Certain things are only going to be known by our ancestors. Future generations will never know about some of the things that our generation may know.
How did we arrive at this location? How do we let our heritage, customs, and culture disappear? Certain items are considered essential to preserve and recall, while others are allowed to fade into oblivion.
Whenever there is a tradition or culture that is on the verge of extinction, the key question is always who is responsible for maintaining it. Certain dishes that were staples of every Ghanaian home’s menu a few years ago are no longer discussed.
This is concerning since these dinners might be entirely forgotten in a few years, which would signal the beginning of the demise for a significant portion of our rich cultural heritage. The top meal delivery service in Africa, Jumia Food, pays homage to a few of these Ghanaian delicacies.
‘Aprapransa’ – Quite a funny name as this is, ‘aprapransa’ (literally meaning cleaning of the hand) was a widely enjoyable meal in the 80’s and early 90’s. Although some people still enjoy it at special events and on special occasions, the meal is gradually fizzling out. Ask any Ghanaian below 15 years of age if he/she knows what aprapransa is and the answers will shock you. We cannot fault them because, over the past few years, a shift towards continental and foreign cuisine has resulted in this near extinction. Made of roasted corn flour and palm oil, ‘aprapransa’ is often eaten with crabbes and meat with palm nut soup on the side. Such a tasty meal shouldn’t be allowed to just leave our dining tables.#Bringbackouraprapransa.
‘Gari fotor’ – Another delicacy! As the name suggests, this meal is made from gari and stew. Many people prefer to use the oil from their stews to make this. Widely considered as a meal from leftover food, gari fotor is very tasty and can be eaten with fried eggs, meat, fish and other protein. It can also be used to supplement waakye. Some people also mix dry gari with ‘shito’ to make ‘gari fotor’. This is a saviour to many students especially those in senior high schools. ‘Ga-shit’ is the preferred name in such quarters. Gari fotor although still exists, can be found rarely in small quantities . A few local restaurants still serve this but generally, it is losing presence and may gradually completely be forgotten.#
Mpotompoto – As the direct translation of this suggests, this meal is a ‘mix mix’. Made from diced boiled cocoyam, onions and tomatoes all mixed together in one pot and allowed to boil, ‘mpotompoto’ used to be one of the very popular after school dishes in many Ghanaian homes. How could we all forget how delicious this was. Why don’t we eat this anymore? Fried rice, indomie and potato chips seem to have replaced this. Children of today may never know what mpotompoto is even though the name automatically generates interest. Loved by all ages, this Ghanaian meal should be brought back. A few dips into it and you are satisfied. We can’t let it die off just like that. Let’s go back to it.#Bringbackourmpotompoto.
3to – colourful birthday cakes! These are all we see on birthdays today. A true indication that some meals are going extinct. Remember the days when you wake up on your birthday to a big bowl of mashed yam mixed with palm oil and garnished with eggs? At other times, it was mashed ripe plantain in palm oil with groundnut and boiled eggs. 3to is the name and it was enjoyed by all. The number of eggs reflected your age and it was a family tradition. Everyone loved it and it was something worth looking forward to. Today. Where is this tradition? Why have we replaced this meal with cakes and chinese meals and other foreign stuff? Let’s not throw away our culture like this. #Bringbackour3to
Kokonte – This may be arguable because many people still love it and this meal can be seen occasionally at events and some chop bars. But ‘Kokonte used to be very popular and was a regular feature on many household menus. Made from dried cassava dough and eaten with palm nut or groundnut soups, this meal is super delicious. Popularly known as ‘’face the wall’’ because many people used to hide to eat it, Kokonte is a great meal to have at any time of the day. Little by little, we are allowing it to go extinct as more and more people shift to foreign meals.It is a highly satisfactory and nutritious meal and allowing it fade away just like that would be really disturbing. #BringbackourKokonte
