The short answer
Banku is a much-loved Ghanaian staple, a smooth, slightly sour dough made by cooking a mixture of fermented corn and cassava dough together over heat, stirring constantly until it forms a soft, cohesive ball. That fermentation gives banku its characteristic mild tang, which sets it apart from plainer starchy staples. It is a swallow-style food, usually shaped into balls and eaten with soups and stews or, most famously, with grilled tilapia and a fiery fresh pepper sauce called shito or a ground pepper and tomato relish. Banku is filling, tangy and comforting, a staple of everyday Ghanaian eating, especially among the Ewe and Ga peoples. In the UK the corn and cassava dough, or ready-made banku mix, is sold by African food shops.
What to remember
- Banku is a Ghanaian staple made from a mixture of fermented corn and cassava dough, cooked into a smooth ball.
- The fermentation gives it a characteristic mild, tangy, slightly sour taste.
- It is a swallow-style food, eaten with soups and stews or, famously, with grilled tilapia and hot pepper sauce.
- It is a staple of everyday Ghanaian eating, especially among the Ewe and Ga peoples.
- In the UK the fermented corn and cassava dough, or a ready-made banku mix, is sold by African food shops.
For Ghanaians in Britain, banku is a taste that is hard to replace. It is the tang of the fermented dough, the ritual of eating banku and tilapia with the hands, the fiery kick of fresh pepper against the cool, sour ball, and the meal that says 'home' more clearly than almost any other. It carries the memory of family kitchens and roadside spots, of the effort of stirring the pot, and of shared plates and good company, and cooking it far from home brings all of that back at once.
There is heritage in it too, and a quiet pride. Banku reflects a long West African tradition of fermentation and of turning corn and cassava into nourishing, lasting staples, knowledge carried through generations, especially among the Ewe and Ga peoples. Making a smooth, well-cooked banku and serving it with grilled fish and hot pepper, or introducing a friend to their first taste of that tangy dough, is an act of welcome and belonging. That distinctive, comforting sourness, shared around a plate, is the quiet gift of banku.
What is Banku?
Banku is one of Ghana's staple starchy foods, made from a dough of fermented corn, or maize, combined with cassava dough. The two are mixed with water and cooked together in a pot over heat, stirred vigorously and continuously as they thicken, until the mixture comes together into a smooth, slightly stretchy, cohesive dough that is shaped into balls. The constant stirring is essential and takes some strength, and it is what gives banku its characteristic smooth, lump-free texture.
What really defines banku, though, is its taste. Because the corn and cassava are fermented before cooking, banku has a distinctive mild sourness, a gentle tang that plainer swallows do not have. That tang is much loved and is a big part of banku's identity. It is filling, comforting, everyday food, the kind of staple that anchors a meal, and it is eaten across Ghana, with particular associations with the Ewe and Ga communities. It belongs to the wider world of Ghanaian cooking we cover in our guide to Ghanaian food.
The Fermented Corn and Cassava
The heart of banku is its two-part dough, and understanding it helps you understand the food. The first part is fermented corn dough, made by soaking and grinding maize and letting it ferment for a few days, which develops the sour flavour. The second is cassava dough, made from the same starchy root behind garri and fufu, which you can read about in our guide to cassava. The two are combined, often in a rough balance that varies by cook and region, and it is this blend that gives banku its particular texture and taste.
The fermentation is not just about flavour, it is part of a long tradition of using fermentation to make staple foods more digestible and longer lasting, a technique found across West African cooking. For cooks abroad, the good news is that the fermented corn and cassava dough is sold ready-prepared in African food shops, and there are also convenient banku mixes that combine the two in the right proportions, so you do not have to ferment anything yourself. That makes this traditional staple very achievable in a British kitchen.
