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
The traditional method of eating fufu is to pinch some of the fufu off in one's right hand fingers and form it into an easily ingested round ball. The ball is then dipped in the soup before being eaten.
What can fufu be eaten with? ›
What to eat with fufu. Fufu is usually eaten with African soups and stews, which include ingredients such as meat, fish, vegetables, okra, peanut butter, palm oil, ground-up melon seeds or sweet potato leaves.
What can't you chew 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.
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.
What do Africans eat with fufu? ›
Fufu usually is eaten with a hearty vegetable soup. It can be a vegetable from melon seed, mango seed, okazi, spinach, peanut soup. Most of the time, all of our West African soups are tribal-based.
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 does fufu do to your body? ›
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, ...
Do jamaicans eat fufu? ›
There are many versions of fufu, with each West African country featuring its own favorite recipe. Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico have their versions, too, with sweet plantains and added animal fats such as butter, bacon, or lard. In African tradition, fufu is served family style in a big round doughlike form.
What dish is best with fufu? ›
What to Serve With Fufu. You can serve this African comfort food alongside whatever you want, but it is a perfect match for a bowl of okra stew or ogbono soup. But your dinner guests wouldn't be upset if you paired it with a brothy chicken stew or ground beef curry.
Is it disrespectful to chew fufu? ›
Rule two: fufu must be swallowed. Nothing can be uglier than watching someone chew. D.i.s.g.u.s.t.i.n.g. Rule three: fufu must be eaten with the fingers, all the time and all the way.
Fufu balls are then dipped into sauces or eaten with stews of meat, fish, or vegetable 17, 18. It is a common tradition to shape fufu balls with the right hand and, with the lubricating aid of diverse sauces, to swallow them without chewing to decrease the chance of feeling hungry over a whole day 18, 19.
What happens when you eat fufu at night? ›
According to Dr. Osman, fufu takes a long time to digest and therefore needs to be consumed earlier before bedtime. Speaking to Daakyehene Ofosu Agyeman on TV XYZ a program dubbed My Lawyer My Counselor Dr. Osman added that it is best to eat light food before going to bed.
Is fufu Jamaican or African? ›
Fufu is a type of porridge, which is a staple food common in manny countries in west Africa and central Africa. It is made up by mixing and pounding equal portion of cassava and green plantain flour with water to dough like consistency.
What does Foo Foo slang mean? ›
ˈfü(ˌ)fü plural -s. slang. : fool, ninny. foo-foo.
Is fufu Ghanaian or Nigerian? ›
Fufu is often dipped into sauces or eaten with stews of meat, fish, or vegetables. The dish reportedly originated in Ghana, where it is a staple. It is prepared in various ways.
Are you supposed to chew or swallow 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.
Is fufu a finger food? ›
In African tradition, fufu is served family style in a big round doughlike form. The dough is hand-pulled by each guest who uses it to soak up the juices in stews or soupy preparations. Thus, it's customary to eat fufu with clean hands as this is finger food in the truest sense of the term.
Why is fufu so important to the body? ›
Fufu is a high-carbohydrate meal, and carbohydrates are one of the macronutrients required to provide energy to your body. A 100g serving of fufu delivers 267 kcal of energy to your body. This energy is sufficient to power your nervous system, muscles, and organs throughout the day.
What is the difference between fufu and swallow? ›
Fufu, also known as 'swallow' because of the manner in which it is eaten (swallowed with some soup/stew) is pronounced as foo-foo or foufou. Fufu is a staple food found in many countries in Central Africa, Western Africa and some Caribbean countries like the Dominican Republic.
