After exploring the largest market in all of West Africa earlier in the day, I continued my exploration of the city of Kumasi, Ghana! Come with me as I try some extreme Ghana chop bar food, including a giant African snail and some goat, in Kumasi!
My day continued on a sweltering, 97-degree afternoon at Ceci Chop Bar. Chop Bars are local eateries. In the local language, “chop” means “to eat.” So a chop bar is literally a “place to eat!” They’re an essential part of local life and a great place to people-watch while getting an authentic taste of the local cuisine.
Peter, my guide from Jolinaiko Eco Tours, told me we could have a lot of local foods like fufu, kenkey, dried cassava, banku, chicken, bushmeat, tilapia, and lots of other soups.
Inside the large, open dining hall are lots of plastic plates and colorful chairs. At the back is a bar where you can try some bitters. The one I tried was good but had a very herbal and medicinal flavor.
I headed back into the kitchen, where I saw them serving lots of unique and exotic foods like okra stew, fish stew, salmon, tilapia, giant African snails, grasscutter, and more. They have a huge mix of different foods. I couldn’t wait to try the snails. They’re so exotic!
I got some fufu, which is a paste-like mash of pounded cassava dough and plantains. You can add whatever you want to it. I wanted something exotic, so I added some goat meat and snails! Then, I washed my hands with the pitcher of water and soap at the table because I’d be eating with my hands.
The goat meat was very tender and paired nicely with the pasty fufu. The snail, meanwhile, was monstrous! I’d never seen one that big! I loved it. It was tender and meaty, with a nice gamy flavor.
It all came swimming in a pool of peanut vegetable soup, which had a nice, nutty and earthy flavor. There’s also a nice bit of spice to it. It was packed with different flavors and textures!
I couldn’t get over how much fufu they gave me! It’s incredibly filling, similar to rice or pasta.
After you finish eating all the meat, you drink the rest of the soup right out of the bowl. Then, we headed over to the outdoor kitchen nearby to watch the women prepare some banku and beef-peanut butter soup. I also saw the cassava roots, which they use to make banku.
Then, we continued out into Kumasi. It’s the cultural capital of the country and the heart of the Ashanti region. As we rode, I learned that here, a lot of the women are the primary breadwinners of their households.
Back in the city, we made it back to the central market to get some street food! We found some unique sheep kebabs, which they wrap in paper and smoke. They cost $2 USD each. They were so juicy and tender, a little gamy, and covered in pepper and some spices.
Next, we continued on through the city. The main attraction here is the market; the main sites are the craft villages outside of town. We stopped at Wasaaga Pub, a bar where you can try bitters and lots of different beers.
I got a Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, which is a chocolatey and malty beer brewed in Ghana. There, I ate my sheep kebabs outside. Inside, you can watch TV.
The sheep was salty and peppery, with a nice amount of oil on it. I loved the fatty, gelatinous layer on it. The meat was so tasty!
What an awesome way to end my day in Kumasi! The extreme Ghana chop bar food I ate in Kumasi is some of the tastiest and most exotic I ate during my time in Ghana. I highly recommend eating local when you travel, and eating the local way. It makes for a much more immersive and authentic experience. Huge thanks to Jolinaiko Eco Tours for giving me this unforgettable experience!
I hope you liked coming with me to have extreme Ghana chop bar food in Kumasi, Ghana! If you did, please give this video a thumbs up and leave a comment below. Also, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell so you don’t miss any of my travel/food adventures around the world!
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