What Banku Is Eaten With
Banku is a swallow-style staple, meaning it is eaten with something saucy rather than on its own, and it has some classic partners. The most iconic is banku, with grilled tilapia, a whole fish grilled until smoky and served with a hot, fresh pepper sauce, often made with tomato, onion and plenty of chilli. This combination, the tangy banku, the smoky fish and the fiery pepper, is one of Ghana's best-loved meals and a favourite at restaurants and roadside spots alike. Because it involves fish, anyone with a fish allergy should take care.
Banku is also eaten with a range of soups and stews, such as okra soup, groundnut soup and pepper sauces, where its tang balances the richness of the sauce. Like other swallows, it is eaten with the hands: you pinch off a piece of banku, use it to scoop up the soup or sauce, and eat the two together. Its sour note makes it a particularly good match for spicy, rich accompaniments, and part of the pleasure is the contrast between the cool, tangy dough and the hot, savoury sauce.
Banku Versus Kenkey
Banku is often mentioned alongside kenkey, another Ghanaian fermented corn staple, and since they are related, it helps to know the difference. Both are made from fermented corn, and both have that characteristic sour taste, but they are prepared differently. Banku is made from fermented corn combined with cassava dough and cooked in a pot into a smooth ball, ready to eat straight away. Kenkey is made mainly from fermented corn, then wrapped in leaves, corn husks or plantain leaves and steamed or boiled, which gives it a firmer texture and an even more pronounced sour flavour.
So while they are cousins, banku is smoother and softer with cassava in the mix, and kenkey is firmer, wrapped and steamed, and usually more sharply sour. Both are eaten with pepper sauces, fish and stews, and both are staples of Ghanaian eating, with regional and personal preferences deciding which appears on the table. Knowing the difference helps you choose and order the right one, and many people love both for different meals and moods.
Where can I Buy the ingredients in UK?
Making banku at home in Britain is very achievable, thanks to the ready-prepared ingredients sold in African food shops. You can buy the fermented corn dough and cassava dough separately, or, more conveniently, a ready-made banku mix or flour that combines the two in the right proportions, so you simply cook and stir it into the finished dough. The same shops stock the tilapia or other fish, the fresh chillies, tomatoes and onions for the pepper sauce, and the shito and okra you might want to serve alongside.
If you are new to banku, a ready-made mix is the easiest starting point, and the shopkeeper can point you to a good one and explain the quick cooking method. You can find African food stores near you or look up Caribbean food stores near you. If you would rather taste it first, look for banku with tilapia at Ghanaian restaurants and takeaways, where it is often a signature dish.
Frequently asked questions
What is banku?
Banku is a Ghanaian staple made from a mixture of fermented corn and cassava dough, cooked and stirred over heat into a smooth, slightly stretchy ball. The fermentation gives it a characteristic mild, tangy, sour taste. It is a swallow-style food eaten with soups, stews or, most famously, grilled tilapia and hot pepper sauce.
What is banku made from?
Fermented corn dough combined with cassava dough. The corn is soaked, ground and fermented for a few days to develop its sour flavour, and the cassava dough comes from the same starchy root behind garri and fufu. The two are mixed and cooked together, and ready-made banku mixes combine them in the right proportions.
What do you eat banku with?
Most iconically with grilled tilapia and a hot, fresh pepper sauce, one of Ghana's best-loved meals. It is also eaten with soups and stews such as okra and groundnut soup, where its tang balances the rich sauce. Like other swallows, it is eaten with the hands, pinching off a piece to scoop up the sauce.
What is the difference between banku and kenkey?
Both are Ghanaian fermented corn staples with a sour taste, but banku is made from fermented corn combined with cassava dough and cooked in a pot into a smooth ball, ready to eat. Kenkey is made mainly from fermented corn, wrapped in leaves and steamed or boiled, giving it a firmer texture and a sharper sour flavour.
Where can I buy the ingredients in the UK?
African food shops sell the fermented corn dough and cassava dough separately, or a convenient ready-made banku mix that combines the two, along with tilapia, fresh chillies and the shito or okra to serve alongside. A ready-made mix is the easiest starting point, and the shopkeeper can explain the quick cooking method. African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you.
