WAAKYE, THE PEOPLE'S FAVOURITE

Back in Senior High School, the picky eaters who seemed to be allergic to everything were surprisingly not allergic to waakye. I can recall that the people who were allergic to beans were not allergic to a mixture of rice and beans. Interesting, right? Waakye is prepared with rice, beans and dried sorghum leaves to give it its red or sometimes reddish-brown look.

The word waakye in itself is from the Hausa language and it means beans. The real name for the rice and beans meal we call waakye is shinkafa da waakye which translates as rice and beans. Most Ghanaians enjoy waakye as an early morning meal. People would be willing to drive distances to get themselves a tasty pack of waakye from their favourite seller. Most people enjoy it when it is wrapped in the green leaves (plantain leaves). Rumour has it that the leaves that waakye is wrapped in contributes to its flavourful taste. What do you think?

Our mothers put in their very best to prepare waakye to our satisfaction. But, unfortunately, they somehow always fall short. The ones sold by the roadside, (famously known as “amelia waakye”), win our hearts always.

Waakye is served at parties, funeral ceremonies, weddings, conferences and other functions. Although it is mainly a food originating from Northern Ghana, it is enjoyed by all.

It is usually eaten with eggs, fish, vegetables, shito and stew. Other people enjoy waakye with fried ripe plantain as well. Depending on where you get your waakye from and what you eat it, you may be in for a good treat.

Let’s start with the bright side

• Waakye is quite filling. It can fill you up to about seven hours after you have relished it. Also, it can be healthy if it is properly cooked with a good quantity of vegetables on the side in addition to some nutritious sauce.
• The carbs in the rice, protein in the beans, and minerals in the sorghum leaves make it a good nutritious diet.

Preserve your waakye well by preheating, letting it cool and placing it in your refrigerator. If you are careless with preserving it, it can give you a really bad stomach upset when it is time to enjoy it.

Servings of waakye

Picture Credit: https://twitter.com/menscookgh

On the other side though,

• Sometimes, the troublesome nature of beans when cooking compels the waakye sellers to cook the beans with limestone to allow the waakye meal to be cooked as fast as possible. This may not be common knowledge. Limestone has a good effect on our bodies as it is rich in calcium. Continuous ingestion of food containing limestone may, however, negatively affect your digestive system. Depending on the amount of it that you are taking in, you may be doing yourself more harm than good.
• Also, considering that waakye sellers work with time, they may not pick out the beans as well as is needed to prevent poor food hygiene. Whatever they are unable to take out finds its way into your tummy. Like every other street food, it is dished out in such a hurry and may not be handled under the best hygienic conditions.
• There may not be enough caution in cleaning the leaves it is wrapped in or covering the salad or meat each time a quantity is dished out. This may expose it to flies and dirt.

Final thoughts

I think eating waakye with your well-washed hands is more fulfilling and grants more pleasure than dainty cutlery can ever give. Waakye is the people’s favourite. It is loved by many and resented by the unpopular few. It has won the heart of Accra and overseas. Depending on where you buy your waakye from at the start of your day, your day can be a good one. Indulge in a tasty waakye treat and live a good life. Many detailed tutorial videos on YouTube can help you put together this enjoyable meal. Check them out and give your family and friends a good treat!