A FOOD TRADITION

Americo-Liberian Cuisine

Americo-Liberian cuisine developed in settler communities along the Liberian coast, especially around Monrovia, through interaction between African American culinary practices and local West African ingredients and techniques. Rice, cassava, greens, okra, plantain, seafood, chicken, cornmeal and palm products appear across this food tradition. It may combine stewing and frying with baked or griddled preparations associated with American Southern cooking. Representative examples include rice with gravy, collard greens prepared in a Liberian household style, and johnnycakes or related cornmeal breads served alongside savory dishes. These foods are not exclusive to Americo-Liberian households and have entered wider Liberian urban cooking, so the category should be used as a historical-cultural lens.

Catalogue preview Cuisine connections may be unreviewed. Regional comparisons include their food references and do not establish the ingredients of a particular meal.