Senegalese cuisine is made up of an amalgam of influences, from local Wolof culinary traditions to the cuisine of Morocco and cooking of former French colonizers. Many dishes that originated in Senegal have become mainstays throughout West Africa.
Some of the more common dishes in Senegal are: ceebu jen, a tomatoey fish stew over rice; yassa, grilled chicken marinated with onions and lemon juice; and mafé, a meat and peanut stew. Rice, couscous and French bread are common starches.
Fish is eaten along the long coast. Tomatoes, black-eyed peas, onions and peanuts are used in numerous dishes and thious, or stews. Tropical fruit and rich desserts end meals.
Typical Senegalese Dishes
A list of typical Senegalese dishes and foods. Use it to help you plan a Senegalese-style meal, party or festival.
Appetizers and Snacks
- Akkra (Black-eyed pea fritters)
- Arachides Grillées (Roasted peanuts)
- Pastels (Vegetable and fish fritters)
Soups
- Soupokandia (Fish and okra stew)
Salads
- Avocats aux Crevettes (Salad with avocados and shrimp)
- La Salade Côte Cap Verte (Green salad with chopped eggs)
Poultry
- Poulet Yassa (Chicken with onions)
- Thiou au Poulet (Chicken Stew)
Meats
- Ceebu Yapp (Meat with rice and vegetables)
- Mafé (Meat in peanut sauce)
- Thiou a la Viande (Beef Stew)
Fish and Seafood
- Beignets de Poissons (Fish fritters)
- Dem Farci (Stuffed fish)
- Kaldou (Fish in lemon sauce over rice)
- Mboum (Fish with cabbage)
- Poisson Yassa (Fish with onions)
- Ceebu Jen (Fish with rice and vegetables)
Breads and Grains
- Baguette (French bread)
- Couscous Mboum (Couscous with vegetables)
- Daxin (Rice gruel with meat and peanut sauce)
- Mabxal (Rice gruel with smoked fish or meat)
- Mil (Millet)
- Pain de Brousse (Village bread)
- Supukanj (Rice with okra sauce)
Sauces and Condiments
- Beuc (Bissap leaf sauce)
- Diwu Nor (Fermented butter sauce)
- Nététou (Spicy sauce from néré tree seeds)
- Yet (Fermented, dried mollusc condiment)
Desserts
- Cinq Centimes (Five-cent cookies)
- Ngalax (Dessert porridge)
- Sombii (Rice pudding)
Beverages
- Attaya (Senegalese tea)
- Demitasse (Coffee)
- Jus de Bissap (Bissap flower beverage)
- Jus de Tamarin (Tamarind beverage)
Senegalese Recipes
Try these recipes from Senegal.
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