Hi, I am Chef Zara. In this post, I will guide you through Ghanaian Cookbooks.
I love discovering new food and cooking with friends and family. One of the most common questions that I often get is for cookbook recommendations. I have created this guide for friends, family, and new friends alike. I hope that you enjoy our site.
- 1. The Ghana Cookbook
- 2. Meals and Recipes: Ghanaian and Creative Home-Made Meals for a Better You
- 3. Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen: An Introduction to New African Cuisine
- 4. Ghanaian Cooking At Its Best: 70 Recipes in color from Ghana, Africa
- 5. Authentic African Cuisine from Ghana
- 6. Gone to Ghana: The West African Cookbook
- 7. Chef it Up: by Vee
- 8. Ghanaian Recipe Journal: Ghanaian Food Lovers Journal
- 9. Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking
- 10. Akwaaba: Dr. Akua’s Ghanaian Vegan Cuisine
What is Ghanaian Cuisine?
Ghanaian Cuisine is a rich, diverse and nutritious cuisine that has evolved over the past 40 years to become a part of Ghana’s culture. Despite retaining the spirit of African cooking, Ghanaian cuisine is also influenced by European culture and other cultures that have come together with Ghanaians to create their own culture. Full of staples such as fresh fish stew, tiger nut pudding, chicken Hausa spiced porridge, and chicken peanut soup, Ghana’s tradition is perfectly represented in cookbooks.
Ghanaian food is known as one of the best cuisines in the world. Hundreds of authentic recipes exist, from the party-perfect Jollof rice to the spicy Ghanaian platter. This African culinary classic is underrepresented in the cooking community, but these recipes with delectable flavors and signature items fill the serving platter with a taste of joy.
For many people, cooking is an art that can be mastered with time, patience, and dedication. However, those new to the kitchen may find themselves needing a bit of help. African food is full of delicious spices and new ingredients, so it’s natural to get informed before you try out your first recipe.
Here are The Top 10 Ghanaian Cookbooks that will teach you how to prepare magnificent cuisine 👇
1. The Ghana Cookbook
Why We Love It ❤️
If you are craving healthy and eminently appealing cuisines that you have never tried before, then this well-crafted and approachable book must be on your on-the-go list. “The Ghana Cookbook” introduces African cuisine and the culinary traditions of Ghana in particular. This book goes deeply into how this sub-Saharan African cuisine can be tweaked and made your own. It is a collection of more than 140 recipes and a detailed discussion of the basic flavor principles, seasoning techniques, and basic stocks. Ghana’s cuisine is vibrant, so having a proper representation is a great way to introduce it to the rest of the world.
“The Ghana Cookbook” presents all the ingredients for a successful dinner. From snacks to main dishes, appetizers to baked goods, from beverages to desserts – you’ll find something that suits your taste. Known as the best African cuisine cookbook, this book will provide you with new and exciting recipes that make cooking easy!
About the Author ✍️
Fran Osseo-Asare, the founder of Batumi, has a unique taste in Ghanaian food. She has written several books related to African cuisines. She is recognized to be an international culinary specialist, particularly in West and South Africa.
Her writing style inspires the reader, especially the catchy pictures and flavorful recipes in the Ghana cookbook. Her other publications are about spirit, food, culture, and society.
Barbara Baëta and Fran Osseo Asare worked on the Ghana Cookbook. She is noted as a national treasure in Ghana and has showcased the country and its food to foreign guests for decades. Her work has helped put Ghana on the map as a country with a rich culture and cuisine.
2. Meals and Recipes: Ghanaian and Creative Home-Made Meals for a Better You
Why We Love It ❤️
The book “Meals and Recipes” presents simple methods and everyday items that may not occur to many cooks who are accustomed to their routines.
Review 📖
This comprehensive recipe book offers various information on materials and cooking methods that novice, aspiring, and even seasoned cooks find useful for successful cooking. As a result, you are invited to feel free to modify or adapt recipes or ingredients to suit your preferences if this book triggers your taste buds. The ingredients and recipes in this book were distributed to groups with a high consciousness of healthful dietary habits and physical wellness.
About the Author ✍️
A cookbook that von Olivia Ofei authored. In this book, you will find recipes that are either variations of traditional dishes simplified by the author or original ones that he creates.
3. Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen: An Introduction to New African Cuisine
Why We Love It ❤️
This cookbook is ideal for home chefs who want to learn how to make delectable recipes like Jollof Fried Chicken, Peanut Butter Stew with Lamb, and even Ghana-Fied Caesar Salad.
In a cookbook that is “bright, vibrant, and overflowing with flavor” and “introduces a better viewpoint and a feeling of wonder for Ghanaian cuisine,” you may adapt traditional Ghanaian meals for the modern kitchen. Adjonyoh will keep readers in the kitchen and at the table by showcasing the diversity, innovation, and adaptability Ghanaian cuisine offers worldwide culinary culture.
