Ghanaian food is so beautifully distinct. not only in the distinct taste and depth of the food but also the colours, the traditional connections to culture, and the vibrancy that accompanies many Ghanaian dishes and ingredients. I could be in the far corners of the world, or I could be right at home in Ghana, but when I engage with Ghanaian food, there is a unique sense of home away from home connected to Ghanaians.
As part of this relationship with Ghanaian food, I continued to feel proud of my heritage and recently visited a local market centre in the United Kingdom. To my great surprise, I saw a collection of excellent Ghanaian food crops organised on display in the centre – fresh yams, ripe plantains, kontomire, cocoyams and other items. I was incredibly pleased. Just to see those crops generate joy and memory for me. It was much more than how they were organised; it was how they looked, as they would have at home, clean, vibrant, and full of life.
There is something else that makes Ghanaian food unique in their representations of comfort, celebration and heritage. The presentation of boiled yam with palava sauce and fried plantain and beans is an acceptable gesture of a group of people proud of the food they cook. The depth of flavour often is natural, wholesome and full of meaning because flavour carries memory. Regardless of the season of the climate, Ghanaian foods would always have their consistent quality, brand and appeal.
This speaks to the resilience and favour of the agricultural abundance of Ghana. The display in the UK of this collection of Ghanaian crops represents, for me, the stated blessings of the land and crop traditions of Ghana. It was such a beautiful reminder of home. It also served me as a reminder of the favour and success of our culture even outside of home.
So to the ever-growing family of people loving Ghanaian food, from wherever you are, gather and enjoy the taste, beauty and tradition that each Ghanaian dish carries. Because Ghanaian food is not just food; it is an experience, a story and a representation expressed on your plate.