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 | Â | Local Names | Â | 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 | Â | Â |
Cassava Bread | Cassada Brade | Cassad Brade | Tange Brade | Popular snack sold with fried fish (especially Bonga) |
Cassava Farina | Gari | Â | Â | Usually soaked in hot or cold water - the granules swell greatly -serve with sauce or stew, made into kanya |
Cassava Foofoo | Foofoo | Â | Â | Starchy food cooked into a thick paste and molded. Served with plasas |
Chinese Yam | Chinese Yam | Saine Sie | Â | 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 | Â | Â | 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 | Â | Â | 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 | Â | Â | Yellow plum with a sharp taste, Tree grows widely all over the country |
Grenadilla | Gramadilla | Â | Â | Soft puly fruit with small seeds |
Honey | Honey | Comie | Â | Used on bread; as a sweetening agent or in making candies and desserts |
Grape Fruit | Grape Fruit | Â | Â | In peak season during December to February |
Guava | Gweva | Â | Â | 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 | Â | Â | December to February In peak season |
Pineapple | Pineappul | Nesi | Ananas | In peak season March to July |
Flame Flower | Bologie | Â | Â | Used as a leafy vegetable in plassas with some bitter leaves |
Cassava Leaves | Cassada Leaf | Jaki | Â | Most popular leafy vegetable used in plosas. Available all year round |
Needle Leaf | Shokotoh-Yokotoh | Â | Â | Leaves one long and narrow. Used in plasas |
Lettuce | Salad | Â | Â | Available all year round |
Nightshade | Ogumo (large leaves) Effodu (small leaves) | Kinba | Â | 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 | Â | One of two most popular leay vegatable available all year round |
Paw Paw | Â | Â | Â | Usually eaten, sliced or made into fruit salad. A good break for fruit |
Sour Plum | Chuk Chuk Plum | Â | Â | Sharp tasty fruit |
Plantain | Plantin | Maani | E-santi | Usually boiled, roasted or fried in oil. Popular snack with hot pepper sauce |
Pumpkin | Ponkin | Â | Anali | Usually boiled and serverd with other stews and soups. Sometimes made into sauce |
Star-apple | Bobby-wata | Â | Â | Very rarely seen in the markets |
Sweet Sop | Sweetee Sap | Â | Â | Pulp can be squeezed out and made into a cold dessert |
Ginger | Gingah | Â | Â | An export crop, Made into populas beverage "binger beer" |
Water Melon | Watamelow | Â | Â | Several varieties are grown |
Bush Okro | Krain Krain | Ngenge | An-kin-kin | When cooked the leaves are slimy. Used for "Obitta" |
Bitter Leaves | Bittas | Â | Â | Potherb with bitter taste used in plasas. |
Spinach | Gambay Bologie | Â | Â | Used as a potherb with bitter leaves |
Borghum | Kus Kus | Kiti | Â | Cereal used when rice is not avaible during rainy season. Also made into flour for porridge |
Melon Seeds | Egusi | Â | Â | Used as thickening agent in plasas |
Millet | Funday | Â | Â | Fine grain used as substitute for rice |
Awusa Nut | Awusa | Â | Â | Usually boiled before eaten |
Bambara Groundnut | Aparoro | Â | Â | 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 | Â | Popular stimulent. Chewed all day long |
Ginger Nut | Kramenti | Â | Â | 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 | Â | 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