About the Author ✍️
Writer, chef, and food justice campaigner Zoe Adjonyoh is on a quest to popularize African cuisine from Nigeria, Kenya, the Congo, and many other countries. Adjonyoh, an author, chef, and the creator of the online spice store Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen, seeks to decolonize the spice trade in Africa and assist Black-owned companies by returning control of food preparation, ingredients, and profit to the community. She is the perfect person to represent African cuisine.
4. Ghanaian Cooking At Its Best: 70 Recipes in color from Ghana, Africa
Why We Love It ❤️
African cuisine is an enigma characterized by a rich, complex, and intensely savory flavor profile. This remarkable collection of authentic recipes reflects the colorful, spicy, and delicious glory of Ghanaian cooking. 70 authentic recipes with 200 colorful pictures provide detailed instructions about Ghanaian original drinks and smoothies, including ginger drinks and everyone’s favorite spicy tropical smoothie, healthy appetizers, and snacks, including achomo and donuts. Multiple side dishes, including kelewele, tatale, and ablongo; Main course dishes (Ghanaian stew and soup), and authentic desserts (tropical fruit pie and quick cake desserts)
About the Author ✍️
Sue Campbell has a very versatile personality. She was born in Accra, the capital of Ghana, West Africa. Being quadrilingual, she can speak English, Ga, Fante, and Twi fluently. She is versatile and has worked in Business Administration, Fashion, and Nursing for years.
She is very dedicated to Ghanaian cuisine and is very enthusiastic about the music world as well.
5. Authentic African Cuisine from Ghana
Why We Love It ❤️
The book is a hub of information about Ghana’s culture. At the very start of the book, the author covers the tradition and culture of the Ghanaian people. According to the Author, the people of Ghana are very cheerful and fun-loving people who are proud of their country and speak multiple languages.
Review 📖
The author, David Otto, explains different traditional and cultural soup recipes such as famous groundnut soup, peanut soup, and palm soup.
You will find a variety of stews like kontomereh (spinach) and egusi, okro, or okra stew, as well as rice dishes like jollof and kelewele (fried plantains). There is also a section for deserts like bofloat.
At the end of the book, the author covers different Ghanaian festivals and their date of celebrations. Enjoy the authentic taste of mouth-watering recipes in the comfort of your own home with this handy booklet.
About the Author ✍️
David Otto and Tamminay Otto both have deep knowledge of Ghanaian cuisine. They elaborate on their understanding of mouth-watering and flavoring herbs in this book.
They both are the expert authors behind the Ghanaian cookbook, combining their knowledge of cuisine to provide the best recipes from Ghana.
6. Gone to Ghana: The West African Cookbook
Why We Love It ❤️
Whether you are craving breakfast, lunch, or dinner or planning a party with your African friends, this “Gone to Ghana” cookbook will be on your on-the-go list. Ghana’s tradition of cooking is excellently explored while remaining simple to complete, which cookbooks normally lack. Whether it is cassava taro sweet potatoes or caught fish and seafood, this beautifully curated collection introduces seductive cuisine with an emphasis on locally caught ingredients.
Review 📖
The book aims to provide the readers with a comprehensive guide about 30 different recipes featuring classic and newer authentic ingredients of the west African region. All the recipes are pretty handy and easy to follow, with a complete instructional guide without requiring any complicated cooking techniques.
About the Author ✍️
Valeria Ray, a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, found a great passion for cooking. She studied English Literature at Oakland City University when she realized her passion for cooking.
She remains the head chef at one of the 5-star establishments. Luckily her taste in food and visuals about Ghanaian gastronomy was noticed by a local business person who showed interest in publishing her content; there, she realized her passion for writing.
7. Chef it Up: by Vee
Why We Love It ❤️
The 50-plus versatile dishes will make everyone in your family happy. Every recipe’s ingredients and preparation techniques are simple to get by.
Review 📖
This book comprises Jollof, Fufu, Banku, peanut butter soup, Waakye, Palm-nut soup, and many other delectable dishes. These creamy nut-based soups provide a perfect segway into the rest of your meal. This African culinary classic is divided into three sections: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The illustrations of dishes would make cooking fun overall. Whether it is cooking up locally caught fish, cassava taro sweet potatoes, or basic stocks and stews, this beautifully curated collection introduces you to seductive cuisine.
About the Author ✍️
The author of this book is von Ivy AKUVI AGBOYIBOR. Over 50 Ghanaian recipes are included in Chef it up by Vee, an African (GHANA) cookbook prepared with you in mind. A very technical author, shown flavor principles make for a showstopping experience. Sub Saharan African cuisine is explored by the author, and this contribution to food culture is something that can be appreciated by all.
8. Ghanaian Recipe Journal: Ghanaian Food Lovers Journal
Why We Love It ❤️
All food lovers should read this book. 120 pages in this 6×9 Ghanaian foodie’s diary are ideal for listing all your favorite West African cuisines, and it’s the perfect present for anybody visiting Ghana and delighting in some of the cuisine’s top dishes. It includes the recipe name, preparation time, and difficulty rating; all are listed under this book to help the new chefs. These authentic Ghanaian recipes allow you to take your love for Ghana’s cuisine on the go!
