Waakye facts for kids
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| Type | Rice |
|---|---|
| Place of origin |  Ghana |
| Created by | The people of northern Ghana |
| Serving temperature | mostly hot |
| Main ingredients | beans and rice |
Waakye (pronounced WAH-chay) is a super popular dish from Ghana. It's made by cooking rice and beans together. People in Ghana often eat it for breakfast or lunch, but some enjoy it for supper too!
The beans used are usually black eyed peas or cow beans. They are cooked with special red dried leaves from a plant called sorghum and a little bit of limestone. These ingredients give Waakye its unique flavor and a cool reddish color. Don't worry, the sorghum leaves are taken out before you eat it! The name "Waakye" comes from the Hausa language and simply means "beans." It's a shorter way of saying "rice and beans."
You'll often find Waakye sold by friendly people on the side of the road. It's usually wrapped in a banana leaf, which makes it easy to carry and eat. Waakye is almost always served with other yummy things like:
- Wele stew (a special kind of stew)
- Boiled chicken eggs
- Garri (a starchy side dish)
- Shito (a spicy black pepper sauce)
- A fresh vegetable salad with cabbage, onions, and tomatoes
- Spaghetti (which Ghanaians call talia)
- Fried plantain (a sweet banana-like fruit)
Waakye's Journey: A Brief History
This tasty dish started with the Hausa people in Ghana. Many people believe that Waakye might be the original dish that led to similar rice and bean meals found in places like the Caribbean and South America. This happened a long time ago when people traveled across the oceans, bringing their food traditions with them.
How Waakye is Made
Making Waakye is a bit like magic! First, the beans are boiled until they are soft. Dried millet stalk leaves are often added to the water while the beans cook. These leaves help the beans get that lovely reddish color. Once the beans are soft and reddish, the rice is added to the pot, and everything cooks together until it's ready to enjoy!
