Food of Senegal
Senegalese cooking is among West Africa's most celebrated, centered on rice, fish, peanuts and bold marinades of lemon and onion. Dishes are cooked in one big pot and served on a shared platter, with the crispy rice at the bottom, xooñ, prized by everyone. Dakar's coastal cooking leans on seafood, while the south and the Casamance add palm oil and rich vegetable stews.
Thieboudienne
Fish and vegetables on tomato-red rice, the national dish.
How to make Thieboudienne- Main dishes (9)
- Breakfast (3)
- Street food (4)
- Soups (2)
- Salads (1)
- Desserts and sweets (3)
- Drinks (4)
- Fruits and produce (5)
Staples
- rice
- millet
- fish
- peanuts
- onions
- cassava
- lamb
Signature flavors
- lemon
- mustard
- onion
- tamarind
- hot pepper
- parsley
- garlic
- hibiscus
Main dishes
Fish and vegetables on tomato-red rice, the national dish.
Key ingredients: fish, rice, tomato, cassava, carrotFull guide →
Chicken in a tangy lemon and onion sauce.
Key ingredients: chicken, onion, lemon, mustardFull guide →
Peanut stew with meat and vegetables served over rice.
Key ingredients: beef, peanut butter, sweet potatoFull guide →
Rich tomato-based stew of meat or fish with vegetables.
Key ingredients: meat or fish, tomato, okra
Peanut stew shared with Gambia, served with rice.
Key ingredients: peanuts, tomato, pumpkinRice with dried fish and okra from the Saloum region.
Key ingredients: rice, dried fish, okra
Fish stew with lemon and sorrel from the Casamance.
Key ingredients: fish, onion, lemonRice with seasoned lamb or beef.
Key ingredients: rice, lamb, tomatoLeaf stew with peanut, greens and fish.
Key ingredients: greens, peanuts, dried fishBreakfast
Sweet millet porridge with yogurt and sugar.
Key ingredients: millet, yogurt, sugar
Fried pastries with spiced fish or meat.
Key ingredients: pastry, fish, onionA traditional breakfast dish of Senegal made with bread, coffee, grains of selim, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: bread, coffee, grains of selimStreet food
Grilled lamb with onion mustard sauce, sold at roadside stands.
Key ingredients: lamb, onion, mustardA traditional street snack of Senegal made with black-eyed peas, onion, pepper, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: black-eyed peas, onion, pepperCrisp fried turnovers filled with fish.
Key ingredients: fish, onion, flourCrusty bread filled with beans, egg or meat.
Key ingredients: bread, beans, eggSoups
Okra and palm oil soup with fish and meat.
Key ingredients: okra, palm oil, fishA traditional soup of Senegal made with millet, curd, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: millet, curdSalads
Lettuce, tomato, onion, tuna and vinaigrette.
Key ingredients: lettuce, tomato, tunaDesserts and sweets
Millet couscous mixed with yogurt, vanilla and raisins.
Key ingredients: millet, yogurt, raisinsMillet, peanut paste and baobab fruit pudding.
Key ingredients: millet, peanut paste, baobabA traditional sweet treat of Senegal made with flour, sugar, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: flour, sugarDrinks
A traditional drink of Senegal made with hibiscus, sugar, mint, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: hibiscus, sugar, mintA traditional drink of Senegal made with baobab, milk, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: baobab, milkA traditional drink of Senegal made with ginger, sugar, lemon, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: ginger, sugar, lemon
Coffee spiced with grains of selim.
Key ingredients: coffee, grains of selimFruits and produce
Mango is a well-loved fruit or crop in Senegal, eaten fresh or used in juices, snacks and home cooking.
Key ingredients: mangoFull guide →
Tart powdery pulp for drinks and sweets.
Key ingredients: baobab pulp
Sour pods used for juice and sauces.
Key ingredients: tamarind
Sweet fruit of the dry season.
Key ingredients: watermelonFull guide →
Fruit of the Casamance cashew tree.
Key ingredients: cashew appleDish guides from Senegal
More cuisines of Western Africa
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Cape Verde
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guinea
- Ivory Coast
- Liberia
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
- Sierra Leone
- Togo
Descriptions written by Intercontinental Chef. Dishes are listed as commonly eaten today; many are shared across neighbouring countries.
- Thieboudienne: KVDP, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
- Poulet Yassa Chicken rice with onion sauce: T.K. Naliaka, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Mafe.malien: Marshiayers, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- AnnecyThiou: Pareloup, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Domoda Senegal: Marshiayers, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Caldou, a Senegalese culinary specialty: Marshiayers, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Fatayer: Joe Foodie, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Gambia Chakery 0001: Atamari, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Café Touba. Pouring: EquipeTKN, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Mangos - single and halved: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Baobab and elephant, Tanzania: Ferdinand Reus from Arnhem, Holland, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Tamarindus indica pods: B.navez, CC BY 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Taiwan 2009 Tainan City Organic Farm Watermelon FRD 7962: Fred Hsu (Wikipedia:User:Fred Hsu on en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Cashew apples: Abhishek Jacob, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
