10 Burkina Faso Foods You Should Try

This post is about the 10 Burkina Faso foods you should try. We have added a bonus four tasty drinks that you can also try. Let’s start by providing a brief overview of this stunning nation of Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso is the official name. From 1958 until 1984, it was known as the Republic of Upper Volta. On August 5, 1960, Burkina Faso reclaimed its independence from France. The name of the nation was chosen in 1984 and means “Land of the proud and honest people,” or simply “Land of honest men.” Burkina Faso is home to a little over 21 million people. The locals are really kind and inviting.

Burkina Faso cuisine is rich in flavor. The region’s diverse cultures and ingredients play a significant role in its cuisine, which ranges from savory grains to spicy stews. Cooks seamlessly blends various local cultural influences into tasty meal combinations that the entire nation has come to cherish. Your taste buds will crave more, regardless of whether you start with riz gras, yassa or any of the dishes listed.

With that said, let’s explore 10 Burkina Faso Foods You Should Try that offer a true taste of the country.

1. Tô

Tô is a staple dish throughout most of West Africa, including Burkina Faso. It’s a thick paste formed by boiling cereals, usually millet or sorghum flour, but also corn flour. Mix flour and water to create a doughy paste, then pound and boil it to form a dense, smooth polenta-like dish.

Additionally, people in Burkina Faso regularly eat it, usually for breakfast or dinner, using it to scoop up sauces and stews. It is an affordable, filling, and flexible complement to many Burkinabe dishes. Leafy greens, okra, beans, tomatoes, onions, chiles, spices, roasted almonds, avocado, egg, and meat (if available) are common additions and sides to tô dishes.

2. Sauce Gombo

In Burkina Faso cuisine, sauce gombo is a popular stew prepared with peanuts and typically served with chicken or fish. To create the stew’s base, mash the peanuts into a smooth paste. Before adding veggies like tomatoes, okra, spinach, and chili peppers, onions are sautéed in oil. The sauce is usually used to prepare chicken or fish, which is then served over a starchy dish like thick porridge or millet couscous. 

Sauce gombo, like many Burkina Faso dishes, is typically fairly spicy. Still, it often counteracts the heat with the natural sweetness of tomatoes and onions cooked slowly. The aromas and nutrients of this stew made with peanuts are reminiscent of coastal West African food as well as Sahelian cuisine.

3. Riz Gras

Riz gras is a rice dish in Burkinabe cuisine. It begins by frying onions, tomatoes, and spices such as cumin. Cook rice with water or stock. Once simmering, add vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and green beans. Next, add the meat (beef, lamb, or chicken). Riz-Riz-Gras rice absorbs the meat’s aromas and fats, creating a deeper flavor. This produces a beautiful combination of savory and sweet tastes. Typical ingredients include garlic, peppers, and baobab leaves.

Additionally, people often enjoy riz gras at events. Traditionally, people use just their right hand to eat from a communal bowl. The rice keeps for a few days, gradually gaining flavor. This flavorful rice dish combining elements from North and West Africa, comes together in just one pot. It’s a Burkina Faso specialty, distinguished by its complex blend of flavors and spices.

4. Dégué

Dégué is a kind of millet porridge popular in Burkina Faso. The dish begins by heating millet flour with water to make a thick, doughy mixture. Onions, spices, and baobab leaves are then added for taste. Depending on the region and availability, people add ingredients such as sweet potatoes, cassava, okra, greens, peanuts, or dried fish. 

The texture of Dégué, which resembles sticky dough, is what makes it distinctive. Dégué is often consumed with your hands. You take pieces of millet dough used to scoop up accompanying sauces and stew. In the hot climate, the high-fiber porridge helps satisfy hunger. Dégué has a pleasantly sour flavor after a few days of sitting out. In summary, savory millet porridge is a popular comfort dish in Burkina Faso. Its versatility and nutrient density reflect much of the local diet.

5. Ragout d’Igname

Ragout d’Igname, which means “yam stew,” is a popular dish in Burkina Faso. This stew has yams cooked in a flavorful sauce of tomatoes, onions, peppers, and spices. Traditionally served with beef, vegetarian versions are also popular. The dish is a colorful mix of textures and flavors, with soft cooked yams contrasting with meat or vegetables and a rich sauce.

