Senegal

• Dakar

  Perched on the edge of West Africa, jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, Senegal has long gone quietly about its business while its neighbors get into all sorts of trouble. Quietly, of course, is a misleading word in the context of Dakar, the sultry capital city and dust-ridden domain of all-night music clubs, infamous traffic, relentless hustlers, and nonstop construction, where the dead silence of night is regularly punctured by soaring muezzin calls to mosque. But even when things feel crazy here, there seems to remain an underlying coolness, a sense of people doing their thing, on their own time. Maybe it’s the ocean, pressing in on three sides, that’s responsible for that subtle calm…or maybe it’s those limitless horizons that fuel Dakar’s vast creative energy. 

  Senegal was a French colony until 1960—French remains the official language, and the grand architecture and occasional wide boulevards might feel familiar—but the capital’s “Paris of Africa” descriptor is misleading (not to mention grossly overused). Dakar is its own animal, sometimes messy, sometimes sublime. In general it’s good to expect the unexpected. As the classic refrain goes—and it’s invariably used to explain everything from littering to government corruption—this is Africa.

  Less of a gray, undefined thing in Dakar is its food. Among other West African countries, Senegalese cuisine stands out for its distinct cultural influences—most notably from various ethnic groups (especially the dominant, native Wolof), Europe (particularly France and, in the south, Portugal), and North Africa—and its mastery of local ingredients, seafood, millet, and groundnuts (peanuts) chief among them. Dakarois take pride in their food, be it baguettes on a sandy side street, grilled sheep in a smoky dibiterie, or a beautiful plate of ginger shrimp from a restaurant on the beach. Some expats may tell you there aren’t many restaurants in Dakar, that all the best food is prepared at home. Let’s be clear about something: If a local invites you in for a home-cooked meal—and this is likely to happen; Senegalese are famous for their hospitality—by all means, go. Failing that, a little research goes a long way in revealing plenty of dining options scattered among the city’s markets, backstreets, cozy neighborhood cafes, and upscale seafood joints. We’re here to help you find them.

  Perched on the edge of West Africa, jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, Senegal has long gone quietly about its business while its neighbors get into all sorts of trouble. Quietly, of course, is a misleading word in the context of Dakar, the sultry capital city and dust-ridden domain of all-night music clubs, infamous traffic, relentless hustlers, and nonstop construction, where the dead silence of night is…   Read more

   

  Find local foods in Dakar.

  Ceebu jën

  Beignets

  Ceebu yapp

  Yassa poulet

  Fataya

• User Content

Below is user-submitted content for this region. Have something to contribute? Upload your regional-food photo or food memory.

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  French pastries

  Dakar
  vanessa
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  Couscous and Chicken

  Dakar
  janine
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  Cockles

  Dakar
  janine
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  Local Grouper

  Dakar
  janine

• • Time for tea

    bobmali70
    Senegal
    

    Senegalese tea, named attaya, is drunk the same way across the Sahel. Wherever I am, boys and men will be hunched around a small chipped enamel tea pot, sat upon a couple of lumps of charcoal.…    Read more

  • African Soup

    bobmali70
    Abene, Casamance, Senegal
    Last night, Khady, my Senegalese girlfriend, told me she was cooking chicken soup. When it was served, it was a large platter of chicken, potatoes and onions with a drizzle of sauce. Exactly the s…    Read more

• Blog Posts

• Quintessential Dakar: What to Eat

  A city spotlight on Dakar, Senegal’s sultry capital city, where French, Wolof, and North African influence meets local ingredients in the kitchen—and on the street. Hand-carved pirogues on the beach in Ngor, in Dakar Perched on…   Read more

• Photos: Art in Dakar

  Everywhere I turned in Dakar, there was something colorful (albeit often covered in dust) to admire: Art, like crunchy baguettes and good music, seems to be everywhere in Senegal's capital city. Some of it we purchased and brought home with…   Read more

• Letting Go in Senegal

  View from the road in Popenguine When Scott and I travel for Eat Your World, it’s hardly relaxing. Before even getting to a destination, our minds are already swimming with loads of pre-trip research, we know what foods we’re…   Read more

• Hunting for Dibi, Senegal

  One of many temples to dibi, or grilled meat, in Dakar, this dibiterie boasts a cult-like status in the capital: It’s said to be musician Youssou N’Dour’s favorite, dispensing inexpensive, expertly prepared food at all hours…   Read more

• Georgie & the Boom, Senegal

  What happens when Team EYW shows up to a fancy eco-lodge with the best restaurant in Senegal? They wind up eating at the bar man’s house. Every friend of ours who has been to Senegal recommended we go to a hotel and restaurant in the Sine…   Read more

• Scenes From Dakar's Soumbedioune Fish Market, Senegal

  After just three days, dusty Dakar has drawn us in with its street-corner baguettes, mellow fishing villages, surf-friendly beaches, and mad markets. A highlight among our explorations thus far has been the fish market at Soumbedioune, a cove on…   Read more