Thiakry

Senegal’s location in Africa has placed it at a crossroads of cultures for centuries, meaning its cuisine has adopted and adapted flavours from right across the Old World. Acting as an unofficial border between the Sahara’s Sahel region and West Africa proper, influences have extended down from North Africa and incorporate many of the traditions of Islam, the thiakry’s main religion. Senegal has also taken influences from its time as a part of French West Africa, while the predominant indigenous flavours derive from the powerful Wolof people. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean and dominated by rivers, seafood is an important part of the diet to this day.

Let’s check out the best dishes from Senegal. Pretty much inescapable on the menus of Senegal, thiéboudiènne is widely considered to be the country’s national dish. Also taking the name chebu jen, this main meal is a one pot stew containing chunks of fresh fish in a rich tomato sauce that’s served with rice. It normally also contains vegetables such as carrots and onions which are both common in Senegal, and flavoured with the region’s Maggie brand stock cubes and freshly-chopped chillies. Thiéboudiènne originates in the city of Saint-Louis, which lies between the River Senegal and Atlantic Ocean, close to Senegal’s border with Mauritania to the north. Originating from the Casamance region in the south of Senegal, almost cleaved from the rest of the country by The Gambia, poulet yassa is another dinner dish.

This is marinated in a blend of spices, before being gently cooked through in a pan alongside lots of sliced onion. Other ingredients include garlic, mustard, and lemon juice, creating a dish that blends Senegal’s traditional spice flavours with French influences from the country’s several centuries as a colony. Poulet yassa is usually served on a bed of plain white rice. Mafe, or maafe, is a luxurious peanut stew resembling peanut butter in taste. Known in French as sauce d’arachide, it probably doesn’t need stating that the predominant ingredient is peanuts. These are usually ground into a rough paste, and their rich oiliness softened by the addition of onion and tomato.

Mafe is a dish with a recipe that shifts from person to person, and can include everything from root vegetables to chilli peppers. Mafe sauce usually coats beef or lamb, since these meats can better match the strong peanut flavours. It is eaten with either rice or couscous. Vegetarians might struggle a little in Senegal, but one dish they can rely on is saladu nebbe. Tasty and filling, saladu nebbe is a black-eyed pea salad. Served cold, it is made with a range of fresh local vegetables.