6. Babenda

The popular Burkina Faso dish babenda is well-known for its unique flavors. It’s made with rice, ground nuts, fermented locust beans, spices, and a mix of bitter greens such as kale, spinach, or any other green that’s in season. Babenda takes on a green color, resulting in its vivid appearance. The groundnuts provide a unique nutty flavor. As the leaves boil in the saucepan, their sour flavors permeate the entire dish, resulting in a great balance of flavors.

7. Yassa Chicken

Popular Burkinabe cuisine “yassa chicken” is made with chicken marinated in spices, onions, and lemon juice. Onions are sautéed first, followed by the chicken until cooked through in a tasty sauce. This dish typically features rice or couscous as a base, along with colorful vegetables like carrots and peppers.

8. Brochettes

Brochettes from Burkina Faso are a meaty delight. Cubes of seasoned beef, chicken, or goat are put on skewers and cooked over charcoal, resulting in smoky-sweet char. Additional ingredients include onions, tomatoes, and peppers. People typically serve brochettes with spicy sauces and sometimes offer bread for dipping. Whether savored as a fast snack or a large dinner, they encompass the essence of Burkina Faso’s local food scene.

9. Mafe

A thick, peanut-based stew made with veggies like tomatoes, okra, and spinach. Tender beef or chicken provides protein, while spices like cumin and chile peppers provide a slight spiciness. Mafe, a dish with a rich culinary past in Burkina Faso, traditionally accompanies fufu or rice.

Furthermore, part of what defines Mafe is the use of leafy greens, sweet potatoes, or cassava leaves, giving appreciation to the diversity of cooking styles across Burkina Faso.

10. Poulet Bicyclette

Burkina Faso’s Poulet Bicyclette is a slow-cooked chicken dish flavored with native spices, stewed onions, and garlic. It has a rich, savory taste. Cooks bake or grill this dish, serving it with rice, fufu, or plantain chips.

Four (4) popular drinks in Burkina Faso

As a bonus, we have included four (4) popular drinks that are enjoyed in Burkina Faso. These compliment the 10 Burkina Faso foods you should try we have listed previously.

1. Koutoukou

Essentially, people prepare it by distilling palm wine from the sap of various palm plants, including oil palm, raphia, and rônier. People make Koutoukou by fermenting palm sap and distilling it in metal barrels or clay pots. Furthermore, it has a strong yet aromatic flavor and contains up to 45% alcohol by volume.

2. Gapalo

Burkina Faso’s Gapalo is a satisfying and traditional drink prepared from soured milk and millet flour. Additionally, creamy and tangy, with millet imparting a unique yet mild nutty flavor. The main ingredients include soured milk and millet flour. The soured milk is combined with millet flour to produce a smooth, slightly thick beverage. For a unique twist, some folks add spices, ginger, and even condensed milk.

3. Dolo

This beer made from fermented sorghum is not simply a drink; it’s an integral part of the culture. Created from naturally fermenting, sprouted red sorghum grains. Malting, fermenting, and filtering the sorghum are steps in the brewing process. Groups of people usually consume Dolo, which has a tradition of women known as ‘dolotières’ brewing it. Typically served at room temperature and prepared in traditional gourds and calabashes.

4. Bissap

Bissap, often called Hibiscus tea or Sorrel, boasts a vibrant magenta color. Made with dried hibiscus flowers soaked in boiling water. Its tangy, refreshing flavor is occasionally sweetened with sugar or honey. Some variants may contain spices such as ginger, cloves, or cinnamon to add depth. 

Conclusion

This concludes our list of our 10 Burkina Faso foods you should try. From mafe peanut stew to riz gras and yassa chicken, Burkina Faso has a wide variety of mouthwatering dishes to taste. Hopefully, you’ve developed a craving for traditional Burkinabe cuisine. The unique combination of ingredients such as peanut butter, palm oil, ginger, and peppers creates meals that tantalize your taste buds.

Please feel free to try a few of these popular dishes at home. Furthermore, if you visit Burkina Faso, you will have a whole new set of local favorites to try. Thank you to the daily cooks across the country who proudly carry on the history of Burkinabé culinary culture.