The people of Kwahu love good but healthy food and this is evident in the kind of ingredients used as well as the cooking process. This does not only help maintain the nutritional value but also gives the meal a unique taste and flavor. The mortar and pestle as well as asanka and tapoli are very vital in our cooking process. Below are some of the delicacies of the people of Kwahu.
Fufu
The people of kwahu love fufu. It is mainly a cassava meal pounded with plantain or cocoyam. Some also make it from yam. Fufu is eaten with any soup of your choice either “nkrakra known as light soup” which is made from garden eggs, 3bunubunu- (nkontomire soup), ab3Nkwan (palm nut soup), nkati3 nkwan (groundnut soup), among others. Our fufu and soup is never complete without dry fish and bush meat. Fufu can be eaten anytime of the day by the kwahu’s, we just love it.
Ampesie ne ab)mu
Ampesie is boiled yam, plantain or cocoyam. Some also use cassava. Ab)mu is a type of stew but the word is derived from the process of making it. Ab)mu is made from natural /organic ingredients which are all grinded in an asanka with a touch of palm oil. M)m)ni and or koobi is excellent to include. The main ingredient of your Ab)mu can be garden eggs, nkontomire (cassava leaves), okro, groundnut, etc. Making this meal is flexible and can be customized to suit your preference. Pear and boiled eggs can be used to garnish your ab)mu.
Ofam
Spicy ripe plantain cake. This food is another heathy meal the kwahus enjoy and also a way to utilize the over-riped plantains in the kitchen. It is a baked meal made from mixing your selected natural spices and onions with the boiled ripe plantain and baking it in an oven.
3t) 
3t) is made from boiled yam, plantain or ripe planted mashed in an asanka with a bit of palm oil to add some color. Also, some people add m)m)ni which gives it a unique flavor. 3t) can be garnished with boiled eggs, pear and groundnut. Although this is an everyday meal, some people eat it only special occasions such as birthdays.
Mp)t)mp)t) or mpihuu
Although recommended for babies as weaning meal, it is ideal for everyone. It is a one-pot meal mainly made from slices of yam or cocoyam cooked in broth or soup. It is highly nutritious and tender and thus, highly recommended for the aged as well.
Apan nkwan known in English as bat soup
The people of Kwahu are known to love bat meat. Well yeah, we do. It has a unique taste and is excellent for soup. Bats are mammals with their forelimbs adapted as wings. Although this animal is not fleshy, it is very tender including its bone. The soup has a unique aroma and flavor. This kind of soup is mainly eaten with fufu.
Interestingly, a generous amount of the soup gets trapped in the chest area of the bat during cooking and this can only be sucked out when the chest is pressed hence the term “mia ne bo”, which literally translates as “press the chest.”
So, when next you visit Kwahu or a Kwahu friend, be sure to request for any of these dishes, dig in and enjoy the amazingly delicious staple foods of the Kwahus.
>>>The writer is the Secretary of the Kwahu Professionals Network and hails from Kwahu Tafo. She is a banker by profession with specialization in Compliance and Anti Money Laundering. She is also the executive secretary of ‘Do It Right in Life Foundation’ and the Ghana Chapter Head for ‘First Class on Your Becoming’. Email: [email protected]
