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First Time Tasting Fufu in Tamale, Ghana – West African Food Sampling

3 min read

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Tim’s entertaining demo of his first time tasting fufu. And even though he knows the traditional way to eat fufu is with your hands, he first demonstrates it with a spoon.

The spoon works about as well as you would imagine.

But he persists and well, you’ll see. He has quite the reaction.

We made this in Tamale, in Northern Ghana. By the time we got here, fufu had long since made it to my favorite foods list. Seriously, this is good stuff. But Tim doesn’t like getting his hands messy when he eats, so he kept putting off trying it.

This is the spoon clip from the amusing longer video about Tim’s first fufu adventure. By the way, the fufu in this clip is made from yams, though cassava and plantains can also be used to make fufu.

I didn’t learn that TikTok had a fufu challenge going around, whenever that happened, until long after it had passed. It’s great that so many people went out to try fufu. I feel very fortunate to have been introduced to it in Ghana proper.

I actually had fufu on my first visit to Ghana in 2003. I remember it had goat, and was only a little spicy. I’m sure my guide made sure it wasn’t over the top, though I had my spice tolerances pretty high by then. In Ghana, all you have to do is tell them how spicy you do, or don’t, want it and they’ll adjust it for you.

I’ve seen a Ghanaian commercial for instant fufu, made from plantain, I believe. But I’m suspicious. I’ll give it points for being easier (you should see how they make fufu in the longer video), but I can’t imagine it being as good. I mean fresh is fresh, right?

If you get a chance to try fufu, especially if you’re in West Africa, or a good African restaurant, definitely give it a go. It’s all about the soup, and the fufu, and the company. Like any good meal.

Love that fufu!

Ooh, and here’s the page with all of our Ghana posts and videos.

Video Transcript

TIM: But anyway, there are those who might think that the traditional way might not be for them and so they would use…a SPOON. And yes. Shall I sample it with a spoon?
TRINA: Go ahead. [off-camera]
TIM: Okay, now you take a bit of…forgive the blind guy you can’t see the food.
TRINA: It’s a little sticky. [off-camera]
TIM: Yes kind of sticky, gooey, chewy, but yummy. We dip it into the soup and watch. Yum! Yum! Yum! Yum!