Ghana’s indigenous food products find space Germany cooking pots

Ghana’s indigenous food products are attracting patronage in Germany’s culinary (food) sector, projecting a bright future for Ghanaian-Germanic food tourism. 

Mr Otto Pfeiffer, a renowned chef from Northern Germany, says Ghana’s shea butter, melon seeds and baobab powder and others would not only be substitutes on the German market but health products that cannot be ignored. 

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the residence of Mr Daniel Krull, the German Ambassador to Ghana, the chef said the melon seeds could be used in place of soya beans in Germany as a section of the German population which had health challenges used soya. 

“The melon seed which is ‘agushie’ in local your language is nutritious and can possibly be exported to Germany because the seeds have no soya inside them. In Germany, a lot of people are allergic to soya and this can be a huge investment opportunity for the people in northern Ghana,” he said. 

Mr Pfeiffer said his country depended on large exports of soya from Brazil but the quantum of export seemed to be dwindling due to the impact of erratic rainfall patterns and climate change in general. 

He said the shea butter from northern Ghana made a good mix with some German flavours, making it a critical ingredient in confectionery and bakery, adding that he also used it with other products to prepare some desserts and salad. 

“With the cookies, we wanted to have that shea butter taste in it, not a taste from butter but shea butter. Using the Shea butter for cooking such foods will be magnificent in Germany because you don’t need to buy butter from the Netherlands or somewhere and pay a lot of money. The shea butter is cheaper, I guess,” he noted. 

The chef also said: “Even with the baobab powder, you can use it in place of German apples to give flavours to various dishes. We can also use it for various desserts. It also gives bread a savory taste,” 

Mr Pfeiffer is in Ghana together with Madam Esther Mumuni who hails from northern Ghana but lives in Germany. 

They came on the invitation of the German Ambassador to provide cuisines that are a blend of German-Ghana indigenous products for the celebration of the 836th anniversary of the people of Hamburg, a northern city in Germany. The celebration comes off Thursday, May 29 in the evening. 

As part of the celebration, the German Embassy has introduced a project called “New Northern Dimensions – Delights from Northern Ghana and Northern Germany,” an innovation that combines culinary creativity, cultural exchange and diplomatic outreach. 

The project which will not be a one-time event, seeks to highlight the vibrant cultures of northern Ghana and northern Germany while fostering deeper connections between the two regions with a focus on innovative fusion cuisines. 

Madam Mumuni, a culinary artist, with a modern twist of bridging the gap between local and global cuisines, said both countries should continually organise food festivals, emphasising on local but modernised dishes, create ideas and engage in partnerships.

“If you take our fonio (millet) in the north for instance, it is a massive product for the European market because it is healthy and can be used for salad and other dishes. It can be another source of export and we ought to look at it as a country,” she said. 

Source: GNA

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