Senegalese food: the dishes you need to know
In short: the best-known Senegalese dishes are thieboudienne (rice and fish, the national dish), yassa (onions and lemon), mafé (peanut sauce), caldou (fish broth), soupou kandja (okra sauce) and mbakhalou Saloum. Most of them are seasoned with guedj, yeet and netetou.
I am Lamine Faye, the Guedjologue, and I grew up in the Îles du Saloum. Here are the great dishes of Senegalese cooking, the ones the diaspora misses the most.
Thieboudienne
Rice cooked in a tomato and fish broth, with fish and vegetables. UNESCO heritage since 2021.
Thiebou yapp
The meat version of Senegalese rice: fragrant rice served with meat and vegetables.
Yassa chicken
Marinated chicken, grilled, then simmered in a sauce of melted onions and lemon.
Yassa fish
The fish version of yassa: fried fish on white rice, covered with the lemon and onion sauce.
Mafé
A creamy peanut sauce with meat or fish, served on white rice.
Caldou
The light dish of Senegal: a fish broth flavoured with guedj, lemon and vegetables.
Soupou kandja
A rich okra sauce with red palm oil, yeet and guedj.
Mbakhalou Saloum
The signature dish of the Îles du Saloum: rice cooked in a sauce of ground peanuts.
Thiakry
Millet couscous with sweetened curdled milk, served cold. The sweetness that ends the meal.
The Senegalese pantry
Almost all these dishes share the same base ingredients, the ones you can't find in a supermarket:
- Guedj: dried and fermented fish, the source of the deep umami taste.
- Yeet: dried cymbium, the “African Maggi”.
- Netetou: fermented néré seeds, known as dawadawa, iru or soumbala.
- Broken rice, and red palm oil for some sauces (never in thieboudienne).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the national dish of Senegal?
Thieboudienne (ceebu jën), rice with fish, listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage since 2021.
What are the most famous Senegalese dishes?
Thieboudienne, yassa, mafé, caldou, soupou kandja and mbakhalou Saloum, and thiakry for dessert.
Which ingredients do you need to cook Senegalese food?
Guedj (dried fermented fish), yeet (dried cymbium), netetou (fermented néré seeds, also called dawadawa or soumbala), red palm oil for some sauces, and broken rice.