In today’s fast-paced world, it’s all too easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life.
Between work, school, and other commitments, families are often left with little time to cook and enjoy their favourite Ghanaian dishes together.
The convenience of fast food and takeout has become a tempting alternative, but it’s a poor substitute for the warmth and love of a home-cooked meal.
As the yuletide season approaches, whether you are a national or a diasporan, there is no better way to connect with your roots and experience the rich flavours of Ghana than through its cuisines, like ‘Fufu’, ‘Kenkey’, ‘Waakye’, ‘Kokonte’ and others.
Not only do these dishes fill the belly, but they also nourish the soul and create memories that last a lifetime.
Ghanaian delicacies are a reflection of the country’s rich culture and traditions. In this feature, The Ghana Report news desk takes you on a culinary journey through some traditional Ghanaian dishes that are perfect for the yuletide season.
- Fufu with any soup (light soup, palm nut soup, groundnut soup, ‘wrewre nkwan’ (melon seed soup), etc.).
Fufu is one of the most cherished foods in Ghana. This dish is prepared by pounding boiled cassava, yams, or plantains until it reaches a smooth, dough-like consistency, and it is customarily accompanied by a selection of soups.
Among the popular soups are light soup (a delicate tomato-based broth), groundnut soup (crafted from peanuts), and the robust palm nut soup.
Eating fufu is not just a meal but a cultural ritual, as it is generally eaten with one’s hands and is enjoyed in various regions throughout Ghana. This festive season, make sure you prepare your own fufu at home and enjoy it with the family.
To our diasporans, kindly make sure you enjoy more fufu before returning to your various destinations.
- Waakye
In a good season like Christmas and New Year, the most common and palatable food at all joints in Ghana, like Alhaji’s Wife, is Waakye. Yes, Waakye is one major staple food in Ghana; you cannot do away with this festive season.
This food is prepared with rice and beans, often cooked with dried millet leaves to give the dish its signature reddish-brown colour.
Waakye is a delicious meal that comes with various side options, including fried plantains, spaghetti, boiled eggs, meat, and the notable Ghanaian shito (black pepper). This meal is commonly enjoyed in the morning, so during the festive season, don’t starve yourself in the morning, as Waakye has you covered.
- Kenkey (Ga Komi or Fante Dokono) with hot pepper or okra stew
Kenkey, whether Ga Komi or Fante Dokono, is one of the easiest-to-get Ghanaian meals to enjoy with the family this yuletide.
This meal is prepared with corn dough and wrapped in corn husk or plantain husk and mostly goes with hot pepper with fried fish or okra stew filled with ‘wale’, crab, smoked sea fish and more. To all Kenkey lovers, this season enjoy some to the fullest before resuming your normal activities in 2026.
- Kelewele
Kelewele is one of the tasty snacks one can easily get, mostly at night, in Ghana. This spicy fried plantain dish is seasoned with a delicious mix of ginger, garlic, and pepper before being fried to perfection.
This delicious snack is often served with roasted peanuts. The combination of sweet plantains and spicy seasoning creates an unforgettable experience for anyone who enjoys street food.
This December, especially, there are quite a number of programs scheduled in the evening. Don’t be afraid of going hungry, as night kelewele will always be available on Ghanaian streets.
- Red Red (Beans and Gari with Red Oil/ Gob3)
Red Red, popularly known as Beans and Gari or ‘Gob3’ in Ghana, is one of the appetising meals you should not skip this yuletide due to its nutritious content.
This delicacy is often served with red oil and fried plantains. If you haven’t tasted one before, this Christmas, try to eat one and see what the taste is like.
- Mpoto-Mpoto (Yam Pottage)
Mpoto-Mpoto, literally meaning ‘yam pottage’, is not just a meal but a staple of Ghanaian cuisine that gives you a long-lasting taste of feeling.
The meal can also be prepared with cocoyam or cassava, therefore it can also be referred to as cocoyam pottage or cassava pottage.
‘Mpoto-Mpoto’ is an Akan word, but as one people with a common destiny, the name is incorporated among many tribes in Ghana.
The delicious meal is made from diced boiled yam, cocoyam, or cassava, onion, palm oil, tomato, garlic, ginger, dried fish, seasoning cube, and salt, all mixed in one pot and allowed to boil like preparing stew or soup.
Ghanaian indigenes love this ancient delicacy at all levels, and some foreigners. This festive season, try and make some at home and enjoy it with the family.
- Tuo Zaafi’ and ‘Ayoyo’ soup
The word ‘Tuo Zaafi’ is a Hausa word that means ‘stirring or paddling it hot’, and it’s one of the delicious meals that can be enjoyed at any time of the day with any soup of your choice, but the common soup associated with it is the ‘Ayoyo soup’.
The food can be prepared from maize or millet.
Apart from Ghana, the food can be found in other West African countries like Nigeria, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. Visit any Hajia corner base to enjoy some original Tuo Zaafi this festive season before returning abroad if you are a diasporan, and to us here, don’t let this tasty aroma bypass you.
- ‘Aprapransa/Akplijii’
One of the local dishes in Ghana, which contains more nutritional value and is often preferred by people at social events like weddings, funerals, and parties, is ‘Aprapransa’, known by the Ga-Adangbe people as ‘Akplijii’.
‘Aprapransa/Akplijii’ as a local meal originated from the Ga-Adangbe people. It is a meal that is not commonly found overseas. The delicious meal can be eaten in the morning, afternoon, or evening.
For one to prepare the sumptuous Ga-Adangbe meal, you will need palm nut soup, big crabs, salmon, onions, pepper, tomatoes, garden eggs, ginger, roasted corn flour, which will be mixed with the palm nut soup, a spatula, red beans, salt, and your seasoning spices.
Gathering around one table to eat this appetising meal this yuletide won’t be bad at all.
- ‘Akple’ and ‘Fetri detsi’
‘Akple’, with ‘Fetri detsi’ is an Ewe staple food, but fortunately, this meal is enjoyed by all Ghanaians, no matter the tribe you belong to.
‘Akple’ is the name of the food, and it’s often prepared by using well-ground corn. The ‘Fetri detsi’ means an okra soup.
Whether you are an Ewe or not, taste some delicious Akple’, with ‘Fetri detsi’ this season to energise your body.
- Kokonte (Face the wall)
Kokonte is another traditional Ghanaian dish made from dried cassava flour. This sumptuous meal is often paired with soups such as groundnut soup, palm nut soup, or okra soup.
Make sure you taste one this festive season because Kokonte is, in fact, a delicious meal on its own.
