Waakye

Although it is more popular in northern Ghana, waakye is consumed throughout the country, and is also known in Nigeria and Benin. Waakye is a dish with rice and red beans (or black-eyed peas) cooked in an infusion of millet leaves. Those millet leaves bear the name of dish, i.e. waakye. Waakye (pronounced waachay) is a Hausa word, which means beans. It is actually an abbreviated form of the full name shinkafa da wake which means “rice and beans”. Waakye is one of the most popular street foods in Ghana. Many families prefer to stock up on waakye from a popular street vendor rather than cook it at home, most likely due to the long time it takes to prepare it with dry beans. Waakye is very similar to the West Indian version of “rice and peas”. It is prepared using common methods but without any additional spices or herbs that are typically used in the West Indian version. The eating of rice and beans together is actually a common phenomenon in many cultures in the Americas, India and other West African countries. Some of the most common versions of this “rice and beans” staple dish include arroz e feijão in Brazil, pabellon criollo in Venezuela, Moros y Cristianos in Cuba or gallo pinto in Costa Rica.