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Gambian Cuisine: Domoda, Benachin & the Groundnut Nation's Food

The Gambia is the groundnut nation — peanuts are in everything, from domoda stew to the Gambia River's commercial history; the food is unpretentious, filling, and deeply flavourful

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1
Domoda peanut stew
Gambia's national dish — a rich peanut butter stew with chicken, fish or beef and sweet potatoes, eaten with white rice; Every household has its own recipe and all are excellent
2
Benachin Jollof Rice
Gambian jollof — 'benachin' in Wolof — is cooked in a single pot with fish or meat and all the vegetables; Gambia's version competes with Senegal as the original and best
3
Chakri and morning porridge
Chakri — a steamed millet cake eaten for breakfast with sour milk — is Gambian breakfast food; sold by female vendors with yogurt at every intersection from 06.00
4
Atlantic Bonga Fish Smoke
Smoked bonga fish is Gambia's flavor staple — the small fatty fish is smoked on the beach and used as an umami base in almost every stew, sauce and rice dish
5
Christmas Brew Beer Culture
The Gambia Brewery produces Julbrew – the national beer – at a factory near Banjul; the cold lager is the universal social drink on the tourist strip and the local bars
6
Tapalapa Bread Bakeries
Traditional Gambian bread – baked in wood-fired clay ovens at dawn – is sold from the bakeries as it comes out of the oven; eaten with peanut butter or Laughing Cow spread