Selected Amazing Dishes Across Africa

African traditional dishes are very amazing from preparation down to thier consumption... This is my very first article, and I have help from different sources...

#1. Shisa nyama, South Africa

Barbecued meat and maize porridge is a combination beloved across many cultures in Southern Africa, and particularly in South Africa, where the braaivleis is a treasured institution and practically a national sport.

It also popularly called "Pap en vleis" (literally, "maize porridge and meat") is a colorful umbrella of a term that encompasses virtually any combination of starch and braaied or stewed meat, with an obligatory side-serving of spicy gravy, relish or chakalaka.

Shisa nyama, meaning "burn the meat" in Zulu, has come to refer to a festive "bring-and-braai" gathering; Shisa nyama restaurants are often located next to butchers' shops so patrons can select their own meats and have them cooked to order over fiercely hot wood fires.

Chops, steak, chicken, kebabs and boerewors -- a spicy farmer's sausage -- are accompanied by maize porridges in many different forms including phuthu and stywe pap, krummelpap (crumbly porridge), and suurpap (soured pap).

#2.Jollof rice and egusi soup, Nigeria

A picture of Nigerias egusi soup...
It's not easy pinning down a national favorite dish for Nigeria, because this is a vast country with many distinct regional cuisines.

But one dish you shouldn't leave Nigeria without eating is jollof rice, a great favorite all over West Africa, and one that is thought may be the origin of the Cajun dish jambalaya.

A simple, spicy one-pot dish comprising, at its most basic, rice, tomatoes, onions and pepper, it's often served at parties and other festive gatherings, along with other Nigerian favorites such as egusi soup (made with ground melon seeds and bitter leaf), fried plantains and pounded yam (iyan or fufu).

Other dishes to try in Nigeria include thick, spicy broths made with okra and flavored with chicken or meat, and suya, which are spicy Nigerian shish kebabs (similar to Ghana's chichinga) cooked over braziers by street vendors.

#3.Muamba de Galinha, Angola

This dish, like the popular Caldeirada de Peixe (fish stew) reveals the strong influence of Portuguese cuisine on this former colony, and is considered one of Angola's national food treasures.

Also known as chicken muamba, this is a spicy, somewhat oily stew made with with palm oil or palm butter, garlic, chilis and okra. Variations of chicken muamba, such as poulet moambé, are to be found all over the Congo River region, where it's often served with cassava leaves and white rice.

Another variation, nyembwe chicken, is the national dish of Gabon, where it is made with palm or macadamia nuts. Being so rich and spicy, chicken muamba is a good accompaniment to central African starchy porridges considered bland by western palates: funge, fufu and ugali.

#4. Nyama na irio, Kenya

Sukuma wiki -- a secret ingredient in Kenya's marathon success.

Ask any Kenyan about a favorite comfort food and chances are he or she will exclaim "Irio!" without hesitation.

This well-loved dish, originally a Kikuyu staple that has spread through Kenya, is made of mashed-up potatoes, peas, beans, corn and onion and often served with spiced roasted meat to make a delicious dish called nyama na irio.

Kenya is famous for its long-distance runners, and many a Kenyan will attribute their stamina to the health-giving effects of another treasured staple, sukuma wiki. This means "push for the week" in Swahili, indicating that this dish can be used to feed the family for a week.

Sukuma wiki is made with collard greens and/or kale cooked with onions and spices to make a piquant relish for ugali (maize porridge).

#5. Ful medames, Egypt

The old recipes are often the best.

According to Egyptian-born cookery writer Claudia Roden, this dish is pre-Ottoman and pre-Islamic, and probably as old as the Pharoahs.

They're still satisfying Egyptians today. Ful Medames is one of the country's national dishes, comprising fava beans simmered with spices and olive oil. The dried beans are often cooked overnight and served for breakfast in the morning with eggs and pita bread.

It's ideal for a filling breakfast if you're traveling on a tight budget and need to fill up with sustaining food to last you through the day.

#6.Pastilla au pigeon/b'stilla, Morocco

Morocco -- where the sun always shines and the tagines are piping hot.

