The peanut, also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large commercial producers, both as grain legume and as an oil crop. Atypically among legumes, peanut pods develop underground (geocarpy) leading botanist Carl Linnaeus to name peanuts hypogaea, which means "under the earth".
Boiled peanuts are popular in some places where peanuts are common. Fully mature peanuts do not make good quality boiled peanuts; rather, raw or green ones are used. Raw denotes peanuts in a semi-mature state, having achieved full size but not being fully dried, as would be needed for roasting or peanut butter use. Green denotes freshly harvested and undried peanuts that must be refrigerated. After boiling in salt water they take on a strong salty taste, becoming softer with prolonged cooking, and somewhat resembling a pea or bean, to which they are related because they are legumes and a nut only in the culinary sense.
Suya is traditional smoked spiced meat skewer which originates from Nigeria, and is a popular food item across West Africa. Suya is a large part of Hausa culture and food and is traditionally prepared and made by Hausa men, thus called 'Mai nama'. Suya is generally made with skewered beef, ram, or chicken. Organ meats such as kidney, liver and tripe are also used. The thinly sliced meat is marinated in various spices, which include traditional Hausa dehydrated peanut cookie called 'kwulikwuli', salt, vegetable oil and other spices and flavorings, and then barbecued. There are many variation of Suya in traditional Hausa cooking, but the most popular being suya. Suya is traditionally served with an extra helpings of mixed dried pepper, traditional hausa spices, and sliced onions. It is also traditionally served in Hausa culture with a side serving of Hausa Masa. Halal meat preparation methods are normally used, especially in the northern parts of Nigeria where it originates as is customary with traditional Hausa foods, where the suspicion of nonconformity to Muslim dietary prohibitions in Suya preparation has been known to cause riots. A dried version of Suya is called Kilishi. It can be eaten with Masa, Kosai, Garri or Ogi.
In West Africa, garri is the flour of the fresh starchy cassava root.
Peanut sauce, satay sauce, bumbu kacang, sambal kacang, or pecel is an Indonesian sauce made from ground roasted or fried peanuts, widely used in Indonesian cuisine and many other dishes throughout the world.
Ghanaian cuisine refers to the meals of the Ghanaian people. The main dishes of Ghana are centered around starchy staple foods, accompanied by either sauce or soup as well as a source of protein. The primary ingredients for the vast majority of soups and stews are tomatoes, hot peppers, and onions. As a result of these main ingredients, most Ghanaian soups and stews appear red or orange.
Peanut stew or groundnut stew, also known as maafe, sauce d'arachide (French) or tigadèguèna is a stew that is a staple food in Western Africa. While maafe is a dish from Senegal, tigadéguéna originates from the Mandinka and Bambara people of Mali.
Sierra Leonean cuisine consists of the cooking traditions and practices from Sierra Leone. It follows the traditions of other West African cuisines. The country has 16 tribal ethnic groups.
West African cuisine encompasses a diverse range of foods that are split between its 16 countries. In West Africa, many families grow and raise their own food, and within each there is a division of labor. Indigenous foods consist of a number of plant species and animals, and are important to those whose lifestyle depends on farming and hunting.
Nigerian cuisine consists of dishes or food items from the hundreds of Native African ethnic groups that comprises Nigeria. Like other West African cuisines, it uses spices and herbs with palm oil or groundnut oil to create deeply flavored sauces and soups.
Puff-puff is a traditional snack made of fried dough and eaten across Africa, especially in the west of the continent. The name "puff-puff" is from Nigeria, but many other names and varieties of the pastry exist.
Beninese cuisine involves many fresh meals served with a variety of sauces. Meat is usually quite expensive, and meals are generally light on meat and generous on vegetable fat.
Central African cuisine includes the cuisines, cooking traditions, practices, ingredients and foods of the Central African Republic (CAR). Indigenous agriculture in the country includes millet, sorghum, banana, yam, okra, yellow onion, garlic, spinach, rice and palm oil. Imported crops of American origin include maize, manioc (cassava), peanuts, chili peppers, sweet potato and tomato. Additional foods include onions, garlic, chiles and peanuts.
Kilishi is a version of jerky that originates in Hausaland which consists of most of Southern Niger and Northern Nigeria. It is a form of dried meat, typically made with beef, Lamb and mutton or chevon. It is just like a dried form of Suya and it's produced from slabs of meat seasoned with salt, pepper and spices, smoked and dried. It is sun-dried to preserve it for long-term storage. It is a Nigerian delicacy commonly eaten with pap (akamu) and cassava flakes (garri).
Peanut soup or groundnut soup is a soup made from peanuts, often with various other ingredients. It is a staple African cuisine but is also eaten in East Asia (Taiwan), the United States and other areas around the world. It is also common in some regions, such as Argentina's northwest, Bolivia and Peru, where it can sometimes be served with bone meat and hollow short pasta or fries. In Ghana it is often eaten with fufu, omo tuo and banku often very spicy. Groundnut soup is also a native soup of the Benin (Edo) people in Nigeria and it is often eaten with pounded yam. Some of the essential ingredients used in making it are Piper guineense and Vernonia amygdalina.
Koko is a spicy millet porridge. It is a popular Nigerian and Ghanaian street food and commonly consumed as a breakfast meal. It can also be taken in late afternoon as snack. Koko is made from many grains including millet with a few local spices added to give it a particular taste and color. It is called Hausa koko in areas where it was introduced by Hausa-speaking people. In northern Ghana, the term 'Hausa koko' is not used. Instead, porridge made from millet is called 'za koko' in Dagbanli. Several types of porridge are made from corn, millet, and sorghum. Other types of porridge include koko talli/salli, zimbuli, among others. It is also common in the various communities in both countries.
Wasawasa is a popular dish, eaten in Dagbon and other parts of Northern Ghana. It is also eaten in some West African countries, such as Burkina Faso, Benin, Nigeria etc. It is made from dried yam peelings called jaling, which have been grounded into flour and steamed. Wasawasa is mostly eaten with spicy sauces and sometimes garnished with vegetables, accompanied with shea butter or raw groundnut oil and fried fish. Wasawasa is sometimes served with beans, pasta, and salad.
Hausa cuisines are traditional and modern food prepared by Hausa people. It is based on the availability of raw food materials they can farm or provide from other places. Most times Hausa people depend purely on the farm products they have cultivated for food preparations. Hausa people have a meal that is common to most Zongo communities called Tuo Zaafi.
Zowey, also known as Dzowey, Dakuwa, Donkwa or Adarkwa, is a West African snack combining peanut paste, sugar, salt, water, ginger, and powdered maize flour.
