Fufu, foufou, foofoo or foutou is a staple starchy dish for African countries, specifically, West Africa’s Nigeria and Ghana. It consists of cooked dough from coco-yam, cassava (garri) or oatmeal kneaded together to form a soft substance. Fufu in itself cannot make a whole meal, therefore an accompaniment of a delicious stew, soup or sauce has to be made to go with it. It is popularly eaten with hands by pulling a small portion and dipping it the accompaniment. Here are 10 delicious ways to eat the African fufu.
1. Egusi (Melon) Soup
Egusi is one of the finger licking soups of the West African descent. The preparation of the soup requires ingredients like melon (egusi) or pumpkin seeds, crayfish and chicken bouillon all finely ground. Smoked catfish, goat meat and vegetables like spinach would also be added together with onions, tomatoes and olive oil. The preparation of this delicious soup starts by frying onions and adding tomatoes, then the pumpkin seeds after 10 minutes. Thereafter, you can add all the fleshy substances and let it thicken on low heat for 20 minutes. The final step is the vegetables then you can serve the soup with hot African fufu.
2.Pumpkin Soup
This is a thick stew made by the West Africans to go with rice but can also be a perfect accompaniment for fufu. It is very easy to prepare. The preparation is traditionally done using any kind of vegetable oil, but mostly, palm oil. Once you have your pumpkin squashed and de-seeded, you may want to add any other ingredients to make it special for yourself. It only takes 40 minutes to prepare.
See Also: 10 Ghanaian Foods You Must Eat Before You Die
3. Greens and Peanut Butter Stew
Like its name suggests, this stew is made of plenty of greens and creamy groundnut butter. Other several additions to enhance and give it taste like pepper, salt, peanut oil and seasoning cubes are added to taste. Start by frying the onions in the peanut oil and add the pepper and greens in 5 minutes intervals each. Next you can add the tomatoes and bouillon cubes. Meanwhile, be mixing the peanut in hot water and add to the greens once they are tender.
4. Pepper soup
This is also another very common hot yet delicious soup that goes well with fufu. It is primarily made of tripe, vegetables and rich broth pepper. This is very cheap to prepare due to its affordable ingredients. Most of the time, garlic, thyme, meats, scallions and other things are added to make the soup sweeter and hotter.
5.Okra soup
This comprises of okra, beef steak, bouillon chicken and garlic powder, onions, maggi seasonings and salt to taste. After washing thoroughly your beef steak, let dry and season in a pot of onions, pepper, salt and garlic. Add water and let simmer for 40 minutes on minimum heat. Once tender, add seasoning sauce, oil, and bouillon chicken cubes. After 12 minutes, add okra and stir. Then the soup is ready to be served
See Also: 5 Greatest Ghana Recipes you’ll love
6. Cassava leaves soup
This delicacy is eaten in the West African countries almost every day. It is popularly prepared using peanut butter or sometimes coconut milk. First, your cassava leaves must be pounded. You may also add in any meat type cubed and your desired choice of fish. Preparation time for cassava leaves soup will take 25 minutes and cooking between 60 and 80 minutes.
7. Fish stew
Depending on which kind your favourite fish is, fish stew is easy to prepare and cook. When taken with fufu, fish stew gives your taste buds some real work. You could add cabbages, potatoes, spaghetti, carrots into your fish stew to make it unique.
8. Chicken mixed with Fennel stew
Within an hour or less, you will have a combination of your most favorite flavors of chicken stew done with a variety of other spices and ingredients like lemon and chickpeas.
9. Palm butter soup
There are various ways to make your soup as unique and delicious as you may want it to be. You would choose to use any kind of meat together with the cream from butter and other ingredients you may desire to add.
10. Chicken yassa
The chicken yassa is another delicacy that would go well with fufu. In preparation, the chicken is first marinated using mustard and lemon juice most preferably overnight. Yassa sauce can also be prepared using lamb beef or any kind of fish.
There you got it, 10 delicious ways to eat African fufu. Remember also, you may choose to make your fufu as unique as you may want it using either bananas, yams, cassava or oatmeal with several more ingredients.