Moroccan tagines and couscous dishes have earned their glory on the world's culinary stage in recent decades, but this is one dish you'll not find in an average cookbook.

A complex and many-faceted feast dish, pastilla au pigeou (also known as b'stilla) is sweet and savory; substantial and delicate.

It's a pie comprising shredded cooked squab (or, more often, chicken, when pigeon is hard to find) thickened with egg sauce and interspersed with paper-thin pastry and layers of nutty, spicy filling.

No grand celebration in Morocco would be considered complete without b'stilla, and it is usually reserved for feasts because it's so labor intensive to make.

#7.Jollof rice,Ghana

Originally from Senegal, Jollof is a pot dish of rice prepared with tomato sauce and served with meat or fish that stirs up plenty of interesting debate online. The rice soaks up the juicy flavours and turns orange when cooking, and is a national favourite that can be found in most restaurants or dished out by street vendors at affordable prices.

#8.Waakye,Ghana

Waakye is another food that exhibits Ghanaians’ creative use of rice. The recipe is a medley of beans and rice and was originally a Northern dish, but it can now be found almost everywhere on the streets of Accra. Eating Waakye will open the door to a range of Ghanaian tastes and flavours as the main dish is served with other sides such as fried plantain, garri (grated cassava), spaghetti and avocado.

#9.Banku and tilapia

When you see fish being grilled on the streets of Accra it is most likely to be tilapia, a delicacy among Ghanaians, who spice then grill the succulent freshwater fish. It complements banku, a Southern mix of fermented corn and cassava dough, and very hot pepper, diced tomatoes and onions. Banku is one of the main dishes of the people who live by the Ghanaian coast.

#10.Kedjenou With White Rice,Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire)

The name may sound as original as the preparation itself yet it’s such a simple, delicious and most of the time highly spiced meal. It’s a dish usually made with chicken slowly cooked with different vegetables in a stew and sometimes sealed with banana leaves. Some prefer to savor it with some Attiéké while others with some white rice. My personal take? Both!

#11.Foutou with Palm Oil Nut Sauce,
Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire)
Foutou is thick and heavy paste made of boiled then pounded plantains or yams. Foutou can be savoured with different stew but my personal favourite remains the palm oil nut sauce. The Foutou is at its best with eaten with your hands (just like the attiéké): simply nip off a piece with your fingers and dip it in the sauce.

#12.Garba, Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire)

The King of street food in Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) is the national Garba. It consists of Attiéké (mentioned earlier) and deep fried pieces of tuna fish. You can eat it well seasoned with tomatoes, chopped onions and peppers with a dash of oil from fried tuna fish and seasoning powder. Depending on where you purchase it, it can be wrapped in a banana leaf. While some might question the hygiene of it all (remember we are talking about street food here), others will simply urge you to taste it at least once.

#13.Pastilla, Morocco
A specialty of the Fes region, where the flaky pastry is stuffed with pigeon and almonds and flavored with a variety of spices including saffron and cinnamon, this savory sweet dish is often served during wedding celebrations and special occasions. Wander through the medinas and you’ll find it for sale at the food stalls throughout the Fes medina near Bab Boujloud. A seafood version is also available, stuffed with shrimp, calamari, fish, and vermicelli noodles. Be sure to order a mint tea to wash down your pastille (also known as bistilla).

#14 . Tanjia, Morocco

A Marrakech specialty, tanjia is prepared either in the home (traditionally by men) or by the local butcher and slow-cooked over the coals that heat the local hammams, known as the farnatchi, in the medina. Prepared with beef, lamb, or chicken and a blend of spices and preserved lemon, the tanjia pot is then covered tightly with butcher’s paper before roasting for up to eight hours. Served in a clay tajine pot with the juice from the meat, it’s perfect when scooped up with fresh bread.

#15. Mechoui, Morocco

This dish is slow-cooked (often overnight) in the underground oven where the whole lamb is placed to cook over the coals before falling off the bone and served directly with the lamb. Cumin and a pinch of salt provide the perfect seasoning to the tender Mechoui, which is often served during weddings, but also in mechoui alley in Marrakech just off Jemaa el Fna near the olive souk. Best washed down with a very sweet cup of tea, or three.