A FOOD TRADITION
Yoruba cuisine in Benin
Yoruba cuisine in Benin is concentrated mainly in the southeast and is part of a broader Yoruba food culture extending across the Benin-Nigeria border. Staples include yams, cassava, maize, beans, plantains, peppers, leafy vegetables, palm oil, and fish or meat. Cooking commonly involves boiling, pounding, frying, fermenting, and making dense starches served with vegetable, seed, or pepper sauces. Examples associated with this tradition include pounded yam with egusi-style soup, bean-based akara, and gari or other cassava preparations served with richly seasoned sauces. Local practice varies, so the tradition should not be treated as exclusively Nigerian or exclusively Beninese.
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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