Benin

🇬🇲Guinée Forestière (Nzérékoré / Forest), The Gambia

Palm Wine

Emu

Sap tapped from a palm tree and fermenting from the moment it is collected — milky, sweet in the morning, sour and stronger by evening.

🇳🇬Nigeria

Puff Puff

Balls of sweetened yeast batter dropped into hot oil by hand and fried until deep brown and hollow inside.

🇹🇬Togo

Riz Gras

Rice cooked in a tomato, onion and pepper base with meat or fish until it takes the colour and the fat of the sauce.

🇹🇬Togo

Sauce Adémè

A slimy sauce made from leafy greens (corète/spinach); a traditional Beninese sauce; the leaves give it a mucilaginous texture similar to okra; served with pâte.

🇨🇮Côte d'Ivoire

Sauce Claire

A thin, clear, chilli-hot broth of tomato, onion, aubergine and smoked or fresh fish, ladled over rice or attiéké.

🇲🇱Mali

Sauce d'Arachide

A Malian peanut sauce served over tô or rice; listed in Wikipedia's Malian cuisine; meat simmered in a rich peanut sauce with tomatoes, onions, and spices; similar to tigadeguena but may vary in preparation; a foundational sauce of Malian cuisine; the peanut is the defining ingredient; a hearty, nutty, and satisfying dish.

🇹🇬South (Cotonou / Porto-Novo / Fon-Yoruba), Togo

Sauce Gboman

A tomato-based sauce with local spinach and leafy greens; a southern Benin specialty; served with wô or akassa; a nutritious everyday sauce.

🇨🇮Côte d'Ivoire

Sauce Gombo

Fresh okra grated to a slippery green sauce with smoked fish, pepper and sometimes soumbara, eaten by drawing threads of it up with a ball of foutou.

🇲🇱Mali

Sauce Gombo

A sticky, viscous okra sauce served over tô or rice; the okra is pounded to release its mucilage, creating the characteristic slippery texture; a beloved Malian sauce also called 'sauce noire' (black sauce); one of the most common sauces in Malian cuisine; eaten with meat or fish; the texture is the tell of a good version.

🇧🇯Benin

Sauce Goussi

A sauce made from ground pumpkin seeds (egusi); thick and nutty; served with akassa, piron, or wassa-wassa; a beloved Beninese sauce; rich in protein.

🇨🇮Côte d'Ivoire

Sauce Graine

Palm nuts boiled and pounded, the pulp strained and cooked down with fish, crab or beef until the bright red oil rises to the top.

🇧🇯South (Cotonou / Porto-Novo / Fon-Yoruba), Benin

Sodabi

Distilled palm wine alcohol; 40-60% ethanol; a traditional spirit from Allada in southern Benin; the strong drink of celebrations and ceremonies; also called koutoukou.

🇧🇯Benin

Talé-Talé

Ripe banana fritters with flour; a sweet afternoon snack; crispy outside, soft within; sold at street stalls across Benin; a popular children's snack.

🇹🇬South (Cotonou / Porto-Novo / Fon-Yoruba), Togo

Tchakpalo

A fermented maize, sorghum, or millet beer; slightly sweet; a southern Benin specialty; lighter than tchoukoutou; served fresh in calabashes.

🇧🇯Benin

Tchatchanga

Grilled or braised spiced meat (mutton, beef, or lamb); a popular street grilled meat; sold at markets and bus stations; served with pili-pili and onion; a Cotonou and Bohicon specialty.

🇹🇬North (Parakou / Borgou / Bariba), Togo

Tchoukoutou

A traditional beer from fermented millet, sorghum, or maize; high alcohol content; a northern Benin specialty; brewed by women; the social drink of the north.

🇧🇯Benin

Telibɔ̌ wɔ̌

Télibô wô

A black paste made from dried yam flour; light and easily digestible; a central and northern Benin specialty; served with various sauces.

🇧🇯Benin

Toubani

Steamed cowpea paste from northern Benin, served as a firm, savory cake with pepper sauce.

🇧🇯Benin

Tévi

Fried yam slices; a popular street food across Benin; crispy outside, tender inside; sold in paper cones with pili-pili; a cheap, filling snack.

🇧🇯North (Parakou / Borgou / Bariba), Benin

Wagasi

Cow's milk cheese with a red rind; made by Fulani (Peul) people; doesn't melt easily; fried and served in sauces or as a snack; a northern Benin specialty; a TasteAtlas-listed item.

🇧🇯North (Parakou / Borgou / Bariba), Benin

Wassa-Wassa

Granulated couscous made from dried yam flour; a 'yam couscous' from northern and central Benin; steamed and served with sauce goussi or sauce arachide.

🇧🇯Benin

Wèli

Fried sweet potato slices; a popular street food across Benin; crispy outside, sweet and tender inside; sold in paper cones; a cheap, filling snack.

🇧🇯Benin

Yovo Doko

Sweet wheat flour beignets (puff-puff style); 'white beignets' in Fon; deep-fried dough balls with yeast, sugar, and salt; a popular Beninese street snack.