Senegalese Food

Alright, so I’ve been thinking about how I would write about Senegalese food for a while. I’m just going to go right out and say that the food here has been one of my biggest challenges. This is not at all the case for most volunteers (many Americans love it and talk about ways they can make some of the dishes when they go back home), and being a vegetarian has certainly added another level of difficulty to integrating into Senegalese food culture…. But I simply do not like most Senegalese foods, vegetarian or not. A friend pointed out that perhaps this is because of the little spice packets (unfortunately containing MSG, but also many nice spices that most people like) that they put in every dish. It’s possible that I simply don’t like that mix of spices. There’s also these little dried fish that they’ll often mash up and put into sauces that they claim are vegetarian. They have a strong smoky/fishy taste that doesn’t agree with me. 

                This has been bothering me, because other than my vegetarianism, I have never considered myself a picky eater. Enjoying the food is such a crucial way of integrating into a culture, and instead of slowly getting used to it, it seems to be getting more and more difficult. It also consists of a ton of carbs, which is a challenge because I seem to be hungry a lot, but I also feel lethargic, and am gaining weight. Another person in my cohort had been a vegetarian almost as long as me, and managed to stop right before coming to Senegal. I’m so impressed by him, and wish I could do the same! I’m trying to open my mind a little bit.  But I’m also countering these challenges by making myself breakfast every morning – I’m fortunate to have access to vegetables at the local market every day! Eggs are readily available, and I have wonderful parents who have sent protein powder and vitamins. My Senegalese family is also incredibly considerate – knowing it’s hard for me to eat meat, they’ll often make a point not to cover all the rice in a bowl with a sauce that has meat in it, or they’ll even offer me a separate portion of the food without the meat portion. I’m incredibly grateful for how much they care, but I also feel awful because they remark nearly every day how I don’t eat Senegalese food. But hey, I’m trying.

How to eat: One thing I do to try to make up for not eating much, is at least eating correctly. Everybody eats around one big bowl, and there is a specific way to eat from it. First, you should only eat from the little triangle portion in front of you. Reaching across to someone else’s side is naturally rude. But for lunch, there’s usually a variety of vegetables in the middle. It’s common practice to break up the vegetables in front of you and toss it to other people’s portions. They’ll do the same for you. We also eat with our hands. Sometimes the older people in a house will use spoons, and they usually offer me one, but I prefer my hand. Always use your right hand (the left is your toilet paper…), and wash it in the little portable handwashing station before lunch. You just grab your rice, ball it up in your palm, and then lick it off.

Below are some of the most common foods I see at site:

-          Marro e liddi (rice and fish): This is what every Senegalese household has for lunch (the biggest meal) almost every day. It’s just a ton of rice cooked in the same pot with spices, a variety of vegetables and fried fish. It’s served like every other Senegalese meal – in a big bowl that everybody eats out of with their right hand. This is one of the more edible meals  for me. The taste of the fish and the spices are mitigated by the large amount of rice, and the vegetables, while mushy, are still vegetables, which always makes me smile.

-          Maffe: A large bowl of rice covered in a peanut sauce. Most volunteers adore maffe, but unfortunately it’s always cooked with that smoked fish, or chicken.

-          Bachal : Often for dinner, this is just rice cooked almost like risotto with a ton of oil, and you guessed it… meat and smoked fish. This is probably the only dish I simply cannot eat. If it’s served, I’ll eat a bite or two, claim I’m full and go eat my own emergency stock of food.

-          Geusse: I love this dish! It’s sweet, so it might be the only dish that’s not made with that spice packet. It’s served every few days for dinner, and I eat it up. It’s kind of like a rice pudding made with kosam (milk).

-          Lechiri: Lechiri is a grain made from wheat flour and bean leaves (I think). It’s just rolled into a grainy cereal. I love it when it’s served sweet with milk, but it’s usually served with that spice packet and some sort of meat in the middle of the bowl.

-          Yassa: This is another dish that is usually ok for me to eat. It sometimes tastes sort of like caramelized onions. It’s just an onion sauce that’s cooked slowly with vinegar. If it’s not cooked with too much of that spice packet, I’ll usually eat a lot of this.

-          Breakfast sandwiches: Usually people will just eat bread with butter or chocopain (like Nutella, but not as good) for breakfast. But there’s also little sandwich stands you can go to that have cooked peas, beans, chicken, or eggs, along with sauces like onion and potato sauce and mayonnaise. Egg sandwiches are always a good option for me – so are the beans and peas, but eggs are my go to.

-          Bissap/Folleere (Hibiscus) : Ohhhh the Senegalese know how to use hibiscus! It’s made into a sort of ice tea (with lots of sugar), and often sold in popsicle form in little bags. I go a little crazy for those little popsicles. Sometimes buying up to 4 of them a day… it’s dangerous, but delicious.

-          Toufam (Milk and sugar): At parties and big events, milk is often served super cold and with lots of sugar.

-          As a rule of thumb… the Senegalese love their sugar! Everything that might have sugar in it… has a lot  of it. I’ve never been laughed at so much when I told my family that I don’t put any sugar in my coffee. There are also local sodas that are even sweeter than our typical American sodas. They’re good, but I can only handle a little of them at a time.