10 African Street Foods To Relish Anytime

African street foods to relish

Africa is the land of diversity in culture, language and taste. When visiting this country you will find a great variety of African cuisine to taste as well as local street food to enjoy. These street foods are not much expensive and might cost even less than a dollar. They are a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

10 African Street Foods To Relish

Here are the 10 African street foods that you can have making your taste spicy and delicious.

1. Sardines

Sardines -African street foods
Sardines

You will find African street foods to relish anytime that are sardines at any local street food vendor. They are commonly called Marrakech’s and are a version of fish and chips.

The sardines are spiced with a paste made from tomato, coriander, chilli, garlic, paprika, cumin, olive oil and lemon juice then deep fried. It is served with bread and you can add chips too in your plate if you want for a crispy touch. The bread is called beghrir, which is made similarly to crumpets, Harsha, which is a buttery bread made of fine semolina and rghaif, which is a flaky and layered flatbread that goes along well with this spicy dish.

2. Dholl Puri

Dholl Puri - Street Foods
Dholl Puri

Dholl puris are popular African street foods to relish anytime on Mauritius island and have the culinary influence of Creole, French, Indian and Chinese. The thin fried bread stuffed with ground yellow split peas and served in a pair with bean curry, achar and chutney is found in most street stalls on the island.

3. Chichinga

Chichinga -Street Foods
Chichinga

Chichinga is a type of kebab made from beef or sausages African street foods to relish anytime. Chichinga is made with soya and a hot, spicy peanut marinade infused with the main spices of ginger, garlic and chilli is drizzled over any type of meat before being grilled until crisp and succulent.

Sirloin steak is the recommended cut of red meat to use when making beef Chichinga, and it is recommended that it be cooked medium to well. Chicken breasts are the preferred cut of meat when making chicken Chichinga. This street food is widely found in the streets of Ghana.

4. Forodhani and Dafu

Forodhani and Dafu
Forodhani and Dafu

The most popular Zanzibari street food dish is the Forodhani, which is nicknamed ‘Zanzibar pizza’. It’s a mixture of vegetables, egg and mayo that are wrapped in very thin dough and then fried. It’s sold at many night market stalls in Stone Town.

Young coconuts, known as Dafu, are popular snacks for the Zanzibari people. These are sold in bicycle carts on the island as people love to drink to prevent dehydration.

5. Akara

Akara
Akara

Akara is a deep-fried bean cake African street foods to relish anytime made with grounded beans mixed with pepper, onions and other spices. They are quite popular in Nigeria. They are light and protein-packed, making them an ideal snack. They are best eaten with Agege bread, which is popular for its fluffy and soft texture and its versatility with different dishes such as stew.

6. Koshary, Taameya and Fuul Medammis

Koshary, Taameya and Fuul Medammis
Koshary, Taameya and Fuul Medammis

Koshary is one of the country’s most popular street foods, and it is considered to be quite filling as it consists mostly of carbohydrates.

The meal is made of pasta, rice, lentils, chickpeas, onions and garlic. Taameya is also a common street food though it is served throughout the day, it is mostly eaten at breakfast. It is made of fava beans, and full medammis made of fava beans and cooked on a pot that sits on fire. The meal is considered to be very filling and energetic. Mostly found across Eygpt and nearby areas.

7. Potato Bhajia

Potato Bhajia
Potato Bhajia

Potato bhajia are one of the Asian snacks and are one of Kenya’s most popular street food, Also known as pakoda meaning battered potato, in Swahili.

Also, other Indian dishes can be found as street food such as samosas and kuku paka, which is coconut chicken curry. Bhajia consists of potatoes that are sliced up and battered with spices such as cumin seeds and turmeric before being deep fried. They are best served with Kenyan tomato salsa.

8. Accara

Accara
Accara

Accara is a crispy black-eyed bean fritter, usually served with a tomato-and-onion-based hot sauce called kaani, and is popular in Senegal and other parts of West Africa.

It is similar to the Brazilian acarajé fritter, and it is served on a crusty baguette with an oniony sauce.

9. Mozambican Prawns

Mozambican Prawns
Mozambican Prawns

French seafood is quite popular in Mozambique. Mozambican prawns are one of the popular dishes in the country, and they are grilled or fried and spiced with a fiery peri sauce. They are served with either French fries or rice.

A popular dish that has no Portuguese influence such as the chilli and peri spices is Matata, which is a seafood stew that is usually prepared with clams in a peanut sauce. Also popular are prego rolls (steak sandwiches) and peri chicken, which consists of chicken marinated in lemon juice, garlic and peri peri sauce and is usually eaten with potato fries.

10. Bunny Chow

Bunny Chow
Bunny Chow

Bunny chow is a popular street snack in South African streets. It originated from Durban in the province of KwaZulu Natal and has been adapted by people to suit their different culinary tastes.

The Durban bunny chow consists of hollowed bread that is filled with hot curry or other many variations as filings which are awesome to taste.

With all these 10 popular street food you will also find a wide variety of other food that are much cheaper. But one thing sure to look is the hygiene point of these street foods. As most of them are cooked in front of you but there are many that are prepared in advance and sold by hawkers. So better to keep a watch before you indulge in munching.

About the author

Kamal Kaur