Togolese Cuisine

Togolese cuisine is hearty, flavourful West African food, sharing much with neighbouring Benin and Ghana, built on starchy staples, rich sauces, fish and bold spice. The everyday foundation is pâte, or akoumé, a firm dough of maize, cassava or yam flour, sometimes fermented, eaten by hand and dipped into rich, often fiery sauces of tomato, okra, peanut or leafy greens with fish or meat. Along the coast, fresh fish is abundant, grilled or in sauce, while the north favours yam and grains. Popular dishes and street foods include fufu, ablo steamed bread, grilled meats and akara bean fritters, best enjoyed at lively local eateries.

What you actually see

• Pâte (akoumé) - the starchy staple with rich, spicy sauces.
• The grilled fish - the fresh coastal fish, grilled or in sauce.
• Fufu and ablo - the pounded staple and steamed bread.
• The sauces and akara - the peanut and greens sauces and bean fritters.

When to go

Year-round; bustling markets, street stalls and local eateries serve pâte, sauces, grilled fish and snacks cheaply and freshly, and the coast, especially around Lomé, is the place for fresh grilled fish. The food is bold and often spicy, best enjoyed in the sociable atmosphere of local spots.

Honest expectations

Togolese food is hearty, starchy and often genuinely spicy West African fare rather than a refined or varied restaurant cuisine, closely resembling that of its neighbours, so its appeal is honest, bold, satisfying flavour and the convivial way it is shared rather than culinary subtlety; the usual care with water and street food applies. Enjoyed at a local eatery with grilled fish, pâte and spicy sauces, though, in the warm spirit of Togo, the food is genuinely tasty and a real taste of West Africa.

Nearby

Lomé's markets and eateries and every town's stalls are the places to eat.