Food of Benin
Beninese cooking features pounded yam, cornmeal pate and rice served with rich sauces of tomato, peanut or palm oil. Fresh and smoked fish from the coast and Lake Nokoue, grilled chicken and goat, and fried snacks fill markets. Spicy pepper sauces are on every table.
Pate with sauce
- Main dishes (7)
- Breakfast (2)
- Street food (3)
- Soups (1)
- Desserts and sweets (1)
- Drinks (2)
- Fruits and produce (3)
Staples
- corn
- yam
- cassava
- rice
- fish
- beans
- palm oil
Signature flavors
- palm oil
- hot pepper
- tomato
- onion
- peanut
- ginger
Main dishes
Cornmeal dough served with a red tomato-palm oil sauce.
Key ingredients: corn flour, tomato, palm oil
Red cornmeal paste cooked in tomato sauce with chicken.
Key ingredients: corn flour, tomato, chickenOkra sauce with fish or meat.
Key ingredients: okra, fish, palm oil
A traditional dish of Benin made with yam, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: yam
Rice cooked with meat and tomato.
Key ingredients: rice, tomatoA traditional dish of Benin made with chicken, onion, pepper, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: chicken, onion, pepperFried local cheese in peppery sauce.
Key ingredients: cheese, pepperBreakfast
A traditional breakfast dish of Benin made with corn, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: cornA traditional breakfast dish of Benin made with millet, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: milletStreet food
A traditional street snack of Benin made with flour, sugar, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: flour, sugarRice and beans in tomato oil.
Key ingredients: rice, beans, palm oilA traditional street snack of Benin made with plantain, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: plantainSoups
A traditional soup of Benin made with peanut, chicken, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: peanut, chickenDesserts and sweets
A traditional sweet treat of Benin made with corn, sugar, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: corn, sugarDrinks
A traditional drink of Benin made with hibiscus, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: hibiscusA traditional drink of Benin made with ginger, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: gingerFruits and produce
Pineapple is a well-loved fruit or crop in Benin, eaten fresh or used in juices, snacks and home cooking.
Key ingredients: pineappleFull guide →
Mango is a well-loved fruit or crop in Benin, eaten fresh or used in juices, snacks and home cooking.
Key ingredients: mangoFull guide →
Orange is a well-loved fruit or crop in Benin, eaten fresh or used in juices, snacks and home cooking.
Key ingredients: orangeDish guides from Benin
Explore Benin on Geographical EffectMaps, capital and cities, population, climate, landscapes and landmarks.More cuisines of Western Africa
- Burkina Faso
- Cape Verde
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guinea
- Ivory Coast
- Liberia
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Togo
Descriptions written by Intercontinental Chef. Dishes are listed as commonly eaten today; many are shared across neighbouring countries.
- Un plats d'amiwo au poisson au benin: Adoscam, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Pounded yam (Iyàn): Taoheedah, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Plat de riz au gras plus viande: Mandanye, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- കൈതച്ചക്ക: Suniltg at Malayalam Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Mangos - single and halved: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Oranges - whole-halved-segment: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
.jpg){kind=link}
