What do people eat in Liberia?

Mealtime

Rice is a staple eaten almost every day. Cassava leaves are boiled and eaten. Sometimes with Sugar Cane you cut the bark and suck the sweet juice as a treat. Fufu a pasty starch can be made from rice, plantain, cassava, corn or yams. Cassava is usually preferred. The plant is dried, pounded until ground, boiled and rolled into balls. A variation of fufu is called dumboy where it is boiled before mashing. Fufu is swallowed instead of chewed and is usually eaten with spicy soup. Hot peppers are added to many dishes. Favorite dishes include palava sauce made from okra leaves, dried fish or meat and palm oil. Another favorite is jollof rice (made with chicken or beef), with vegetables.

At mealtime the table is set with plates and glasses turned over and the napkin on top so that guests may turn over the clean dishes. Those at the meal greet each other by shaking hands. While shaking they take the middle finger of the person's right hand and snap it down. This handshake celebrates freedom from slavery.

Popular Liberia Recipes

Cassava Cake - Dessert
Chicken Peanut Soup - Main Dish
Jollof Rice - Main Dish
Palaver Sauce - Main Dish

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