The following highlights some of the popular Traditional Liberian Foods. If you manage to be in an Liberian restaurant or you are visiting Liberia, I recommend the following
1. Peanut Soup
This is a traditional Liberian soup. A mixture of peanuts, herbs, spices and meat. The meats include beef, chicken, chicken broth and vegetables such as onions, peppers, celery, bell peppers, potatoes, okra and peanut butter. This soup is always served hot, usually for lunch.
2. Black Bean Soup
Black beans have a rich flavor and creamy texture, making them perfect for soups. No one would have guessed that this delicious soup is packed with healthy vegetables and spices.
3. Ginger Beer
Ginger beer is a carbonated soft drink. It is perfumed and subtly enhanced by the “spicy” taste of ginger, delicately sweet and very refreshing. Ginger beer is traditionally a homemade drink.
4. Sweet Rice Bread
It is made of mashed bananas and rice. It was delicious fresh out of the oven and stayed moist. Usually served with tea or coffee, it is popular at Liberian parties. It is a real delight.
5. Pepper Soup
It is a typical spicy soup, hence the name, with a light and moist consistency. It has various cuts of meat, paprika and flying fish as its main ingredients. Pepper soup is considered a delicacy on the west coast of Africa and is believed by some to have medicinal properties.
6. Palm Wine
It is part of the fermentation broth of the oil palm. Collectors dig a hole in the tree and insert a leaf that acts as a “funnel” that draws the juice into the container. In the morning, they climb a tree, collect the naturally fermented sap in a bottle and drink the punch shortly after collecting it. It is served at weddings, birth celebrations and funeral evenings.
7. Jala
This is a traditional Liberian dish served as a main course, usually made with rice, meat and vegetables for lunch. It also comes with ready-made fried plantains and different types of sauces.
8. Pela (Rice with Chicken)
Made with rice, tomatoes, ketchup and, of course, chicken, spices and vegetables, each country has its own versions and variations. Whether you add okra, plantain or fish depends on strong regional preferences, but all varieties have one thing in common: they are yummy.
9. Fufu
Also known as foofoo, foufou, foutou, it is a traditional cassava and plantain dough popular in various parts of Central and West Africa. Fufu is eaten with the fingers and the dumplings can be dipped in soup or sauce.
10. Palavan Chicken
More of a stew than a sauce, it is eaten all over West Africa. Apart from the main ingredient, chicken, it is mainly a combination of vegetables and proteins to choose from. The two most commonly used vegetables are spinach and okra (okra), and sometimes cortea is added.
If you found this list useful, here are some more Traditional African Foods to try out on my Pinterest channel.