West Africa
Togo
Ablo, gboma dessi spinach stew and grilled tilapia by the lagoon.
Staples
- Akume (fermented maize dough swallow)
- Ablo (steamed fermented corn and rice cakes)
- Djenkoume (spiced tomato-infused cornmeal mash)
- Foufou (pounded white yams or cassava)
- Ayimolou (black-eyed peas and rice cooked with sorghum leaves)
- Gari (toasted fermented cassava granules)
Seasonings
- Lanhouin (salted, sun-fermented fish seasoning paste)
- Afiti (fermented néré locust bean condiment)
- Dzi (fragrant unrefined red palm oil)
- Adémè (mucilaginous jute mallow leaves)
- N'dja (slow-cooked hot pepper and dried shrimp paste)
Techniques
- Pounding boiled yams in wooden mortars
- Fermenting wet maize mash before cooking
- Steaming leaf-wrapped batters over boiling water
- Simmering viscous herb sauces with fish
At the table
Prepared predominantly by women over outdoor charcoal braziers, a regular meal consists of a collective mound of akume or foufou served alongside a glistening bowl of palm-nut or mucilaginous adémè sauce laden with smoked fish and bushmeat. While the coastal south centers its diet on fermented corn pastes, seafood, and pungent lanhouin, the northern savannah regions lean heavily toward pounded yams, guinea corn porridges, and afiti-seasoned stews.
23 recipes across 7 courses
Ask AI for moreBreakfast
Akpan (Fermented Cornmeal Yogurt-style Pudding)
A refreshing, silky, naturally sour fermented corn pudding sweetened with condensed milk and served chilled over ice cubes.
Ayimolou (Rice and Beans with Chili Stew)
Fragrant rice and black-eyed peas tinted with sorghum leaves, served with fiery fried chili oil stew, fried fish, and spiced boiled eggs.
Pain Brioché Togolais (Sweet Airy Morning Bread)
A golden, feather-light sweetened yeast loaf enriched with nutmeg and condensed milk, offering a tender, pull-apart crumb and glossy crust.
Toubani (Steamed Bean and Cassava Flour Pudding)
Savory, pillowy steamed cowpea and cassava tamales infused with potash, served hot with fiery spiced peanut oil and chili powder.
Soup
Ademe Dessi (Jute Leaf Green Soup)
A silky, mucilaginous coastal Togolese green soup enriched with smoked fish, dried shrimp, and earthy spices, perfect for dipping swallows.
Fetridessi (Viscous Okra and Seafood Soup)
Glossy, viscous coastal okra soup loaded with fresh blue crabs, succulent prawns, smoked catfish, and aromatic fermented locust beans.
Kpalogo Dessi (Rich Cassava Leaf Stew)
Silky pounded cassava leaves braised with smoked fish, beef, rich groundnut paste, and red palm oil into a deeply savory, earthy stew.
Main
Djenkoume (Togolese Red Cornmeal Mush with Braised Chicken)
Hearty Togolese savory red cornmeal porridge infused with red palm oil, tomatoes, and tender ginger-marinated chicken.
Fufu (Pounded White Yam)
Silky, stretchy pounded white yam globes paired with a rich, spiced goat meat and roasted peanut soup.
Gari Foto (Seasoned Scrambled Cassava Flour)
Fluffy moistened fermented cassava semolina tossed in a robust, smoky tomato-onion sofrito with scrambled eggs and tender shrimp.
Gboma Dessi (Spinach and Smoked Fish Stew)
A rich, aromatic Togolese stew of blanched leafy greens, braised beef, and smoked fish bathed in a fiery tomato and fermented locust bean sauce.
Lanmoumou Dessi (Fresh Ocean Fish Tomato Stew)
Tender ocean fish poached in a reduced, fragrant tomato and chili gravy infused with fermented fish and spiced red palm oil.
Side
Ablo (Steamed Fermented Corn and Rice Cakes)
Pillowy, sweet-and-sour steamed dumplings made from fermented corn and rice batter, paired with fried coastal fish and fiery pepper relish.
Ebessesse (Togolese Crushed Pepper Relish)
A fiery, fragrant Togolese condiment of mortar-crushed fresh peppers, sweet shallots, green tomatoes, and spiced oil that enlivens coastal fried dishes.
Wagashi Frit (Fried Fulani Cow Milk Cheese)
Crisp-crusted, tender artisanal cow milk cheese pan-fried in seasoned oil and dusted with spicy piment de table for Northern Togolese street flavor.
Dessert
Botokoin (Fried Sweet Dough Balls)
Crisp, golden Togolese yeast fritters with a pillowy, nutmeg-scented crumb, fried until deep mahogany and eaten warm.
Yovo Doko (Sweet Spiced Banana-Flour Fritters)
Crisp, golden-brown spherical fritters of sweet mashed banana and yeasted dough, laced with nutmeg and fried to an airy, tender interior.
Drink
Bissap (Spiced Hibiscus Flower Drink)
A deeply ruby-red, tart hibiscus infusion perfumed with fresh mint, crushed ginger, and aromatic orange blossom water, served chilled over ice.
Sodabi (Distilled Palm Wine Liquor)
A clear, potent Southern Togolese moonshine double-distilled from naturally fermented oil palm sap and infused with aromatic wild botanicals.
Tchoukoutou (Traditional Fermented Sorghum Beer)
An earthy, sour Northern Togolese red sorghum beer brewed through triple decoction, wild lactic fermentation, and natural foaming fermentation.
Street food
Koklo Meme (Spicy Grilled Chicken)
Succulent grilled chicken infused with ginger, garlic, crushed chili, and spiced oil, charred over charcoal for Lomé's iconic street-side flavor.
Koliko (Deep-Fried Yam Batons)
Thick white yam wedges par-salted in cold water and double-fried in rich oil until shatteringly crisp outside and fluffy inside.
Kom (Fermented Steamed Cornmeal Balls)
Tangy, dense Togolese fermented corn dough dumplings wrapped in dried maize husks and steamed to a fragrant, chewy perfection.