Gambian Cuisine

Browse All Gambian Recipes: Gambian Appetizers | Gambian Beverages | Gambian Soups | Gambian Salads | Gambian Vegetarian | Gambian Meat Dishes | Gambian Snacks | Gambian Desserts

Overview of Gambian Cuisine History
The Gambia is a small country situated in the western part of Africa. As any African country Gambia has a complex developed cuisine formed in a long period of time. Over the years many people visited Gambia’s land and brought with them their own culinary culture. Nowadays Gambia cuisine consists in a happily mixture of influence received from various people and cultures like the Portuguese, Muslim or the British ones. The first ones that left pieces of their culinary culture were the Portuguese people, followed shortly after by the Arabs. Gambia cuisine was also influenced by the France cuisine because between these two countries there were thigh trade connections. Nowadays Gambia cuisine is more and more known in Western countries thanks to the immigrants that leave their country and establish there. Over all anyone that has the chance to taste a traditional Gambia meal will be impressed by the complexity of flavors and the unique style of preparing any food.

Cuisines of Gambia


Gambian cuisine is well known in the Western part of Africa for it’s ingeniously methods of combining all kind of spices and ingredients. Fufu is a very famous item in West Africa and can be easily found on anyone’s table during lunch or dinner. This dish is considered to be a staple food for Guinea and it is usually made from starchy root vegetables like cassavas or cocoyams. These roots are being smashed and mixed together until they form a thick paste. It happens many times that this paste to be mistaken by those who are not in the field or by the tourists to the mashed potatoes. Fufu is often served as an accompaniment to stews or soups. Gambia cuisine is a great consumer of spices either they are grown on local fields of imported from different countries and cultures. Some of the most used spicy ingredients are the chilies and the peppers.

Preparation Methods for Gambian Cooking
Gambian cuisine uses elements from various cooking traditions borrowed from their neighbors and developed from their own traditional dishes. While there are no specific or unique preparation methods for Gambia cooking, we should point out that attention to detail is important in the Gambia cuisine. Using the right amount of spices for example is essential – either for spicing up the taste or for coloring the dish. The diversity of vegetables and cereals found in Gambia is also noticed in the delicious dishes belonging to their cuisine. The visual attractiveness of the dish is also important, and a balance between colors and proportion differentiates. Each traditional dish has a special cooking method, which is more or less general in all of Gambia’s regions. Meat is one of the main elements of most Gambia dishes and cured and smoked hams are often parts of delicious dishes.

Special Equipment for Gambian Cooking
Ranging from cake pans, can openers, colanders, egg rings, poachers and holders, food dishers & portioners, food pans & food containers to other kitchen utensils, such as food scales, food scoops and fryer baskets & accessories, the Gambia cuisine needs a diverse cooking equipment set in order to produce the most sophisticated Gambia dishes. You should consider insulated food carriers if you are transporting the food and a full set of kitchen linens and uniforms if you wish to look like a pro. Here are a few other items that will come handy while cooking Gambia food: juicers, kitchen knives, kitchen slicers, kitchen thermometers, measuring cups & measuring spoons, miscellaneous utensils, mixing bowls and skimmers & strainers. Essential utensils like serving spoons, spatulas, forks, turners, scrapers and tongs should also be part of your cooking "arsenal".

Gambian Food Traditions and Festivals
The Republic of Gambia has many public holidays and festivals. First of all the Independence Day is held on February the 18th and it’s a holiday held by everyone in Gambia no matter their religion and culture. During this celebration special dishes are prepared and some of the finest wines are served. Some other public holidays are Independence Day, Labor Day, Id-al-Fitr, Assumption Day Moslem New Year Day held on October the 9th, Id-al-Kabir and Christmas. Generally during any holiday people of Gambia likes to serve meat dished, especially light fish dishes, made with many spices and special ingredients. Festivals in Gambia give people here a great opportunity to cook their savory traditional dishes.

People in Gambian Food

 * Are you into Gambian Cooking and would like to be interviewed?

There are many chefs who creatively use the basic ingredients and cooking method for traditional Fiji dishes and create original and delicious food variations. Fiji chefs are passionate about their traditional dishes and they enjoy presenting them to foreigners who has never tasted them before. Whether they are cooking dishes that go back in time for centuries or brand new, modern dishes, Fiji chefs take pride in what they do, and this is readily noticeable in the unforgettable taste of their cooking.