*Most of these foods are under $3 US Dollars*
All throughout the streets of Dakar there are little food stops. They are not small restaurants but rather small shacks, movable carts, trucks, or people selling behind tables. You can find delicious food at these little stops. I’ve been fortunate enough to eat at these places and not become sick so I’ll share some of my favorite foods. I do not have pictures of the food at the moment but once I do, I’ll update this post.
Fataya – Fataya is a dish that consists of a soft triangle-shaped bread that can be filled with a variety of things. I usually order a fataya that includes onions, eggs, fries, and ground beef.
price: 500-900CFA
Beignets– If you’ve ever been to New Orleans or had beignets then you know what this dish ish. It’s a deep fried pastry dough that’s usually topped with powdered sugar. I often see women with small children selling them on the corner.
price: 100-300CFA (for around 4-5 pieces)
Nim/Nem (unsure of spelling)– This is actually an egg-roll! It’s not native to Senegal but if you want a change of flavors these are really delicious. I usually get a beef egg roll and add some pepper sauce to it.
price: around 200CFA (each egg roll)
Crevette Beignet– You can find these sold along with the egg rolls. It’s shrimp that’s deep fried with a fluffy batter. These are also really delicious and I like eating them with a pepper sauce.
price: around 200CFA (each beignet)
Crepes- Crepes are thin pancakes that can be filled or topped with anything. You can buy crepes at restaurants or at a crepe truck. The crepes are usually significantly cheaper than a restaurant and you have a wider variety of toppings.
price: around 700-1400CFA
There are also many other foods and snacks that you can buy on the street. They include cookies, small cups of coffee, peanuts, fruit, little friend fataya balls, and frozen drinks in small ziplock type bags. You can even buy ceebu jen, a very popular dish, on the street sometimes. For example, there is a woman that sets up a tent nearby my school and she sells bowls of ceebu jen for 500CFA which is less than $1 US dollar. The dish includes rice, vegetables (usually carrot, yam, sweet potato, cassava, and cabbage), and fish. There is always someplace in Dakar where you can find food or a snack. If you’re ever hungry or want a snack it’s not hard to find something inexpensive to eat. I’m enjoying my food escapades and hope to find more foods to add to this list.
Until next time,
Su