Senegal
Thieboudienne, yassa and tamarind-bright sauces over broken rice.
Iconic recipes
Thiéboudienne
Senegal's national dish — broken rice braised in tomato-tamarind broth with stuffed fish and vegetables.
Yassa Poulet
Lemon-and-onion braised chicken from Casamance, served over rice.
Mafé
Velvety peanut-butter and tomato stew with beef and root vegetables.
Yassa Poulet
Casamance chicken in deeply caramelised onion, lemon and mustard sauce over white rice.
Pastels Fish Pasties
Crisp fried turnovers stuffed with spiced fish — sold from street stands across Dakar.
Yassa Poulet
Senegalese chicken slow-cooked in deeply caramelised onion, lemon and mustard.
Yassa Poisson
Casamance fish yassa — grilled fish smothered in slow-cooked lemon-mustard onions and served over broken rice.
Caldou
Ziguinchor lemon-and-palm-oil fish stew — clear, sour and served with plain white rice.
Soupou Kandia
Casamance okra sauce with smoked fish, palm oil and beef — glossy, spicy and eaten over rice.
Domoda
Mandinka groundnut stew — thicker and tangier than mafé, brightened with lemon and tomato.
Lakh (Ruy)
Serer millet porridge topped with sweetened sour milk and a drizzle of baobab or peanut sauce.
Ngalax
Sweet millet paste with peanut butter and baobab, traditionally shared on Korité and Easter.
Fataya
Fried half-moon pastries stuffed with spiced fish or minced meat — a Dakar street-corner classic.
Accara
Lebou fishing-village bean fritters — black-eyed peas whipped fluffy and fried, served with kaani pepper sauce.
Firire
Whole fish rubbed with parsley-garlic-chili rof and shallow-fried — the Lebou beach lunch.
Thiof Braisé
Whole thiof grouper marinated with lemon, mustard and parsley then grilled over charcoal — Dakar's signature grill.
Dibi
Charcoal-grilled mutton dusted with mustard-onion-chili powder — Dakar's late-night dibiterie staple.
Nem Sénégalais
Dakar's Vietnamese-influenced fried spring rolls with beef mince, vermicelli and cabbage — sold from every Plateau kiosk.
Ceebu Yapp
Saint-Louis red-rice dish with braised beef and caramelised onions — thiéboudienne's meaty sibling.
Cere Basi Salté
Peul millet couscous with lamb-and-vegetable broth — the herder's celebration plate of the Ferlo.
Thiéré
Steamed rolled millet couscous — the everyday Peul grain, eaten with sauces or soured milk.
Lalo
Toucouleur jute-leaf sauce from the Senegal river valley — silky, dark green and served with millet couscous.
Bissap
Ruby-red hibiscus infusion sweetened with vanilla and mint — Senegal's everyday cooler.
Bouye (Baobab Juice)
Milky baobab-fruit drink — tangy, vanilla-perfumed and lightly thick, sold from every corner shop.
Jus de Gingembre
Fiery Senegalese ginger juice with lime and vanilla — served ice-cold in small glasses.
Café Touba
Mouride-order coffee ground with djar (Selim pepper) and cloves — spicy, aromatic and drunk sweet.