Africans are renowned for making delicious cuisine that tantalizes the taste buds and leaves you craving more. Apart from wonderful meals, Africans also have a variety of tasty snacks, which are quite yummy.
If you’re unfamiliar with some of these nibbles, we’ve compiled a list of the best snacks from different African regions. These tasty snacks have a lot of flavors and will make you want to eat more.
The flour list
- Puff-Puff: This is at the top of our list of African snacks to try. In recent times, puff-puff has moved up the snack ladder and is now served with other delectable snacks such as samosas, spring rolls, and peppered meat, collectively known as small chops. You can either make puff-puff the traditional way or spice it up by adding ground overripe plantain, called plantain puff or mosa.
- Samosa: Samosa is a delicious snack made with a flour shell filled with meat and vegetables. It originated from India and has since been adopted by many East and West Africans. It’s a tasty snack you can consume at any moment, and is commonly served with puff-puff in Nigeria.
- Dabo Kolo: Popular in Ethiopia and other East African countries, they’re small, spicy baked bread pieces that are crunchy and tasty. Think of Dabo kolo as an African equivalent of popcorn or pretzels.
- Vetkoek: A South African delicacy, pronounced “fet-cook,” it’s made of fried dough bread filled with jam, steak, vegetables, or whatever you choose. It’s like an African variation of sopaipillas from Mexico.
The protein list
- Suya: One of Africa’s most commonly consumed snacks. In other African regions, it is known as chichinga, agashe, or tsire. Suya is prepared by skewering meat and seasoning it with a spice known as yaji before roasting it over an open fire.
- Kilishi: Also known as beef jerky, is the dried variant of suya. After being cut into strips, it is spiced with the same suya spice and some other condiments. It is then dried under the sun until it is properly dried. Kilishi is tasty, satisfying, and can be addictive.
- Biltong: A popular South African snack, is made from cured game meat that is seasoned, dried, and sliced into strips. Biltong is typically prepared with regular beef or game meat such as ostrich or kudu (a species of deer).
- Akara: Bean cake, generally known as Akara or koose amongst West Africans, is a light snack made with ground beans seasoned and deep-fried. Because of its high bean content, Akara is both tasty and healthy. (See article on plant-based protein sources).
The chips and sweet list
- Kuli-Kuli: It’s a famous West African snack prepared from spiced, crushed groundnuts that are either molded or left in irregular shapes before being dried. Kuli-kuli is either eaten alone or soaked in garri and sugar.
- Plantain Chips: This is a common snack in Africa and parts of the Caribbean. Plantain chips are prepared from thinly sliced unripe or ripe plantains that have been deep-fried till crisp and crunchy. They can be served plain or with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Chin-Chin: This is a deep-fried snack made in West Africa using flour, eggs, butter, sugar, and other ingredients, then formed into various shapes and deep-fried. Chin-chin is crunchy and tasty, and if you’re not careful you might overeat it.
- Mebos: This is a traditional South African snack made primarily of dried apricots and sugar. It has a peculiar flavor that combines sweet and sour. When you’re craving something sweet, mebos is the way to go. It is slightly healthy due to its fruit content; however, you should not consume it in excess due to its glucose content.
These tasty snacks are typically sold by street food vendors in the African regions indicated. However, if you’re feeling very adventurous, you may make them yourself using online recipes.