Different cultures have different kinds of food. Food is one way of experiencing the culture of a place and it is what makes traveling to other cultures one exciting experience. When you eat food from other cultures, you not only gain insight of the type of people they are, but you also enjoy eating the foods that are prepared for you which are totally unlike what you have back home.
The culture of Ghana when it comes to dining rules is very different from that of the West. If you take a trip to this African nation, one of the dishes which is their local favorite is known a fufu from this fufu café.
Fufu according to its appearance is like a lump of mashed potatoes put in a bowl of soup. Fufu is actually mashed cassava. The cassava is beaten wildly until it becomes very smooth before they are formed into balls. These then are put in a bowl of soup and served with meat like fried chicken and the soup is a groundnut soup which has a peanut base.
Fufu is served in almost any restaurant and in the native's homes. The challenge now is to know how to eat fufu. In Ghana it is considered disrespectful to eat with your left hand because in most African countries the left hand is used to clean yourself after using the toilet. The right hand is the one used for eating. They do not use silverware; fufu is eaten with the hands.
Washing of hands is important for them. You will usually be given two bowls of water to wash your hands before and after eating. Fufu is eaten by breaking a piece of the fufu making a small indentation of it by which you will scoop the soup. You are not allowed to chew it. You need to swallow it straight as you put it in your mouth. The fufuwhich is featured at buzzghana.com itself does not have much flavor but it is the soup that gives it a spicy peanut flavor.
This is the dining etiquette of Ghana. If you are a tourist you need to learn how to eat with your hands. Fufu is smoothened cassava dough served with soup that you need to eat with your bare hands in order to enjoy it. Its texture is said to be like gum because it feel stretchy in the mouth and a bit doughy. Once you have accepted this way of eating, it then becomes rather enjoyable to partake of this local Ghanaian favorite. Some of the best ideas are located at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/clair-macdougall/ghana-witch-killing-point_b_791118.html.