5 African Foods for Your Birthday: What’s on the List?

Jollof rice on display as part of African foods list

Dinner parties have become synonymous with birthday celebration culture, and food is a pivotal part of it. Typically, there’s a lot of stress that comes with the planning and creating of the menu.  Some simply give up in the first quarter of preparations because they become indecisive about what to serve guests. For this reason, we have curated a list of five sumptuous African foods you can serve up at your birthday. While this list may not cover all the delicious foods we have in Africa, the ones mentioned here are not only delectable, but also unique, easy to prepare and promise to leave your party attendees craving for more. 

The list

Jollof rice: 

Popularly known as a crowd pleaser and the most controversial food in West Africa, this amazingly delicious and nutritious dish tops the list for us. No matter the recipe used, it’s always a hit. Best served with fried ripe plantains as a side dish, it’s sure to live up to its title as the crowd pleaser and leave everyone satisfied and happy. 

Peppersoup: 

Spicy, yet tantalizing. Served with any choice of meat, pepper soup is best eaten as an appetizer, and is sure to leave everyone ecstatic to try out the rest of the menu. Be careful with the spice, as some people have low tolerance for spicy foods. 

Piri piri chicken: 

This is a classic Mozambique dish, and even has a whole town named after it. Paired with either rice or steamed vegetables, this dish contains a cacophony of flavors that are sure to leave an imprint on the taste buds.

West African fish balls: 

Fish balls are simply fantastic, tangy and mouthwatering, especially when paired with potato/plantain fries and shito sauce.

Suya skewers: 

If you’re an indigene of West Africa, then at some point, you must have eaten suya. If you haven’t, then you definitely need to try it. Suya is a flavorsome beef barbecue, usually skewered, then grilled to perfection. It can be served alone or as a side dish. Anyhow you choose to serve it, your guests are sure to gobble it up!

With this list, you now have an idea of what your next birthday dinner menu should look like. If you haven’t had any of these African foods, you might as well try them to know how they taste first.