice and a deep tomato base. No party, wedding or celebration is complete without it — and the friendly ‘jollof wars’ with Nigeria are part of the fun.
Northern Ghana, now loved nationwide
Rice and beans cooked with dried sorghum leaves that give it its colour. The name comes from the Hausa language of the north; today it is Ghana’s favourite breakfast, sold wrapped in leaves from roadside stalls.
Across southern Ghana
Black-eyed beans stewed in red palm oil with fried ripe plantain — red twice over, hence the name. Affordable, filling and naturally plant-based, it is a true people’s dish.
Accra street food
Ripe plantain cubed, spiced with ginger, chilli and cloves, then fried until caramelised. The smell of kelewele sizzling at night is part of an Accra evening.
The yam belt — Bono, Ashanti & the north
Yam is honoured across Ghana, with festivals celebrating the new harvest. Pounded smooth and served with okra sauce, it is a dish of abundance and thanksgiving.
Akan and coastal communities
‘Palava’ means a dispute — legend says the sauce was so good it ended arguments. Made with leafy greens, palm oil and egusi, served with boiled yam or plantain.
Western Ghana & neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire
Fermented cassava couscous from the Ivorian coast, popular across Ghana’s western border. Light and tangy, it pairs perfectly with grilled fish, onions and pepper.
Recipes and stories vary from family to family and region to region — that’s part of the beauty.