At weddings, birthday parties, restaurant buffets and corporate gatherings across Ghana, caterers say guests often go straight for Ghanaian dishes, even when continental options such as pasta, salads and fried rice are available.

According to some caterers and restaurant owners, local meals, such as waakye, jollof rice, fufu and banku with tilapia, are usually the first to finish on the table. 

In an interview with The Mirror in Accra last Monday and Tuesday, one caterer, Beauty Husunu of Cravybites Cuisine, Oyibi, Accra, said sometimes guests even got displeased when the servings did not include local meals.

She added that clients who booked her services also requested more local dishes and drinks than the continental. She noted that traditional dishes also brought a sense of cultural pride to events.

Owners of Fellows Restaurant in Adenta-Rowi, Accra, Mirabel Ewoenam Dede and Henry Michael Obeng Jr., also noted a similar experience.

According to the duo, even when buffets offered a mix of local and foreign dishes, guests often returned to the Ghanaian meals, saying they were more satisfying.

He attributed this to the assertion that local meals were rich in flavour, therefore tastier and more filling. It also reminds guests of food they eat at home.

Buffet/catering pricing 

Speaking on what goes into pricing buffets or catering for events, Ms Husunu said it was dependent on the menu selected and the number of guests expected. She added that factors such as ‘serve yourself’ is also considered.

She explained that most caterers charged per plate when providing buffet services, adding that prices could range between GH¢30 and GH¢120 per head depending on the dishes requested. 

“Some clients will say they want limitless food or drinks so we have to consider all that, and when the order is big, we give discounts,” she noted.

She noted that menus with basic local meals such as jollof rice, waakye or fried rice with chicken might be priced lower, while dishes that include items such as grilled tilapia, goat meat or special sides might cost more.

On the other hand, the duo at Fellows Restaurant in Adenta said their lunch or dinner buffets was priced at GH¢250 per head , covering all types of dishes and drinks.

“What changes is when it is seafood because seafood is expensive, but currently we do not offer that,” said Mr Obeng Jr.

Despite the differences in cost, both caterers said many event organisers still prioritised local dishes because they knew guests enjoyed them.

Views from consumers 

Speaking to The Mirror, Mr Kwame Cofie Gameli of Katamanso, Accra, said he usually preferred the local dishes because he was not used to “the rice rice and skemishes” food.

“Some of us when we travel abroad, the way we suffer, so when I’m travelling, I even have to at least take shito with me, then I’ll be buying Nigerian jollof, just to manage until I return to Ghana”, Mr Gameli said. 

Ms Sophia Benyindoh of Haatso, Accra, also noted that local dishes just tasted better and felt like real food to her, but she would occasionally eat some continental dishes.

“Me, when I see banku and tilapia at a buffet, it makes me happy. So far, a lot of buffets and events I’ve been to have had local foods, so I think it is good, let’s celebrate our culture,” a social media food reviewer,” Hungryman said.

He added that while continental meals were interesting to try, they did not always have the same flavour as traditional Ghanaian food, but as a food reviewer, he tries everything.