Liberian cuisine facts for kids

A beachside barbeque at Sinkor, Monrovia, Liberia

Location of Liberia

Liberian cuisine is all about tasty and filling foods. People in Liberia enjoy eating lots of rice, cassava, and plantains. They also love tropical fruits and vegetables like potatoes, greens, and okra. Fish and different kinds of meat are also very important parts of their meals.

Liberia also has a tradition of baking delicious treats. These include cornbread, sour bread, rice bread, banana bread, and various cakes.

Main Foods in Liberia

Starchy Staples

Rice is a super important food in Liberia. It can be served plain, or with a yummy stew or soup poured over it. Sometimes, rice is cooked into a classic dish called jollof rice. It can also be ground into flour to make a type of bread called country breh.

Cassava is another key starchy food. It is made into several similar dishes like fufu, dumboy, and GB (or geebee). Eddoes, which is a root vegetable similar to taro, is also eaten.

Fruits and Vegetables

Many popular Liberian dishes use ingredients like cassava, bananas, and plantains. Citrus fruits and coconuts are also common. Other favorite vegetables include okra and sweet potatoes.

Liberians love heavy stews that are spiced with hot habanero and scotch bonnet chillies. These stews are often eaten with fufu. Potato greens, which are the leaves of the sweet potato plant, are grown and eaten a lot. Other vegetables like bitterball (a small vegetable like eggplant) and okra are also very popular.

Popular Stews

Many popular stews are called "soups" in Liberia. Some of these include toborghee, bitterleaf, cassava leaf, and palaver sauce.

• Toborghee is made from African eggplants. These are stewed and spiced with fermented palm oil. It often tastes a bit bitter. This dish is usually linked to the Loma people in Lofa County.
• Bitterleaf is made from bitter leaves mixed with ground melon seeds.
• Cassava leaf is also known as "gbassajama". It is made from ground cassava leaves. The leaves are cooked until tender in a broth. Then, red palm oil stock is mixed in.
• Palaver sauce uses jute leaves, also called "plateau". These leaves are stewed in a flavorful broth.

Fish and Meat

Fish is a very important source of protein in Liberia. Studies in the past showed that fish made up a large part of the animal protein in people's diets. Small dried fishes are known as bodies or bonnies.

Traditional Meats

Traditional meats are widely eaten in Liberia. They are seen as a special food. Many people enjoy these meats as a source of protein. Some households cook them often, while others enjoy them once in a while.

See also

In Spanish: Gastronomía de Liberia para niños