I would also like to point out that our guide, Boris, did a fantastic job of researching the restaurants to ensure that they were 'safe' and would not lead to any nasty side affects. We were able to enjoy locally prepared foods as well as fresh fruits and vegetables and not one of us got sick!
Without further ado, let's enjoy the food and drink!
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Meal at Africa Rice |
Speaking of pineapple - Songhai, a research farm we visited, bottles their own pineapple juice and we took every opportunity to drink some during our stay. They had many other flavors too, but pineapple is the far ans away winner.
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Pineapple juice at Songhai |
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Fried Banana Slices - As we passed through a village market, Boris purchased this snack explaining that it is a local favorite. |
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Biscuit Cookies - made at Songhai |
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Cashews - nearly every container is recycled in Benin including this alcohol bottle containing roasted cashews |
A couple times we ventured away form the more European style restaurants in favor of the the local fare. Pictured below is fufu or pounded yam with local cheese and a spinach sauce. The yams in Benin are not like the yams we are used to in the US. They are very large, tough root vegetables not the sweet potatoes we call yams. To make fufu, the yams are first pealed and boiled to soften them. They are then mashed used a mortar and pestle to pound the yams. The result is the large white ball of yam shown below. I describe the consistency as a combination of mashed potatoes and Play Dough due to its sticky nature.
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Fufu, cheese, and spinach sauce |
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Enjoying our food at a roadside restaurant |
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So tasty! |
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Wonderfully delicious avocado salad |
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Pasta with prawns - came out with heads, shells and all! |
Although I don't have a picture of the bottle, this is where most of our bottled water originated - a natural mineral water spring where the water comes out warm. The water does not have to be treated before bottling and we even sampled some fresh from the spigot.
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Natural Mineral Water Spring at Possotome |
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Le Beninoise - Brewed in Benin |
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Obama Beer - Yes, brewed and named in honor of Barack Obama |
Au revoir,
Liz
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