Senegalese Cuisine: 10 Dishes Worth Discovering

SENEGALESE CUISINE: 10 DISHES WORTH DISCOVERING

Senegalese cuisine is one of the richest cuisines in West Africa and a fusion of influences from France, Portugal, the Middle East, the Americas, and Vietnam.

Traditional food from Senegal is made for sharing where guests gather around a single dish, which is usually hearty and very fragrant and can be enjoyed with a spoon or a piece of bread. We discover more about this hot, flavourful and topical cuisine in10 dishes worth discovering, below.

The Ingredients of Senegalese Cusine

Fish naturally takes centre stage in Senegalese cuisine due to the countries geographical proximity to the sea. Mero, red carp, tuna, sole, monkfish, barracuda, swordfish ... The choice of fish is wide and the cooking of this dish varied from dried and braised to smoked or even fermented.

Meat is not so commonly featured although there are nevertheless beautiful cuts available to buy at the markets, like mutton, beef or goat, at a price. Chicken is generally more popular and less expensive than other meats.

Many Senegalese dishes also contain cereals like millet, fonio or rice as well as many vegetables liketomatoes, cabbage, carrots, eggplant, or less common vegetables like okra (green and fibrous vegetable), cowpeas (beans) or cassava roots.

Finally, fruit forms an integral part of the Senegalese culinary landscape with delicious yellow or green mangoes, mandarins, dates, papayas, guavas, coconuts, pineapples, plantains or avocados, as well as plenty of peanuts.

Typical Dishes of Senegalese Cusine

1. THIEBOUDIENNE

Thiéboudienne is considered the national dish of Senegal. It was invented by Penda Mbaye, a famous nineteenth-century cook, and consists of fresh fish, dried fish, rice and tomato-garlic-onion-chilli puree, all served with many vegetables like pumpkin, cassava, eggplant and carrot.

2. CHICKEN YASSA 

This typical dish in Senegalese cuisine is native to Casamance (south-west of the country). It consists of chicken pieces marinated in a mixture of onions, lime juice, vinegar and peanut oil, before being grilled over a wood fire and then cooked over low heat in its marinade. It's served simply with white rice.

Yassa can also be prepared with mutton or fish.

3. CALDOU

Caldou is a recipe based on fish cooked in palm oil and served with vegetables and rice, served with a lime sauce.

4. BASSI SALTE

Bassi Salte is a couscous of millet. It consists of meatballs made of mutton, sweet potatoes, potatoes, white beans, cabbage, carrots, dates, raisins and a tomato sauce.

5. MAFE

Mafe is a dish from Mali adapted to Senegalese cuisine. This is a rice base topped with a peanut paste sauce and usually accompanied by meat and vegetables.

6. LAKHOU BISSAP

Lakhou bissap is a dish from Central and Western Senegal made from semolina and meat. It can be accompanied by dried fish, sorrel and tamarind and looks like a soup.

7. FIRIRE

Firire is a dish from Senegalese cuisine based on fried fish and onion sauce, served with fries, salad and bread.

8. DOMODA

Domoda is a rice-based dish with tomato and flour vinegar sauce - it's served with meat, fish or meatballs.

9. PASTELS

Pastels are small hand held deep-fried pastry pockets stuffed with fish and spices, which can be soaked in a tomato sauce. 

10. BISSAP

Bissap is not actually a dish, but the most popular drink in Senegalese cuisine. It's a refreshing juice made from hibiscus flowers, water, sugar, mint or orange blossom.

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