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A FOOD TRADITION

Temne cuisine

Temne cuisine is a northern and northwestern Sierra Leonean food tradition associated with Temne communities and connected to broader Upper Guinean cooking patterns. Rice, cassava, yams, plantains, okra, leafy vegetables, palm oil, dried or fresh fish, and groundnuts form a flexible staple base. Typical techniques include pounding tubers, grinding peppers and nuts, frying aromatics, and slowly simmering stews to serve over rice or other starches. Representative dishes include plasas or leaf stew, okra soup, and groundnut stew, alongside rice preparations and grilled or smoked fish. Recipes vary between inland farming areas, riverine settlements, and towns, and are not exclusive to Temne cooks.

ONE DISH, DIFFERENT PLACES

How the dish changes by place.

Compare regional styles of dishes linked to this cuisine: the city or region, the local name and what changes in the bowl or on the plate. These are food traditions; individual cooks have their own versions.

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