1. Seffa

Seffa is a side dish that is best served with a glass of milk. It is a traditional Moroccan dish that consists of vermicelli noodles or couscous with toppings of onions sauce, icing sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and almonds.

Not necessarily served with meat or chicken, seffa is a good side dish for celebrations and festivities…

2. Kafteji

Kafteji is a traditional Tunisian dish made with fried vegetables. Veggies like eggplants, bell peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchinis, and pumpkins. Fried, chopped, then mixed with fried eggs and seasonings.

Kafteji is usually sprinkled with parsley or coriander, it can be eaten on its own or served with chicken or fish.

3. Eba

Eba also known as garri is a Nigerian staple food consisting of granulated cassava combined with hot water. When mixed with hot water, it is stirred with a spatula until it is fluffy enough to hold when eating.

Eba is served with almost all Nigerian soups: Egusi, okro, bitter leaf, and other meat dishes.

You can simply enjoy your eba by dipping it into the soup.

4. Hummus

Hummus is flavored and highly filled nutritious dish that is loved by people around the world.
This dish is traditionally made with mashed chickpeas, tahini sesame paste, lemon juice and garlic to add to taste.

Not much is known about the origin of hummus, although historians trace it to the ancient Egypt. It is served with drizzles of olive oil and as a dip for pita flatbreads and vegetables.

5. Fufu

Just like garri, is made from cassava, but much processing is involved in this. Fufu is a Nigerian dish and perhaps common in another African region, the texture after soaking, cooking, and pounding is quite different from garri.

It can be served with almost all Nigerian soups, for the southeastern part of Nigeria, fufu is eaten during ceremonial events and festivals.

6. Attièké

The Attiéké is made with fermented cassava roots with other ingredients like onions, tomatoes, grilled chicken or fried fish.

It is a traditional Ivorian couscous dish, that can be consumed as breakfast, lunch or dinner.

7. Moin Moin

Made from peeled beans, prepared with pepper, seasoning and oil. The Nigerian moi moi is used as a nutritional side dish for pap (akamu), bread eko.

8. Moroccan loubia

Moroccan loubia is a traditional dish consisting of stewed white beans. This dish is very popular in Moroccan homes.

It is comfort food that can be served both as an appetizer, garnished with some coriander or parsley, and as a side dish – especially when used as an accompaniment to fried fish.

9. Ugali

Ugali is a stiff maize flour porridge. Also known as nsima or corn fufu (for English)

This dish is mostly served as an accompaniment to meat or vegetable stews or soups.

10. Chakalaka

Chakalaka is a South African vegetable relish that will provoke your taste bud. This relish is spicy enough to eat with bread, pap, stews, curries or samp.

Simple to make yet very pleasing to taste!

11. Akara

Akara is one of Africa’s favorite dishes that will blow your taste bud. This dish is not just common with the Nigerian people but entire of west Africa including Brazil.

Made from well soaked and peeled kidney beans and spices to taste, it is deep fried to give the nearly burnt orange look. It’s a local snack that you can have with your pap (akumu) and bread.

12. Tuo zaafi

Tuo zaafi is made by cooking combidned maize or millet flour with water. Tuo Zaafi is best enjoyed with okro soup, it is a Northern Ghanaian dish that means stirred hot.

13. Konkonte

It is traditionally served hot with dishes such as groundnut, palm nut, or okra soup. Konkonte is made with cassava and water.

14. Gari foto

Gari foto is also known as cassava mash is a traditional Ghanaian dish made with cassava mash, tomatoes, onions, carrots, green peppers, oil, margarine, and seasonings.

It is served as an accompaniment to stews, rice, or beans. Depending on your relish, gari foto can be enriched with the addition of eggs or shrimp.

15. Dikgobe

Dikgobe is a Botswana dish consisting of a combination of peas, beans, and samp, which is processed maize. The ingredients are cooked in a small amount of fat or oil, while salt is used as a seasoning.

Dikgobe is usually served for lunch as an accompaniment to meat dishes, or paired with a glass of fresh milk.

16. Lasary voatabia

Lasary voatabia is made with the combination of seeded and chopped tomatoes, thinly sliced green onions, lime juice, salt, grated ginger, hot sauce such as Tabasco, and black pepper.

It is a traditional tomato and onion salad originating from Madagascar.
For your relish, garnish lasary voatabia with chopped parsley or coriander before serving. This salad is often served as a side dish to poulet au coco and romazava, or used as a topping for sandwiches.

17. Chibwabwa

Chibwabwa consists of tomatoes, onions, pumpkin leaves, and groundnuts. The ingredients are boiled in water until the combination becomes thick in texture.

It is a Zambian dish that is prepared mostly during traditional ceremonies, served as an accompaniment to nshima, a dough made with maize flour.

18. Phaphatha

Phaphatha is a circular, flattened dumpling from Botswana, consisting of flour and yeast.

It is cooked without water, often in a frying pan. Due to its large size, the bread is usually used as an accompaniment to big meals, although it can be consumed for breakfast or as a snack.

19. Akple

Akple is another unique Ghanaian dish that consists of corn flour, cassava flour, water, and salt.

Akple is often served with a flavorful okra soup known as fetri detsi.

20. Kwacoco

Kwacoco is made with mashed cocoyam, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed.

It is a cameronian dish that is traditionally prepared and consumed by the Kwe people, who pair it with mbongo soup.

Has your taste bud been rekindled yet? Wait until you see our list of best Nigerian side dishes making heads in the world’s culinary scene.