Why Food is Culture: A Zongo Girl’s Perspective

When people think of food, they often see it as just something to eat—fuel for the body, a necessity. But for me, food has always been more than that. It’s memory, identity, and belonging. As a girl born and raised in Accra’s Zongo community, I’ve learned that every grain of rice, every pot of soup, every spice-filled aroma carries stories far deeper than taste.

Food as Memory

Auntie Memuna from Nima...

My earliest food memories aren’t just of eating—they’re of community. I remember being four years old in a village in Niger, waking up to the sound of pounding millet and the smell of fresh cow milk drifting through the morning air.

Later, in Ghana, I’d watch my mother sit in front of our house during Ramadan, frying koose while I waited impatiently for my turn to fill a plate and sell to our Muslim neighbors. Those moments weren’t just about filling our bellies—they were about connection and community.

Every food memory stitched me into the fabric of Zongo life. When I eat tuo zaafi with kuuka soup, I’m not just enjoying a dish—I’m tasting the hands of my mother and grandmother, the lessons of patience they passed on, and the rhythm of Zabarma culture blending with Ghanaian culture, alive in every bite.

Food as Identity

Autine Memuna's koose & pinkaso

In Zongo, food is how we tell the world who we are. Our meals are a reflection of migration, resilience, and cultural blending. Being from a Nigerien family in Ghana, my plate has always been a map of identities.

Some days it’s Kopto da danbu—a Nigerien superfood.

Other days, it’s kenkey and fish—a dish shared across many Ghanaian homes.

Cooking and eating these meals constantly reminds me that I’m both Ghanaian and Nigerien, Zabarma and Accra-born. Food makes space for all the layers of my identity without asking me to choose.

Food as Culture

Culture isn’t only preserved in festivals or textbooks—it lives in the kitchen. In the way spices are measured by sight, not spoons. In the communal act of sharing one large bowl of rice instead of eating separately. In the way our mothers and aunties pass down recipes, not by writing them, but by letting us watch, taste, and learn.

In Zongo, food is our language. It’s how we celebrate weddings, welcome travelers, or even mourn together. A single meal can say: you belong here.

Why It Matters

As I share Ghanaian and Zongo food experiences with others through AFRO EATS by haja, I realize I’m not just feeding people—I’m letting them into my story, into my culture. I want them to leave not just full, but inspired. Because food isn’t just about taste—it’s about roots, history, and identity.

So the next time you sit at a table, ask yourself: What story does this meal carry? For me, as a Zongo girl, the answer will always be: Food is culture. Food is home.

Story by:

Hajaratu Ayuba,

Food entrepreneur, Comms specialist, Story teller & Advocate.