Table of Contents
Burkina Faso Cuisine
Riz Gras
This is one of Burkina Faso's national dishes, a rich and flavorful rice dish cooked with tomatoes, onions, and a variety of vegetables, often accompanied by meat such as chicken or beef. 1)
Tô
A staple food made from millet, sorghum, or corn flour. It is similar to a thick porridge or dough and is typically served with various sauces made from vegetables, meats, or fish. 2)
Poulet Bicyclette
Literally “bicycle chicken,” this dish features free-range chicken that is marinated, grilled, and often served with spicy tomato or peanut sauce. 3)
Babenda
A traditional dish made with bitter greens, fermented locust beans, and sometimes fish or meat. It is often mixed with a grain such as millet or rice. 4)
Ragout d’Igname
A hearty yam stew often cooked with tomatoes, onions, and sometimes meat or fish. It is a comforting and filling dish. 5)
Fufu
A dough-like food made from boiled and pounded yams, plantains, or cassava. It is often served with a variety of soups or stews. 6)
Sauce Gombo
A popular okra sauce, typically served with tô or rice. The okra gives the sauce a slightly slimy texture, which is a characteristic appreciated in many West African cuisines. 7)
Laafi
A traditional millet porridge, often eaten for breakfast. It can be sweetened with sugar or honey, or served with milk. 8)
Benga
A simple yet nutritious dish of black-eyed peas cooked with tomatoes, onions, and sometimes a bit of oil or palm oil. It’s often served with rice or tô. 9)
Kilishi
A spicy dried meat similar to beef jerky, often made from beef or goat. It is seasoned with a blend of spices and then dried in the sun. 10)
Ragout de Capitaine
A stew made from Nile perch (capitaine fish), cooked with tomatoes, onions, and various spices. It is typically served with rice or tô. 11)
Pain de Singe
Also known as baobab fruit bread, this is a sweet bread made with the fruit of the baobab tree, which gives it a unique flavor and a boost of vitamin C. 12)
Zamné
A dish made from pounded yam or cassava leaves, often mixed with groundnut (peanut) paste and sometimes fish or meat. It is served with rice or tô. 13)
Degue
A dessert made from millet grains mixed with sweetened fermented milk or yogurt, often flavored with vanilla or fruit. 14)
Bissap
While not a dish, this refreshing drink made from hibiscus flowers is very popular in Burkina Faso. It’s often sweetened and flavored with mint or ginger. 15)