Ghana Off The Beaten Path

  Fishing boats at Nungua beach
by georeiser
 
  • Fishing boats at Nungua beach
      Fishing boats at Nungua beach
    by georeiser
  •   Off The Beaten Path
    by grets
  • sunset at moree beach
      sunset at moree beach
    by hanspeter_W.
  • okomfo anokye sword
      okomfo anokye sword
    by hanspeter_W.
  • at okomfo anokye sword monument
      at okomfo anokye sword monument
    by hanspeter_W.
 
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Charcoal

by grets

All along the road are large grey bags full of charcoal, topped with straw. I've often wondered why people cook over charcoal. It seems so labour-intensive to stack up wood in huge, dirt ovens and bake it slowly down to little black lumps. Why not just burn the wood? To make charcoal, wood (mostly acacia trees are used here) is baked slowly under layers of soil to deprive it of oxygen. With the volatile components (water, tar and methane) baked away, all that is left is a pile of black pellets just 20- 25% of the original volume of the wood. It is now mostly carbon, and when it burns, it doesn’t emit lots of smoke, and it will burn hotter, longer and cleaner than wood, which means that it can easily be used inside the mud huts without filling the houses with smoke

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Making fufu

by grets

This is a common sight in every village all over Ghana (and the rest of West Africa). Yam is pounded in these tall, wooden, hollow containers with a long, wooden mallet for about half an hour to make fufu, the main staple of the area. Fufu is similar to a dumpling, and is usually served with meat and/or vegetables in a sauce.

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Cocoa plantations

by grets

Cocoa is the dried and partially fermented oily seed of the cacao tree. Although originating from the Andes, 70% of the world cocoa production now takes place in west Africa, with Ghana taking second place after Ivory Coast. The Latin name theobroma cacao means food of the gods. Like the flower (see picture five), the pods grow straight from the trunk of the tree. The red or orange pods are of poorer quality and generally used for industrial chocolate (see picture four). Normally they are harvested when they are yellow (picture one).The cocoa pods have a thick outer shell, which contains up to 50 beans contained in a sweet pulp. Although this pulp is edible (in fact it is very nice – we tried sucking a covered bean and it tasted a little like mange to me), the pulp (called baba de cacao) is imperative to the processing of the bean. The beans, complete with the pulp, are piled in heaps on...

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Gas stations

by grets

I was fascinated by the various gas stations in urban Ghana. The modern, clean and conventional gas stations as seen in the Western world are of course available all over Ghana, but many people still get their fuel from these traditional road side sellers. It is mostly used by the small motorbikes, but also cars, lorries and motor boats use this. There is a known problem in Ghana with illegal imports of gas from Nigeria, and in fact, when we were on a lake in Benin, close to the Nigerian border, we did see some counterfeit barrels being smuggled across.

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Palm Oil

by grets

Zomi Palm fruits are used to make oil. Traditionally the juice was extracted manually – a task usually done by men as it was physically too demanding for the women – but these days a machine is used for the process. See picture one.The juice is then boiled over an open fire to make the oil (picture two). The resulting oil has a deep red colour (see picture three) and is sold as it is in the markets for cooking, although larger organizations will bleach the oil prior to export. It is this natural pigmentation that gives the fried plantain its name in the dish red red. (See the restaurant tips for more details)As well as culinary uses, the oil can be used to make soaps and candles, as a lubricant and to protect iron surfaces before tin is applied in the tin plate industry. It is also used textile and rubber industries. This small industry is run as an income generating / poverty...

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Cassava Plantations

by grets

Also known as the manioc, cassava is grown for its large, starch-filled root. It is extensively cultivated as an annual crop throughout Africa, and in every village you can see the ladies pounding the cassava to make fufu – the staple carbohydrate of West Africa. There are many other ways of eating cassava too, including boiled and fried, but the root cannot be eaten raw as it contains substances which convert to cyanide. A flour is made from cassava root too, known as tapioca flour. Cassava is best eaten very fresh, as the flavour goes off as quickly as one or two days after harvesting, which makes it tricky for export.

