Table of Contents
Introduction
The Gambia the smiling coast of Africa. Cooking in The Gambia was such an amazing experience for me. Having food in the Gambia was one of my first West African food experiences, and it did not disappoint. I had the opportunity to join @chaamidaa in her lovely home where the Gambian cooking class began with us cooking traditional dishes to us trying local traditional clothes. It felt like being welcomed into someone’s home. Actually, we was welcomed into her. There was laughter, fresh ingredients, and dancing!
Have you heard about food from the Gambia before? Don’t worry because I’m about to share with you about all the food in The Gambia. This post is part of my Cooking Travel Talks series, where I explore the power of food to connect across cultures and travelling. Gambia showed me that the traditional food in Gambia is a gateway to heritage.
Related post: Kunta Kinteh Island: A Powerful Visit to The Gambia’s Past
A Little About Traditional Food in Gambia
Before getting into what food we cooked in The Gambia, it’s worth knowing a bit about the The Gambian cuisine itself. The Gambia is West Africa’s smallest mainland country, wrapped almost entirely around the Gambia River, and its food reflects that fresh fish, rice, and a deep love of bold, layered flavour.
Like much of the region, Gambian cooking leans heavily on slow-marinated proteins, citrus, onions, and chilli, often served over rice that’s been cooked to soak up every bit of the sauce. Meals are rarely a quiet, solo affair food here is communal by nature, cooked in big batches and shared around a table (or a mat on the floor) with everyone digging in together. That communal spirit isn’t just a nice add-on to the food; it’s baked into how the cooking itself happens, as I found out firsthand.
What We Gambian Food Cooked
- Chicken Yassa. This was the star of the day for me. Chicken Yassa is a zesty dish made with mustard, lemon, onion, carrots, and chicken, all slow-cooked together until the chicken is tender and the onions practically melt into the sauce. It’s served with fresh white rice, which is essential, you need that rice to soak up the marinade. Speaking of which, the marinade was everything. Tangy, mustardy, citrusy, it’s the kind of sauce you want to scrape every last bit of off the plate.
- Fish Yassa. A similar concept to what we did with the chicken, but made with fish instead. The same mustard-lemon-onion base works beautifully with fish, giving it a brightness that cuts through the richness perfectly. Again, served with fresh white rice. If you’re someone who finds chicken yassa a little heavy, the fish version is a great lighter alternative with all the same flavour DNA.
- Bissap or in Gambia Wonjo. In The Gambia, this is a vibrant hibiscus drink that’s sweet, tart, and incredibly refreshing, exactly what you want after standing over a hot stove. It’s a deep red colour, often sweetened with sugar and sometimes flavoured with mint or ginger depending on who’s making it. You’ll find versions of this drink in many other parts of the world too (Jamaica’s sorrel drink is a close relative), but trying it fresh, homemade, in Gambia hit completely differently than any bottled version I’d had before.
You can also make these dishes by going through this website here.
What I Learnt Cooking in The Gambia
- Cooking is communal, @chaamidaa home had a big communal company where we was able to cook together, dance, try on clothes share stories, laughter all in the sake of food.
- Yassa is all about balance. There are tangy, spicy, savoury flavours all wrapped in one dish making it bold but beautifully harmonised to the tongue.
- Home is where the culture is. Being in the chef’s home made it personal and special and I loved that she had stories to tell. And clothes for us to make the experience even more real.
Conclusion On Gambian Food
Gambia’s food scene is rich. Highly under-celebrated, and absolutely worth exploring. Cooking at a local home was one of the most authentic experiences I’ve had. If you want to understand Cooking in The Gambia, start with a plate of yassa. And with my travel guide here.
Ba suba ak jam,
MBV x
