Traditional Gambian cooking consists of dishes that, someway or the other, have something to do with the most important products of the country: peanuts, rice, couscous, chicken and fish. They are prepared over an open fire or boiled. Apart from restaurants, many other eating places use oil not always suitable to western stomachs. Dry rice and dry bread are excellent side-dishes.

A few dishes:
Wolof-rice: rice (or couscous) prepared in the way the Wolof-tribe has been doing for centuries, with fresh vegetables, several kinds of meat and tomatoes; this meal is common known as Benachin.
Several sorts of sisay: sisay is the Mandika-word for chicken, so you know what the main ingredient is.
sisay-bassi: chicken with barley, several flavourings and spices; sisay-nayebi: chicken with peas and beans, again with several, sometimes spicey, side-dishes; sisay-yassa: chicken with onions and garlic, pepper and vinegarsauce.
I wouldn't recommend chicken, particularly in the inland, that is prepared over an open fire. You will not have to expect any problems in restaurants. Always cut the chicken in two to see if it is well roasted.
A dish with the most important agricultural article, the peanut, also belongs to the permanent inland menus; try domada: a peanut-puree with rice (or couscous) and several sorts of meat; for starters you could choose tio-gio, a peanut-soup.
Fish is one of the most important products in The Gambia and at the same time main course in many meals. It is prepared in dozens of ways, but do try fish without sauces or spices. The Ladyfish, for example, is a very tasty fish with lovely white meat. The Nile-perch, the Bongafish and the Butterfish are not to be sneezed at either. Prepared in the traditional way you eat fish like you have never eaten before. If you don't like fish bones, Butterfish is your meal. This fish has got a leathery skin and is practically without bones. Furthermore I ought to mention lobsters, shrimps and oysters, although you are dependent on the season for them.
The dessert of nearly every meal consists, at least, of fresh fruits. In spring the mango dominates, but papayas are available during the whole year. There are plenty of inland bananas available, rather small, but very tasty. Melon and avocado belong to the popular fruits and, less in quality, but freshly prepared, the pineapple still remains a delicacy.
At meals in the restaurants of hotels there is plenty of choice from several drinks. In the first place there is water. You need to drink a lot. See to it that the bottle of water you ordered is opened at your table! The beer brewed in The Gambia: Julbrew can stand comparison with wellknown brands. Of course there is a variety of foreign beers, Belgian, Danish, German and/or Dutch beer is mostly available. When ordering beer you ask for that particular brand or simply for 'local beer'. Wine, white as well as red, is of generally good (popular) quality. They are imported from Spain, Portugal and Italy. You won't find exclusive wines. Furthermore, you can hardly think of any spirits that are not available in hotels. It's more difficult to order alcoholic drinks in the inland. The Muslim doesn't drink alcohol and the small amount that can be sold to tourists makes keeping a large variety in store rather useless. To be perfectly clear: they don't object to somebody drinking alcohol, but it is not always in store. Don't be surprised to see the waiter jump on his bike or moped to collect an order in a nearby 'supermarket'! There are, for that matter, plenty of alternatives in the rich variety of tea.