I have been thinking a lot about the evolution of food, what was before we have now and what will come. As the world gets exponentially connected, trends, culture and society continue to change and meld, borrowing from one place and making something new. For a while, I have been continuously searching for the roots of my cultural food, the foundation of our foods before colonialism and globalization. These thoughts and questions are in parallel to my own personal journey to understanding who I am, my values, my identity, with a lot of it intertwined and understood through food, my upbringing a ..read more

How I Planned my trip to Ghana I spent a month solo traveling across Ghana and here are a few things I kept in mind to travel well. I am a Ghanaian living in Canada who loves learning about Ghanaian food, culture and history and planned my itinerary accordingly. But before getting to Ghana, here are a few things I considered. If you want details on my full itinerary, make sure to check out this link (click here). Climate and Time of Travel Ghana like any tropical country is warm throughout the year. However, there are major seasons everyone should be aware about: the rainy season and the dry ..read more

As part of my series called “Millet Mondays” where I share fun ways to use African millets, we are making Fonio Stirfry. This is a quick and nutritious lunchtime dish that can be done in about 30-45 minutes. What is Fonio? Fonio is a gluten free grain from West Africa also dubbed as hungry rice. It cook very quickly (in less than 10 minutes) and more than quadruples in size. It is also a great alternative to white rice and quinoa with a nutty and earthy flavour. For more details on fonio such as nutrition information and where to purchase, make sure to check out this blog post (Three Ways to C ..read more

It’s my birthday. So in true Eat with Afia fashion, I decided to make my own birthday cake. I wanted a cake that truly reflected who I was, the beginning of fall, and my deep deep love for West African food. Quintessential West African dessert? It is no secret that West Africa does not have the same dessert culture as what people in Western countries are familiar with. We do not have regional pie recipes, cakes, cookies, and many more. Instead, you will find fried dough, candies, and little nibbles. In the end, Western food culture is different from West African food cultures, which means our ..read more

This child-friendly and delicious tomato stew recipe has 4 hidden vegetables that not only boost the nutritional value of the stew but also add a ton of flavor. The best part is that you can take this stew base and use it to make three amazing meals. You can make these meals at once or at any time you like. Plus the stew base can be frozen and used months later. Print Child Friendly Tomato Stew Kid (and adult friendly) tomato stew recipe with 4 hidden vegetables Course Sauce Cuisine Ghanaian Prep Time 15 minutes minutes Cook Time 45 minutes minutes Total Time 1 hour hour Servings 6 Ingre ..read more

This recipe provides an in-depth walkthrough on how to make one of our traditional red-based stews in Ghana. What is Waakye Stew? Waakye is a popular rice and beans dish eaten for breakfast or lunch in Ghana. Waakye consists of rice cooked with beans and sorghum stems served with coleslaw, protein, spaghetti, gari, and shitɔ (a Ghanaian hot sauce). A major component of a complete bowl of waakye is the stew. It is very similar to Ghanaian tomato stew but with a few embellishments that take it to the top. Waakye stew is rich, incredibly flavourful with lots of savoury and umami notes. What you w ..read more

Spices are essential to flavourful West African cooking. They give our soups, stews, and dishes their authentic flavor and show a mastery of flavor. This blog post provides two essential spice blends you can use to make a plethora of West African recipes with details on substitutions and flavors. Spice blendsWhat are essential West African Spices? The use of spices in West Africa is its own culinary subfield. Depending on where you are in the region, you will see various spices (both indigenous and imported) used to a different extent. Fermented locust beans (also known as iru, sombala, dawa d ..read more

This recipe provides a 100% vegetarian approach to Native Jollof, a unique take on Jollof Rice from Nigeria. When most people think about Jollof rice, they think about a collection of spicy tomato-based rice dishes that are found across West Africa. However, across this same region, you find more localized and unique versions of “jollof rice”. These recipes use traditional ingredients that are unique to certain regions or highlight their unique culinary culture. Native Jollof is one of them — a variety of jollof rice found in small pockets of West Africa like Nigeria, that is unlike regular Jo ..read more

This fish free theiboudienne is a 100% plant based alternative to Senegalese thieboudienne. It is full of flavour, and absolutely delicious. Most people know thieboudienne (pronounced cheebu jeen) as the Senegambian fish based red rice. Usually, the fish flavours (from the fried fish and fermented salted fish) are highlighted as the star of the dish. As a vegan (and even as a seasoned cook), there is no way I could 100% make substitutions that work, nor can I claim this is an authentic and traditional recipe. However, I think thieboudienne is as much about the vegetables and plant-based flavou ..read more

This Senegalese-inspired tofu dish uses Senegalese green seasoning (Nokoss) to season tofu, making it lip-smackingly delicious. Many people say they do not like tofu, nor do they think it is flavourful. This recipe is going to (hopefully) prove them wrong. Tofu is a blank canvas that can take on a lot of flavours. So instead of shying away from tofu, it is something that should be embraced. And one way to do so is with Nokoss. This green seasoning uses fresh herbs, lots of garlic, onion, and seasonings to turn tofu from flavourless to flavourful. This recipe is perfect as a plant-based protein ..read more