Characteristic products
Millet can be found in all markets and in all forms (raw or semi-cooked, in flour, husked or broken). It can be eaten in the form of couscous, soup or dumplings. In the east of the country, fonio is honored, with grains so small that they look like millet. These two cereals take a long time to cook, which explains the pots that are placed on the fire all day long. Rice(tiep) spares these delays, but is a more luxurious food. It is grown extensively in Casamance and along the Senegal River bed, where irrigation is used to increase harvests. Senegalese culture is particularly attached to rice with short or broken grains. However, a large proportion of the rice consumed in the country is imported from Asia.
Vegetables of all kinds - from carrots and okra to tomatoes, African eggplants and white cabbage - found on the market stalls of Dakar and St. Louis come mostly from the Grande Côte and are produced in the Niayes, irrigated hills dedicated to market gardening. Further south, Casamance - thanks to abundant rainfall - is a paradise for a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. In addition, there are many spices: turmeric, chili, cinnamon, cumin, pepper, not to mention soumbala or nénétou, a paste made from fermented dwarf tree seeds and rolled into a ball. Although not an ingredient one would immediately think of, bouillon cubes are found throughout West Africa to enhance flavors. Finally, lalo is a baobab leaf powder, used to bind and thicken sauces or millet semolina.
If you are an olfactory adventurer, approach the stalls of fish drying in the sun on the beaches. The guedj is a salted and dried fish that is reminiscent of cod, while the yet is a dried sea snail with a strong smell. At the fishmonger's you can find thiof (grouper), dem (mullet), barracuda and swordfish. The mangroves offer the opportunity to feast on seafood of a rare quality. Shrimps, crabs, oysters of mangroves are legion and accommodated according to the tastes, raw, grilled or with all the sauces. You will certainly have the opportunity to add lobster to your menu.
Meat is not necessarily common in the menu of all Senegalese. However, there are many tanganas and dibiteries in the country , stalls halfway between a butcher shop and a barbecue. Chicken, mutton and goat are the most common meats. Beef is more rare. The Fulani, for example, rarely eat the animals of their herd, whose primary resource is milk. With a population that is 95% Muslim, pork is very rare and consumed in a handful of Christian areas.
The classics of Senegalese cuisine
Among all the Senegalese specialties, it is impossible not to mention the thiéboudienne or tiep bou dien, considered the national dish. In Wolof, it is nicknamed ceebu jën meaning " rice with fish ". It is a mixture of fresh fish, dried fish, yet and finally rice all simmered with various vegetables and of course a good dose of chilies and a little tomato paste. There are two varieties: the red thiéboudieune, the most common, prepared with a good amount of tomato while the white thiéboudieune, contains almost no tomato. There are also variations with chicken.
Another emblematic dish, the chicken yassa is a dish originating from Casamance. The chicken, cut into pieces, is first marinated, usually overnight, with onions, lime juice, vinegar and peanut oil, then grilled over a wood fire before being simmered in its own marinade over low heat. It is served with white rice and can also be prepared with mutton or fish. There is also mafé, for which Senegal is in dispute with neighboring Mali. This dish is famous for its creamy peanut paste sauce which gives it a particular flavor. Meat - especially chicken or beef - and vegetables may be added. Domoda is a dish originating in the east of the country and in Gambia. It is a stew of meat and vegetables in a creamy, vinegary tomato sauce, served with rice.
There are also many dishes based on thiéré, a millet couscous prepared throughout the country. Thiéré bassi salté is a recipe often made during Tamkharit, the Muslim New Year. It is made of small meatballs of mutton, chicken and various vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, white beans, cabbage, carrots, raisins and dates), and is flavored with tomato puree. To cook thiéré bassi guerté, the sauce is bound with peanut paste. Otherwise, thiéré mboum is made with a creamy sauce containing fish, meat and mboum (moringa) leaves, a type of green vegetable. The kandia soup is actually a stew that owes its beautiful color to the red palm oil that serves as a base for this recipe containing among other dried fish, yet, seafood, meat, okra and eggplant.
The list of Senegalese specialties is extensive and includes many popular and very cheap dishes. For example, lakhou bissap or ngurbaan (a puree of millet, dried fish, peanuts and spices), mbakhal (a stew of fish and vegetables in a spicy tomato sauce), dakhine (a spicy rice puree with meat and vegetables) or mbakhalou saloum (rice flavored with peanuts and fish or meat) Not to mention the many fish recipes such as mullet stuffed with bread, tomato and spices, a specialty of Saint-Louis, or caldou, a Casamance recipe of fish cooked with palm oil, vegetables and rice. And finally the fririre, made of fried fish, accompanied by an onion sauce.
Sweets and fruits
Many desserts are based on dairy products, such as fondé (millet dumplings) served with milk or sweetened curdled milk, lakh sankhal, a millet semolina porridge with raisins served with curdled milk or yoghurt, not forgetting sombi (a curdled rice pudding flavoured with cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla), thiakry (a millet semolina sombi) or ngalakh (similar to thiakry, but in a creamy peanut butter sauce). Dakar also boasts some very good European pastry shops. Senegal lies on the edge of the Sahel and much of its territory is semi-desert. In Casamance, however, the climate is more humid than in the rest of the country, enabling the cultivation of mangoes, bananas, pineapples, oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, papayas, guavas and coconuts. And let's not forget monkey bread, the fruit of the baobab tree, whose floury pulp is used to make a fresh, slightly acidic drink known locally as bouye juice.
Bissap, beer and wine
Bissap is a red juice made from roselle, a variety of hibiscus. It's found all over the country, from roadsides to hotel restaurants. The dried flowers are infused, sugar and a few drops of orange blossom are added, then served iced. Mint tea, the famous ataya and its ceremonial, is a must. Brought over by Arab merchants, this specialty is made from green tea and fresh and dried mint, infused with lots of sugar before being poured repeatedly into the cups and then transferred to the teapot before serving the guests. The ritual may seem long, but it's an important moment of sharing and hospitality for the Senegalese.
While Islam technically forbids the consumption of alcohol, the locals are quite flexible on this maxim, and beer is unquestionably one of the national beverages. Gazelle for some, Flag for others. It's the quenching drink par excellence! The Bédik and Bassari, two ethnic groups in the east of the country, make millet beer. Wine, on the other hand, is rarer, as vine cultivation is virtually impossible in the country, and the vast majority of bottles are imported either from Europe, South Africa or possibly Chile and Argentina. But that was without counting on the determination of two Frenchmen - François Normant and Philippe Franchois - who, since 2012, have opened the Clos des Baobabs, the first place for wine experimentation in West Africa. Based on a hectare of land in Nguékhokh, not far from the Bandia reserve, François and his small team are experimenting with several grape varieties, to see what works best in Senegal. Grenache, known for its resistance to the heat and drought of southern Europe, is giving the best results. The learning process took place in the field, thanks to professional literature and Christophe Bellang (a Burgundian friend and winegrower). As there are no seasons like winegrowers in France, sowing and cutting can be done at chosen times. Few treatments are used, fertilizers are natural and ploughing is traditional. Irrigation is by a drip system: at the end of each day, each vine receives 4 to 5 liters of water. A project which, despite the vagaries of a sometimes torrid climate, has proved a success. In 2020, the winegrowing duo succeeded in attracting a curious, well-informed public with a taste for exclusivity. Indeed, this wine is produced in very limited quantities - around 500 bottles for the 2023 vintage - and is distributed in Dakar's top hotels.