Chapters dedicated to creamy nut-based soups and other traditional recipes make this one of the best African cuisine cookbooks available. Protein entrees are a specialty in this book, with tender chicken, sweet potatoes, and beef recipes that everyone can enjoy.
About the Author ✍️
The book’s author is Djandu Journals. He has got a special taste for modern Senegalese recipes and covered almost every aspect of cooking African cuisines in his publication. His African cuisine cookbook provides an excellent introduction to the different spices and ingredients needed. An excellent mentor for your culinary journey, this author is an easy pick for protein entrees as well.
9. Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking
Why We Love It ❤️
A combination of 100 different recipes, the book is simple to follow, exquisitely exact, and obvious since lots of hard work went into creating it. This cookbook will nourish much more than just your stomach, just like the finest ones. It is equal parts historical highlight reel and cookbook, Unique and priceless. This book is inspiring on many levels because Tipton-Martin has an unmatched talent for bridging the past and present.
Review 📖
This remarkable collection of authentic Ghanaian cuisine is significant and vital enough to provide the opportunity to honor generations of African American cooks in their kitchens by using recipes that span so many historical backgrounds. Jubilee collects centuries’ worth of happiness, suffering, and work from black cooks throughout the diaspora and distills it into recipes that gently instruct and inspire.
The book will teach the readers about multiple classic dishes like sweet potato biscuits, seafood gumbo, buttermilk, and many more. The writer also high light the more decadent dishes like bourbon and spoon bread with a culturally diverse style.
About the Author ✍️
In her extensive collection of cookbooks and other materials, Tipton-Martin presents a history of black cookery that demonstrates that if any cuisine is American, it is this one. Jubilee doesn’t serve as a history lesson. It serves as a crucial reminder that inventive chefs continually modify and enhance African American food and is now a celebration of it in all its quantity and diversity. With an emphasis on locally caught meats and produce, Jubilee provides important insights into African cooking.
10. Akwaaba: Dr. Akua’s Ghanaian Vegan Cuisine
Why We Love It ❤️
If you’re okay with doing away with Ghanaian locally caught fish, Akwaaba! Dr. Akua’s Ghanaian Vegan Cuisine offers a variety of recipes for vegan and gluten-free diets. These recipes are not only healthy, but they are also delicious and easy to make. The writer has combined her nutritional expertise with the organic flavors of west Africa to introduce a healthy eating lifestyle.
Review 📖
The book covers 100% vegan Ghanaian dishes, including drinks, smoothies, and breakfast meals with healthful and eminently appealing lunches like the delicious carrot fest soup, stuffed pear (avocado), and multiple dinner meals like a veggie burger, groundnut soup, and much more. Despite its vegan nature, there are multiple sample recipes that can make your introduction to the new flavors much easier. Authentic Ghanaian recipes don’t have to contain meat! They also provide gluten-free recipes for those with restrictions.
About the Author ✍️
The book’s credit refers to k-Akua Gray, who has much other health and vegan nutrition publications. Sub-Saharan Africa has great representation as the authors highlight flavor principles and have chapters dedicated to the most popular cuisines. Known to wonderfully celebrate Ghanaian food, this author gives a vegan spin on very traditional cuisine, assisting the reader in their culinary journey.
FAQs about authentic Ghanaian food
What is the most popular Ghanaian food?
Jollof rice or Tuo Zaafi is the most popular Ghanaian meal. It is assumed to be the national dish of Ghana. The other popular Ghanaian food is Pepper soup. It is a one-pot meal prepared using various animal or vegetable proteins, vegetables, and spices. Various cowpeas, okra, bitter leaf, sweet potato, yam, and beans are also commonly used.
What is Ghana’s national dish?
Fufu is a thick, starchy, paste-like food made by pounding boiled cassava and yams into a smooth dough, adding a little palm oil, and mixing this with hot water to create a kind of porridge. It is eaten with a variety of stews, called ‘sauce,’ and can be made of tomato, plantains, beans, meat, fish, eggs, or whatever is in season. This national dish also acts as a national treasure, gaining popularity on Tiktok and other platforms.
What is a Typical Ghanaian Breakfast?
Hausa Koko and Kose is a vegan breakfast that is typical in countries like Ghana. It is made of completely indigenous ingredients and spices and is similar to porridge in texture. However, Hausa Koko is considerably spicier.
How do These Books Represent African Cuisine?
If you’re looking for a taste of Ghanaian cuisine, these 10 cookbooks from the best Ghanaian chefs are a great place to start. With tasty dishes, seasoning techniques, protein entrees, traditional stews, and soups, these cookbooks have tasty dishes that wonderfully celebrate Ghanaian food. So, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced cook, check out these fantastic resources for amazing African cooking.
