Our next stop on this trip around the world is The Gambia, a small country tucked in the center of Senegal. It is another country populated by many ethnic groups; in fact, you will be hard to find any area in The Gambia that is dominated by a single cultural group. The River Gambia flows through The Gambia, which is where the country's name came from, since the river played and still plays a big part in Gambian life.
The dominant language in The Gambia is English, even though Senegal, a French-speaking country, surrounds it on almost all sides.
Around 80% of the population of The Gambia consists of those who make their living by farming. The Gambia is a very rural country because of this, having only one large urban center, the capital city Banjul.
There are many things to do if you were to take a trip to The Gambia. Banjul is one destination on every tourist's list, but aside from that there are multiple nature reserves, many historical places and monuments to visit, and perhaps The Gambia's most compelling feature, the sunny seaside beaches.
Many western foods are readily available in The Gambia, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have its own traditional cuisine. It's hard to specify an overall feel for the food found in this country, since it has so many influences from different parts of the world. A few examples, however, include Benachin, a dish with chicken or beef and a tomato-based sauce, Chere, which are balls of steamed flour and millet, and plasas, smoked fish and meat cooked with vegetables and palm oil.
We'll be taking a more in depth look at a popular dish from The Gambia next, 'Chicken and Beef Benachin,' a dish that while representative of The Gambia, also gives an idea of how food was cooked in many of the smaller African villages throughout time.
3 comments:
The food you've been making looks good! I hope to try some of your recipes soon - the non-dairy ones anyway...
*Kathy
If you could travel to any of the places you've studied so far, where would you go?
Hey Aunt Kathy! Glad you've found your way here and approve!
To Beatrix, that's kind of hard. All of the places have their appeal in different ways... Food-wise, I think I have to say I would love most of all to explore Venezuela a bit more, but 'vacation-spot'-wise, I like the thought of St. Lucia as the idea of small islands in the middle of the ocean has always appealed to me. Expect this answer to change a lot throughout this adventure, though.
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