Accra, Ghana

A visit to Ghana's capital city, Accra, would be incomplete without sampling the famed Ghanaian banku and tilapia. Banku is a Ghanaian culinary legend and one of the country's most popular meals. Accra restaurants serve a broad variety of international and local meals, so guests will have no trouble finding this irresistible-traditional Ghanaian favorite.

If you like tomatoes, you'll enjoy Ghanaian cuisine. Traditional local cuisine is almost often focused around sauces, soups, and stews including lots of the round red vegetable that was brought to the country during colonization, whether served in a 'chop bar' (a modest, local café), a large dining hall, or a restaurant cooled by air-conditioning. Protein is provided by pieces of meat or fish in stews and soups, while carbs are provided by local starches such as yam, cassava, or plantain, which are slowly crushed and cooked. Globalization has increased the popularity of rice-based foods like fried chicken in Ghana, particularly in cities such as Accra.

Delicious specialty: Jollof rice, Waakye, Banku, and tilapia...