Sierra Leone Diet: Local Names

Krio, Mende And Temne

What are the local names of foods of the people of Sierra Leone, West Africa? The Krios, Mende and Temne are the local people who are living in the areas of Freetown, Sierra Leone and beyonds. Here is a list of the food names and local names in the Sierra Leone diet.

Food   Local Names   Notes
  Krio Mende Temne  
Blackeyed Beans Binch Nyekende E-Tue Popular cermonial food. Boiled and made into a stew with palm oil fish and flavourings
Bread Brade Bradie    
Cassava Bread Cassada Brade Cassad Brade Tange Brade Popular snack sold with fried fish (especially Bonga)
Cassava Farina Gari     Usually soaked in hot or cold water - the granules swell greatly -serve with sauce or stew, made into kanya
Cassava Foofoo Foofoo     Starchy food cooked into a thick paste and molded. Served with plasas
Chinese Yam Chinese Yam Saine Sie   Usually boiled or roasted
Coco Yam Coco Kpoji An-Koko Usaally boiled and served with a sauce or stew
Avocado Pear Piya Piya Am-Piya Popular fruit - plentiful during the rainy season
African Apple Apple     Popular pink watery fruit on peak season during January-February
Mango Mango Maguleh A-Mangkoro A wide varity available all over the country. Peak
Baobab Monkey Brade     Large fruit with white sour dry pulp
Banana Banana Selei Mabana Many vaieties available all year round; eaten as fruit or made into chips; in rice bread and akarakuru
Bread Fruit Bredfruit Belefu Ma-Kant-Ma-Potho Starchy fruit usually boiled, roasted of fried
Plum Fix Plum     Yellow plum with a sharp taste, Tree grows widely all over the country
Grenadilla Gramadilla     Soft puly fruit with small seeds
Honey Honey Comie   Used on bread; as a sweetening agent or in making candies and desserts
Grape Fruit Grape Fruit     In peak season during December to February
Guava Gweva     Several varieties available; eaten as fruit or made into jam
Lemon Lem Lumbei-Nye-Nye Maroki An indespensable item, used in preparation of chicken and meat' ginger beer; as beverage
Orange Orinch     December to February In peak season
Pineapple Pineappul Nesi Ananas In peak season March to July
Flame Flower Bologie     Used as a leafy vegetable in plassas with some bitter leaves
Cassava Leaves Cassada Leaf Jaki   Most popular leafy vegetable used in plosas. Available all year round
Needle Leaf Shokotoh-Yokotoh     Leaves one long and narrow. Used in plasas
Lettuce Salad     Available all year round
Nightshade Ogumo (large leaves) Effodu (small leaves) Kinba   Used in egusi plasas
Sorrel Sawa-sawa Sato Ka-santhor Leafy vegetable with a sour taste used in plasas. Cheape during rainy season
Spinach Greens Honli Ka-bonthila Used in stews and plasas
Sweet Potato Leaves Peteteh leaf Jolaai   One of two most popular leay vegatable available all year round
Paw Paw       Usually eaten, sliced or made into fruit salad. A good break for fruit
Sour Plum Chuk Chuk Plum     Sharp tasty fruit
Plantain Plantin Maani E-santi Usually boiled, roasted or fried in oil. Popular snack with hot pepper sauce
Pumpkin Ponkin   Anali Usually boiled and serverd with other stews and soups. Sometimes made into sauce
Star-apple Bobby-wata     Very rarely seen in the markets
Sweet Sop Sweetee Sap     Pulp can be squeezed out and made into a cold dessert
Ginger Gingah     An export crop, Made into populas beverage "binger beer"
Water Melon Watamelow     Several varieties are grown
Bush Okro Krain Krain Ngenge An-kin-kin When cooked the leaves are slimy. Used for "Obitta"
Bitter Leaves Bittas     Potherb with bitter taste used in plasas.
Spinach Gambay Bologie     Used as a potherb with bitter leaves
Borghum Kus Kus Kiti   Cereal used when rice is not avaible during rainy season. Also made into flour for porridge
Melon Seeds Egusi     Used as thickening agent in plasas
Millet Funday     Fine grain used as substitute for rice
Awusa Nut Awusa     Usually boiled before eaten
Bambara Groundnut Aparoro     Usually boiled and sold per cup full
Cashewnut Kushu Kindi Elil-a-potho Very popular fruit seasonal
Coconut Koknat Kokonati An-hbara-a-potho Eaten dry or fresh. Made into candy. Used in soup and stews and cooking rice. Liquid makes a refreshing drink
Colanut Cola Toei   Popular stimulent. Chewed all day long
Ginger Nut Kramenti     Very small milky nuts. Chaff fibre is discarded
Groundnuts Granat Nikili Ma-kanti Popular thickening agent used in many ways. Ground paste added to sauce and stews
Pepper Pehpeh Puje-wawa Ta-gbenbeh An essential ingredient in sauce and stews
Sweet Potato Sweet peteteh Njowo E-muna Yellow and white varieties available. Usually boiled or fried
Rice Ress Mbei Wala-Ress Most important cereal in the diet. Boiled and served with sauce or stews
Sesame Seed Benniseed Monday Ogiri Oil seed, made into a candy with sugar. Used as flavouring when fermented in plasas
Sugar Cane Suga-ken Nyokoi Ka-gobkang Sweet chewing fibrous friut
Sweet Basil Patmanji Pasmanja E-soro Flavouring herb for stews and soups. Could be infused for a hot drink
Cucumber Kokumba Kikposi Ma-kokum-ba Used in salads
Egg Plant Jublox Gbolo Kponigoji Used in stews; or fried and served with main dish
Okra Okra Bonday Ma-lantho Used in sauce or stews, slimy when cooked
Onions Yabas Yabasie   Essential ingredien for soups, stews gravies
Shallot Leaf Yabas Siba An-yaba Used in salads, stews and soup
Tomato Tamatis Kibongi Ma-thamba Used in stews, soups, salads, sandwiches etc
Yam Yams Mbole Yams Usually boiled, fried or roasted

Source: Favourite Sierra Leone Recipes by Pamela Greene
West Africa Cooks
Editor

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