On the Menu...in Ghana!

There are many variations on the theme of food in Ghana and we can pretty much have whatever we want, for a price. The good news is that the price is usually refreshingly low, while the quality of the food is refreshingly high. The bad news (for some) may be that our food standards are relatively flexible so if you can't relate to the bliss that is the India Palace on Ellice, or Miso's all-you-can-eat sushi (and it will surprise none of you that I can eat!!), or the spicy delight of a Jamaican patty, or the chili-smeared sex in a bun that is found in the average Greek-style burger house in Winnipeg, then this blog entry is not for you. If you can relate, then come to Ghana--the food's great!!

I will begin here with what we have experienced and enjoyed in the restaurants in Ghana, saving street food and shopping for separate ramblings at a later date. The above photo was taken at one of those places by which all other restaurants will be measured: The Brightest Spot. (Note to readers: While I do feel that I have carte blanche in terms of artistic license on my very own"integrity-optional" blog, I promise you that the place exists and that I have not altered the title for cheap creative effect!) We ducked into this excellent little restaurant, bar and inn (find me a restaurant that on this coast that isn't all three and I'll find you an eight-legged goat who dances the mambo!) on our way to Ada Foah after reading about it in the Bradt guide to Ghana. I must say that the guide has been commendably accurate and this was no exception. It was a lazy, laid-back microcosm of all that is yummy in Ghana and, as the photo depicts, the highlife music was thumping, while the kids had plenty of room to move. Never have I been so happy to wait thirty+ minutes for a meal...McDonald's Play Place, you've been dumped!

Once our driver explained what Banku was, we thought we ought to give it a try and as we love fish, we thought we'd order it with Talapias. Fish and other forms of seafood are wickedly inexpensive here and a favourite staple for me is already grilled fish and fried rice. The fish (I'm never sure what kind of fish it is) comes cubed and de-boned on a skewer and is grilled with a seasoning that is the Ghanaian equivalent of Hy's seasoning. Mmmm...Hy's seasoning. As for the above meal, the Talapia usually comes with a ridiculously hot, red pepper sauce that we quickly (and rather wimpily) brush aside to get at the fish. We then tear off pieces of fish with pieces of Banku (sort of like a ball of corn-mealy porridge--not our favourite!) and gobble it up. As you can see, there was also fresh pasta for the kids, though they too are slowly expanding their palates. Brontë and Materia's favourite is seasoned, grilled chicken and fried rice, conveniently available in every restaurant we've eaten in thus far. Cuyler still eats anything and everything and he takes a generous tariff from each of our plates.

Both Banku and Fu-Fu are sort of like the mashed potato on the average North American plate, or the basic dumpling in a stew. As I understand it, different regions have different versions of this staple. Fufu is made by pounding some combination of cassava, plantain, yam or cocoyam and Banku is cooked, fermented corn dough and cassava dough. The photo above is of a woman I met who is making Banku. This is a common labour in Ghana and it is, as I'm sure you can imagine, back-breaking work in the heat as the consistency is not far from taffy! It's a food that is an excellent filler and as such I would be surprised if any of us acquire a taste for it or Fufu, though I have yet to have either with or in soup.

Prices are very reasonable and if we eat vegetarian, which we often do, we can usually have a hearty-sized plate of restaurant fare for about three to five Ghana Cedis (a little less in Canadian dollars). I had a mid-sized, whole, cracked, grilled lobster, on a bed of fried rice, with a heap of fresh vegetables, for just over ten Ghana Cedis. This was at a nice little upscale hotel in East Legon, near the office for the school. Carmilla had vegetable curry and pasta that meal for around five Cedis, to put it into perspective. I debated about including the above picture, but it has quickly become one of our favourite dishes. It is called Palava or Palaver sauce and it comes on a bed of rice. We have not been able to determine what the cheesy substance is, but it is present in all dishes. It bears a striking resemblance to Indian paneer cheese so it's no wonder we love it! The vegetable is sort of like spinach, but its name escapes me just now. The flavour is so rich, even though the sight of it is hard to stomach! The picture was taken at Chez Afrique (pictured at the very top), an excellent and inexpensive restaurant in East Legon that we will surely take you to when you visit!

Okay, so in case you haven't already figured it out, Carmilla and I have been (guiltily) sneaking out for lunch together while the kids are in school. We have tried a few places out and it's been good time for us to decompress and find perspective in what has been a pretty awesome transition, to the least. On that note, it is acceptable to drink almost anytime and anywhere, though I don't see very many people doing it, other than at restaurants. Star beer is our favourite and one of a few beers readily available in Ghana. It is wonderfully close to Corona and while a regular bottle will cost you a whole, whopping Cedi, the large bottle (roughly 650 mL) will cost you about thirty pesewas (cents) more. It was made for sharing! Smirnoff Ice and Gibson's Spark are also usually served very cold at the same price point. As an aside, we bought a 1.5 L bottle of very drinkable South African cab-merlot for just under seven cedis! Mineral water, Coca Cola, Fanta and a wide range of exceptionally good juices are cheap and available at every meal. As people who were previously too cheap to buy a pop (unless we shared a bottomless glass), let alone a glass of wine, we are quite sure we have arrived at the refrigerated gates of beverage heaven!