Senegalese Cuisine

Senegalese cuisine is a West African culinary tradition drawn from Senegal's many ethnic groups, the largest being the Wolof, Fula and Serer, and marked by French colonial influence, especially visible in dessert preparation that combines native ingredients with French technique. The cuisine emphasizes stewed or marinated meat and vegetables typically served over rice, millet couscous or bread, with fish especially important given Senegal's Atlantic coastline while pork is rarely used owing to the country's predominantly Muslim population. Peanuts, Senegal's principal cash crop, along with millet, white rice, sweet potato, cassava, black eyed pea, chicken, lamb and beef form the cuisine's essential ingredients, seasoned generously with fresh herbs and spices. Thieboudienne, rice with fish, is the national dish, complemented by thiebou yapp, rice with meat, and yassa, marinated chicken or fish with onion, alongside couscous dishes, peanut based sauces and okra soup, and drinks ranging from bissap, hibiscus juice, to attaya, a ritual tea, and juices made from tamarind and baobab fruit.