banku

Banku comes from the Ga language of the Greater Accra region of Ghana. It is a starchy staple made by fermenting a mixture of corn dough and cassava dough for two to three days, then cooking the fermented paste in boiling water while stirring vigorously until it forms a smooth, dense, stretchy mass. The fermentation gives it a sour tang that distinguishes it from unfermented starchy staples.

Banku is the staple of the Ga people, but it is eaten across Ghana and in other West African countries. It is typically served with grilled tilapia, pepper sauce (a blend of fresh chili, tomatoes, and onions), and sometimes okra stew. The dough is torn by hand — no utensils — and used to scoop sauce and fish. The act of eating banku is physical: tearing, scooping, combining textures with each bite.

The cassava component of banku reflects the history of food exchange between the Americas and Africa. Cassava is a New World crop, brought to West Africa by Portuguese traders in the sixteenth century. The combination of corn (also from the Americas) and cassava in banku means that this 'traditional' Ghanaian staple is made entirely from ingredients that did not exist in Africa five hundred years ago. Tradition can be newer than it looks.

Banku is increasingly available in diaspora communities in London, New York, Toronto, and other cities with significant Ghanaian populations. Ghanaian restaurants serve it as the centerpiece of a meal, not a side. The word is not widely known outside West African communities, but within those communities, it names one of the most fundamental foods: the thing you eat every day.