The Ghanaian Network

Helping the discerning user discover, taste and enjoy
the variety of Ghanaian culture
on offer in London

 

Past

Traditionally most food was prepared by hand or using utensils, made out of pottery or wood. Interestingly enough there was no real difference between breakfast, lunch and dinner. Food was food, predominantly served to nourish and often piled high with no attention to appearance. Often served in a huge bowl and sometimes a mother would invite her children to eat from the same bowl, especially if the children were much younger. The idea being that less food was wasted this way.

 

There is no concept of a Sunday roast, just a large bowl topped up with an assortment of meats and complimentary side dishes such as rice, yams and plantains.

 

Food has always been a great way to bring people together and for that reason a Ghanaian kitchen is usually the biggest room in the house. Food was often prepared by women but that didn’t stop young men learning how to do this. Children as young as six start learning how to cook.

 

Present

The advancement in cooking utensils has certainly made preparing meals a less laborious task. Blenders and food processors have certainly whittled the time away. However, Ghanaian food continues to be quite dense in consistency and certainly doesn’t allow for the vegetarian option. Conversely, there isn’t a real concept of dessert. It’s omitted from most meals without a thought. If you wanted something sweet, you just helped yourself to a bit of fruit.

 

Prospective

With High blood pressure, strokes and increasingly diabetes at the top of aliments Ghanaians struggle with and often die from, the Ghanaian diet is coming under heavy scrutiny. There is a gradual push towards healthier alternatives and definitely a lean towards the Mediterranean diet. It won’t be long before we see Ghanaian food accommodate food sensitivities, intolerances and dare I say it a ‘veggie option.’

Food is often eaten with fingers in Ghana or more accurately using the food itself to act as a spoon to ‘catch’ the food. There really is a skill to it, something I’m not sure after all these years I have quite acquired. There is also the fun aspect of it, it can get messy but most importantly it helps you to relax. Once you try it, there is nothing like eating food with your hands, it just tastes better.

If you don’t believe me, try it. Ok so it’s not for everyone, the next best thing is the humble spoon. Don’t panic there will be forks and other cutlery on offer in restaurants. However, if that fork is getting in the way, I suggest picking up that chicken and chewing on it straight off the bone!

I’m aiming to highlight a nice fusion of traditional and modern cooking methods. I hope to stir up enough interest to encourage invitees to become guest bloggers. And no, you don’t have to be experts just passionate about food, using lessons learned and pass them on. If you haven’t already guessed it, we’ll be focussing on Ghanaian and British food. And before you even think it, no, I’m not suggesting that we mix them together! Just that we share our experiences from both sides of the Atlantic.

So buckle up, it’s going to be an interesting ride.