The legend of Gobɛ: a Ghanaian delicacy

Ghana, with her diversity in culture and ethnicity, is a country also known for its unique delicacies across her 16 regions. Among the popular ones, especially in southern Ghana, is gari and beans usually accompanied with fried riped plantain. Over the years, the name of this combo has evolved from gar-beans (extracted from gari & beans), yɔ kɛ gari (which literally translates as beans and gari in the Ga language), red-red (gari, beans and fried plantain), and gobe; pronounced //gɔbɛ//. A combo of usually three ingredients, it has catapulted its name into the elite delicacies in Ghana. One cannot be a Ghanaian without ever tasting this gloriously popular meal.

The name gobɛ is technically an acronym derived from the combination of gari, oil, beans, and egg. Exactly. This unique name was ordained by some living legends and has been widely accepted by the populace; látom.

Between the early hours to late afternoons, most gobɛ joints are usually observed with long queues of customers of all ages, heights, race, and sex waiting on their turn. Although it is an affordable meal, people go to the extreme to make it more sumptuous, adding some fried sausage, gizzard, and avocados for garnish.

Gobɛ is not just a delicacy but a national asset. During difficult times, a bowl/pack of gobɛ with a nutritional course of 0.1.0 formation can sustain an individual throughout the day. Life-saving, I daresay.

Interestingly, various people have given varying accounts of this delicacy. Some proclaim gobɛ sellers are national treasures thus, they cannot absent themselves on working days without prior notice. Others say the meal is formed from the carbon-carbon compound; CH3 (I don’t know what it means, but I somehow agree), whereas some so-so spiritual people have declared that, when one has a bad dream, one must eat gobɛ. These summarise the extreme love the natives have for this delicacy.

All said and done, “a bowl of gobɛ a day keeps hunger away.” Bakadesh!!