I would feel much more tired, so I had to start doing more physical activities to feel energized. At the same time, the food is very tasty, and if I am not careful, I will never stop eating! So many different spices are used to make the complex flavors. It is a new experience with every meal. Sometimes the food is so spicy my eyes fill with tears and my tongue turns bright red— like a chili pepper.
Most of the foods in Ghana are prepared similarly. Stews are cooked in an iron pot, either on the stove or outside. If there are a lot of people who have to eat together, big iron pots are used outside on a bed of hot coal. Rice can also be cooked inside or outside, sometimes with rice cookers. It is common to make rice in a pot or pan, depending on the type of rice. Two of the most uniquely prepared foods are dishes called fufu and banku. These are two very popular foods here in Ghana, and they consist of a ball of dough and a soup. Any type of soup or stew can be used, such as fish or vegetable.These dishes are almost the same, except for the type of dough used. Fufu uses cassava dough, from the cassava plant, which is very abundant in Ghana. This type of dough has a milder taste than Banku. Banku uses a corn dough, and it has a more bitter taste. Both doughs are prepared outside using a large stick and a wooden bowl. The dough is pounded over and over while a little bit of water is added every few minutes. It’s like making pizza dough. After the pounding is finished, the dough is formed into a ball. Than you can rip off pieces of it and use it to scoop up the soup. The trick to eating both fufu or banku is that you don’t chew them. You scoop up the broth, put it in your mouth, and swallow.
