Characteristic products and eating habits
The basis of the Beninese diet is what is called "paste", composed of various flours, depending on the region, such as corn flour, manioc (gari) or yam flour. Reduced to a powder or a more or less fine purée, these starches are generally molded into a ball and steamed. The paste itself has a rather bland taste, but it is seasoned with all kinds of sauces.
Corn and cassava are more often served in the south, while sorghum, millet and yams are more common in the drier north. Locals are also very fond of amon soy, an equivalent of tofu, very rich in vegetable protein, which is most often fried. Finally, wagashi is a cow's milk cheese, vaguely similar to mozzarella, which is preserved with a red wax. It is usually eaten fried.
Beef, pork, mutton, lamb, poultry and rabbit are the most popular meats in Benin. Local agriculture is still largely traditional, and what the locals call bicycle chicken is found everywhere, in other words a bird that runs around and whose flesh is very firm, unlike the frozen chicken often imported from Europe. Some foods may be more off-putting to our Western palates, such as kpanman, dried and smoked beef skin that is added to sauces and stews and provides a rich flavor and slightly rubbery texture.
The fishy coasts offer a great variety of fish such as sea bream - very popular - but also tuna, skipper, mackerel, not to mention various seafood such as prawns, crabs or lobsters. As soon as you go north, fish and shellfish disappear, except for freshwater fish such as tilapia and carp, caught in the Niger. Fish, often dried and smoked, are commonly used as a condiment.
It is possible to find restaurants offering bush meat. Agouti, a large rodent found near the lakes and rivers of the coastal plain, comes to mind. In the markets of the southwest of the country, it is sold fried or smoked. Agouti with peanut sauce is a dish to discover. However, while tasting bushmeat can be an experience in itself, it is advisable to consume it in moderation, both for health and ecological reasons. Indeed, the supply chain of such products is sometimes quite obscure and some of the meat sold in markets and specialized restaurants comes from endangered species.
Beninese cuisine is richly spiced with generous use of ginger, garlic, bay leaves, pepper, turmeric, peppermint, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, fennel, dill, cloves and of course chili pepper, which is used extensively to spice up local dishes that can be very spicy. African mustard, called afitin or irù, is made from fermented néré seeds, a local tree.
In terms of food and eating habits, the maquis is the local restaurant par excellence. This type of small street food establishment offers visitors mainly starch-based dishes. In a maquis, one chooses one's dish from the pots that are simmering under the watchful eye of the cook. At the table, one generally does not use cutlery and eats with one's fingers, which can sometimes be more convenient for removing the meat from the grill. A bowl of water with soap is presented at the beginning of the meal. It is important to note that in most maquis and restaurants, the accompaniment is more important than the meat or fish. The menus thus propose "rice with fish", "spaghetti with chicken", "couscous with chicken". It should be noted that couscous refers only to wheat semolina.
Some maquis along the coast, lakes and rivers offer excellent grilled fish. In the larger cities such as Cotonou, Porto-Novo and Parakou, restaurants offer more elaborate cuisine, including European dishes. Most hotels also have their own restaurant. For authenticity, you can go to the markets and along the roads to discover stalls overflowing with tropical fruits and small take-away dishes.The classics of Beninese cuisine
The local gastronomy is therefore based on different starch pastes. For example, we or akumè is made from white corn. The amiowo or amio is made with corn and red palm oil. Finally, akassa is a fermented corn paste, most often served in the form of balls. Agoun is the Beninese equivalent of fufu, which is made from boiled and mashed yam, unlike telibo, a paste made from yam chips (dried yam slices reduced to flour) that is boiled. Gari (finely ground cassava) is used to prepare bà or piron. Although it comes from the south of the Ivory Coast, atiéké, steamed cassava semolina, has become a national dish in Benin.
This pasta is accompanied by a variety of sauces, some of which are more like stews. The blokoto sauce contains beef feet and tail, tomato and chili peppers, while the vegetable sauce (manh tindjan) is composed of a mixture of gboma (African eggplant) leaves, crab or meat, and various condiments. The term "glutinous sauce" refers to sauces thickened with vegetables that produce viscous juices, such as okra, a green vegetable, which is used to prepare febi, a spicy sauce. Ninnouwi or crincrin is also a gooey sauce made from vegetable cortea - a leafy vegetable - as well as crab, smoked fish and chilli. Fonman is a sauce made from the young shoots of Vitex doniana, a local tree with bitter leaves, accompanied by beef skin, tomato and chili. Finally, the very popular moyo sauce is uncooked and consists of diced tomatoes, onions and vinegar peppers.
There are many salty snacks that are eaten as an afternoon snack, usually served with chilli. These include fried yams (tévi), white bean fritters (ata), fried plantains (aloko), banana fritters (alé talé), and klui-klui, peanut crackers in the shape of sticks, balls or corkscrews.
A speciality of the Porto-Novo region, kpètè is a sauce made from sheep or pig's blood that accompanies grilled meat and is served with different types of pasta. Finally, dakouin is a gari - cassava paste - topped with fish in a spicy tomato sauce. It is a popular dish around Lake Ahémé in southwest Benin, a region rich in fish and shellfish. Small fried fish drizzled with lemon juice, smoked shrimp and crabs can be purchased on the roadside in southern Mono.Desserts and drinks
There are very few traditional Beninese desserts, although there are a few Western pastry shops in the major cities. However, there are yovo doko, wheat flour fritters in the shape of balls, which are served sprinkled with sugar, and atchonmons, crunchy wheat flour fritters flavored with nutmeg. Unless you prefer dèguè or thiakry, a dessert made of millet couscous and yogurt or sometimes curdled milk. This snack is very rich in proteins, minerals and vitamins. But of course, one should not forget the succulent tropical fruits full of sunshine: pineapple, guava, mango, orange, banana, mandarin, papaya, etc
.Locally bottled drinks include Possotomé water, Fizzi fruit juice (with grapefruit or tropical fruits), and Beninoise, a fairly light beer served in 66 centiliter bottles. You can also order a Flag, a Moroccan beer that is drunk throughout West Africa. Let's also mention the Castel, also from Morocco, and the Beaufort, from Cameroon, which is the trendy beer of the Beninese youth. The "tchouk" or "tchoukoutou" is a sorghum or millet beer, traditionally produced by the Betammaribé ethnic group and is therefore more easily found in the Atakora region. Initially served for ceremonies, notably funerary, this alcohol is now prized in West Africa for its low cost, unlike imported beers. It is normally served at room temperature in a small calabash. Also noteworthy is the tchapalo (fermented drink made from corn and caramelized sugar) or the adoyo (fermented drink made from corn, flavored with lemon and lemongrass). Not to mention the bissap (iced and sweetened drink made from hibiscus flowers).
Sodabi is the most famous artisanal alcohol. This palm wine-based brandy is made by fermenting and distilling the sap of several species of local palm trees. It is an extremely strong alcohol, which was banned for sale a few years ago in the north of the country because it was accused of causing serious health problems. It is still sometimes prohibited during election periods even if it is sold under other names to get around this ban. However, every holiday is an occasion to drink sodabi and it often accompanies births, weddings, first communions, funerals, and is considered a prestigious gift or even part of the dowry. Although an overwhelming part of the production remains artisanal, some companies are trying to produce it industrially. This is the case of the Beninese Distillery with its sodabi Tambour Original.
