Teranga

Teranga  

Senegalese food: a big surprised

I went  to Teranga  I’ve to admit a little scare. Before of hearing about this place I had to say, I had never think of Senegalese food, which now I realize it was a big mistake. Teranga a beautiful little restaurant in the South End is the perfect place to eat.

What they first serve you is bread with a delicious and elaborate dip. The waitress could only revealed a few ingredients like olive oil, balsamic, garlic, onion, red and green pepper then she say the rest of the 25 ingredients were secret.

They serve the 3 Senegalese classic dishes:

Mafé,  if you are a lamb fan this is definitely your option, is a dish of lamb stew with  carrots, sweet potatoes, and other vegetables as white potatoes and cabbage it is accompany by a jasmine rice.

Mischou, a not so common dish that is marinated roasted lamb with bone served in and onion sauce with Moroccan couscous. Here they served the chicken and lamb with the bone because that’s the way it’s serve in Senegal. “Not having the bone in the chicken, it wouldn’t be authentic” says the chef.  However if the costumer ask it, they would take out the bone.

The third classic dish is the Thiébou Djeun, which is the National Dish, is a herb-stuffed white fish cooked served with jasmine rice and vegetables such as cassava, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, eggplant and, pumpkin.  This was my choice, and I have to say it was delicious the fish was perfectly cooked and the sauce make a great partner, so it wouldn’t feel dry, but I have to warn you will find some spines, so be careful. The rice was what they call “broken rice” which in my experience resembles a couscous. It was really tasty with a lot of flavor, was soft and firm, which I can imagine it can’t be easy to accomplish.  The vegetables were a nice company to our food, they were boiled and had some of the fish sauce so it was a fine combination.

To drink they offered a selection of 3 juices that they’ll make a good match with your meal. The Bissap is sorrel juice mix with pineapple and orange juice with vanilla sugar; this is a delicious fresh beverage perfect for refreshing in the sunny days.

The ginger juice is also a refreshing drink; only this one will let you a spicy flavor in your mouth. Is made of ginger root, pineapple juice, orange flower water, and vanilla sugar.

The bouye is more of a sweet drink. They drink it with the main dish, but it can also be taken with dessert.   It has the look of a milkshake but less thick. It has cream, orange flower water, and vanilla sugar but its main ingredient is the juice of the bouye, a fruit from the baobab tree. A tree you can only find in some parts of Africa and in Australia.

I was greatly surprised by the Senegalese food, definitely in a good way. I’m ready to try it again in the first opportunity I have.