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Okra Plantations

by grets

Okra is grown in many parts of Africa, it is an ancient plant originating from Ethiopia. It beings to the family Malvaceae. Okra can be either annual or perennial and the plant grows upright to a height of 2m. Okra is one of the most heat- and drought-tolerant vegetables in the world; once the plant has become established, it can survive severe drought conditions. This could be one of the reasons it is grown so widely in Africa.The plant is grown for its 7-9cm-long fruit and is usually eaten while young as older fruits can become woody. The fruits are used as a thickening agent in many dishes, as they produce a glutinous substance when cooked. Okra leaves may also be eaten, either cooked or added to salads. Okra was brought to America with the slave route and is now a very popular vegetable in the States.

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Palm Spirit

by grets

The palm wine is further fermented for four to six days in large drums like the ones in picture one. The drums are then heated by placing them over an open fire (see picture two), raising them from the flames with the use of car wheel rims. The liquid is then channeled through cold water into different containers as shown in picture three.The liquid is left in the drums to ferment for a further four-six days before being drawn off into suitable containers.We were given a tasting of the finished product of course, in a small plastic glass being handed round (picture five). It was strong, local fire water, but I have tasted worse. The resulting alcoholic drink is known as SODABI.We bought a large bottle of the stuff (having to provide our own container as they didn’t have any), but I must admit, it didn’t taste quite the same in a glass with a mixer that evening. I have to confess to...

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Palm Wine

by grets

After three years, the Zomi Palm no longer produces satisfactory fruits, so the tree is cut down. The leaves are dried and used to produce brooms and palm wine is manufactured from the trunk. A hole is cut in the trunk and a fire is lit inside. When that has died out, the sides of the cavity are scraped and a small channel is cut to allow the palm wine to drip into a container placed below (see picture two). Each tree will produce 8-10 litres of this non-alcoholic drink. We tried some of it (picture three), and it was a quite pleasant, thick, milky liquid, a bit sweet.Once the tree no longer gives off any more palm wine, the trunk is used as fire wood.

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Zomi Palm Fruit

by grets

The Zomi palm produces huge bunches of red fruits from about eight months after planting. The palms are propagated by seed and planted out after eighteen months. The fruit takes 5-6 months to ripen after pollination. Once the fruit is harvested, it is left in large bunches at the side of the road to be transported to the market, where it is sold for the production of palm oil. The fruit is very greasy and will give off a reddish oil after just a few minutes in the hand as you can see from picture five. The fruits were also traditionally used in the local culture – prior to asking for a young girl’s hand, the suitor must show that he is hard working and worthy of the young girl’s affections. He will present his prospective father-in-law with many bunches of fruits, bearing some on his shoulders to show his strength. See picture four.

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Unique Places in Ghana

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Reviews and photos of Ghana attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Ghana sightseeing.

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Off The Beaten Path: Cities in Ghana
  1. Accra Off The Beaten Path
  2. Kumasi Off The Beaten Path
  3. Cape Coast Off The Beaten Path
  4. Mole National Park Off The Beaten Path
  5. Elmina Off The Beaten Path
  6. Tamale Off The Beaten Path
  7. Bolgatanga Off The Beaten Path
  8. Takoradi Off The Beaten Path
  9. Aburi Off The Beaten Path
  10. Aflao Off The Beaten Path
  11. Ankasa Off The Beaten Path
  12. Kumasi Off The Beaten Path
  13. Paga Off The Beaten Path
  14. Larabanga Off The Beaten Path
  15. Busua Off The Beaten Path
  16. Gnani Off The Beaten Path
  17. Damongo Off The Beaten Path

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Popular Regions in Ghana

Greater Accra Region Off The Beaten Path  Ashanti Region Off The Beaten Path  Central Region Off The Beaten Path  Northern Region Off The Beaten Path  Western Region Off The Beaten Path  Upper East Region Off The Beaten Path  Eastern Region Off The Beaten Path  Volta Region Off The Beaten Path 

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  I'm planning my trip for Ghana for next year and I'm want to bring some food items such as can foods. Is it ok, and if so is there... 

rashepard profile photo

A: Why do you want to carry can goods? You can go to a number of grocery stores in Accra. Although I have carried some specialty items, the Accra airport does not usually... 

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