Chadian cuisine facts for kids
Chadian cuisine is all about the yummy foods and cooking styles from the country of Chad. People in Chad use a good mix of grains, vegetables, fruits, and meats in their meals. Some common grains they eat a lot are millet, sorghum, and rice. These are like their main foods. For vegetables, they often have okra and cassava. They also enjoy many different fruits. Meats include mutton, chicken, pork, goat, fish, lamb, and beef. The biggest meal of the day is usually eaten in the evening. Everyone gathers around a large shared plate, often sitting on a mat on the ground. Men and women usually eat in separate areas.
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Food Across Chad
In southern Chad, you'll find more fish like tilapia, perch, eel, carp, and catfish. People in the south don't eat as many dairy products from animals. They also have more fresh vegetables and spices to use in their cooking compared to people in northern Chad. In northern Chad, many people are Arabs and Tuaregs who move around a lot. They rely more on basic foods like dairy products and meats.
Popular Chadian Dishes
Here are some traditional foods and dishes you might find in Chad:
- Bread made from millet and sorghum flour.
- Daraba is a traditional stew. It's made with okra, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, greens, and peanut butter.
- Dried, salted, and smoked fish are very common.
- Esh is a dish from northern Arabs. It's boiled millet flour served with a special sauce called moulah.
- Fried beef and fish are popular.
- Jarret de boeuf is a tasty beef and vegetable stew. It's cooked slowly for a long time.
- Kisser is a type of sourdough crêpe, like a thin pancake.
- La Bouillie is a warm breakfast cereal. It's made with rice or wheat, milk, peanut butter, and flour.
- Millet pancakes and fried balls are eaten. Aiyash is a dish where millet balls are dipped in different sauces.
- Nile perch is a type of fish found in the Nile River.
- Okra-based gumbo is a thick stew made with okra.
- Peanut butter is used in many dishes.
- Porridge made from millet and sorghum is eaten all over the country.
- Red beans are a common food in Southern Chad.
- Sauces are made with meat, fish, and spices. These sauces are often used for dipping millet and sorghum foods.
- Sesame seeds and sesame oil are used in many Chadian dishes.
- Shea butter is also used in cooking.
- Squash stew with peanuts is a hearty meal.
- Stews often use cassava leaves and okra as the main greens.
Grains in Chad
Grains are a very important part of the Chadian diet.
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Millet grains
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Sorghum grains
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Rice grains
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Fonio stems
Meats in Chad
Meat is a key source of protein in Chadian meals.
- Beef
- Bushmeat, which is wild animal meat, sometimes dried.
- Pork
- Chicken
- Fish is especially popular in Northern Chad. This includes tilapia, carp, eel, perch, and catfish. Fish is the most common way people get protein in Chad.
- Goats are the most common farm animals in Chad. They are used for both goat meat and goat milk.
- Mutton (sheep meat)
Fruits and Vegetables
Chadians enjoy a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.
* These fruits are especially common in Southern Chad.
Drinks in Chad
Tea is the most popular drink in Chad. People drink red, black, and green teas. Karkanji or carcaje is a special red tea. It's made from dried hibiscus flowers and has ginger, clove, cinnamon, and sugar for flavor. It's very common and delicious! In the southern parts of Chad, some people enjoy traditional drinks like bili-bili, which is a type of millet beer.
Other drinks you might find in Chadian cuisine include:
- Fruit juices
- Gala is a local beer brewed in Chad.
- Jus de Fruit is a traditional drink made with mango, milk, sugar, and cardamom powder.
- Milk
- Soft drinks