FAQs
It's usually pounded yam tuber, cassava, cocoyam, and I want to say oatmeal, which is considered wheat fufu. Fufu usually is eaten with a hearty vegetable soup. It can be a vegetable from melon seed, mango seed, okazi, spinach, peanut soup.
What is fufu called in English? ›
Fufu (pounded yam or cassava) is a food dish which first came from West Africa, but is enjoyed by many people across the world. Its taste somewhat resembles that of mashed potatoes with butter.
Do you chew or swallow fufu? ›
The traditional method of eating fufu is to wash your hands then take a marble sized ball of fufu in the right hand. You then dip the ball in the soup you are eating; swallow the fufu whole. You are not supposed to chew fufu since it is generally frowned upon.
Is fufu healthy? ›
Like many traditional West African ingredients and dishes, fufu has immense health benefits: Not only is it low in cholesterol, it is rich in fiber, potassium and resistant starch, which feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut and may help reduce inflammation and promote digestive health, and contains vitamin C, ...
What do Africans say before eating? ›
As an African, it's more than etiquette to say these. words when it's time to eat. It's purely tradition.
What else can you eat fufu with? ›
Ogbono soup
The soup features various spices and vegetables, including leafy greens, okra, and sometimes other ingredients like spinach or pumpkin leaves. Ogbono soup has a distinctive slimy texture and is often served with Fufu or pounded yam.
Is fufu a junk food? ›
Fufu is a low-cholesterol, fiber-rich, potassium-resistant, starch-rich food that promotes digestive health, reduces inflammation, and contains vitamins C, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin. It also contains vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin, making it a versatile carb source.
What meat is served with fufu? ›
Fish: Fresh or smoked fish is commonly used in soups or stews served with fufu. Chicken: Like in Jollof rice, chicken is a frequent addition to the soups and stews eaten with fufu. Goat Meat: Known for its rich flavor, goat meat is a popular choice for the accompanying stews.
Is fufu Jamaican or African? ›
Fufu, an essential food in most of West Africa, refers to a dough made from boiled and pounded starchy ground provisions like plantains, cassava, or malanga—or a combination of two or more. It was brought to the Americas by enslaved populations who adapted it to Caribbean cuisines according to what was available.
Is fufu Jamaican or Nigerian? ›
In Twi, fufu or fufuo means "mash or mix", a soft and doughy staple food. It is believed to originate in what is now modern-day Ghana, by the Asante, the Akuapem, the Akyem, the Bono and the Fante people of the Akan ethnic group of Ghana and now generally accepted across the country.
Again, the taste of fufu varies depending on what is used to make it, but in general, it has a mild, slightly sour taste, and has been compared to both sweet potatoes and regular potatoes. Its subtle flavour makes it the perfect accompaniment for rich, bold African soups.
What are the side effects of eating fufu? ›
Cassava that is prepared improperly can contain chemicals that are converted to cyanide in the body. This may cause cyanide poisoning and lead to certain paralysis conditions. This is especially true if eaten as part of a low-protein diet. In some people, eating cassava can cause an allergic reaction.
Can I eat fufu at night? ›
Digestion of fufu
According to Dr. Osman, fufu takes a long time to digest and therefore needs to be consumed earlier before bedtime.
Do Nigerians chew fufu? ›
Fufu is a traditional food of central and western Africa consisting of a starchy preparation compacted by hand into small balls. Fufu balls are usually swallowed without chewing to allow a sensation of stomach fullness throughout the day.
How long does it take fufu to digest in the body? ›
While light food such as white rice takes less than an hour to break down, fufu takes more than six hours as propagated. Rice only takes 45 minutes to be absorbed by the blood, thus increasing the risk of diabetes.
How often should you eat fufu? ›
Here are five reasons why. Fufu is an African staple which is very popular in Ghana and Nigeria. Fufu is made of either yam, cassava, plantain which is then pounded into a ball in dough form and served with soup.
Does fufu digest easily? ›
It doesn't digest easily
There are foods like rice that take less than an hour to break down in the body. But this swallow called fufu takes more than six hours to do the same. This just keeps you full for a long time and most likely you will have less energy to do any other activity.
