Return to Investigation or Investigation/Food and Cooking or Clues

For breakfast many people eat porridge with cows milk and sugar or boabab juice.	It can be made from cereals such as coos, millet, corn or rice which has to be pounded first.	Children will eat a snack at school then eat lunch at home after school. It might be domoda, which is made with rice, peanuts and meat.
This is goat meat, served with cabbage, bitter tomatoes and rice.	There is always a cereal of some type. It mops up all the lovely rich sauces.	Food is shared around a communal dish, often on the floor but in some families the men, women and children eat from separate dishes. There may be spoons or the right hand is used

Where does the Food Come From?

What is this lady carrying in her basket? She is coming back from a little shop.	Meat can be bought at the market	What is growing on the tree inside the compound?

This lady could be carrying grains back from the fields	There are fruits growing at different times of the year. What is inside this fruit?	Ground nuts grow well in the sandy soil and it is called a 'cash crop' because it is exported to other countries as well as being used in many meals
Fish might be fresh, smoked or dried. Where do you think it comes from?	Cattle are reared in The Gambia mainly by the Fula tribe. They are used for milk and for meat. They are also used for cultivating the land. If you have cattle it shows how important you are	At school the children have gardens where they learn to grow lots of different vegetables. They are then able to help in the gardens or fields in their villages

How do you think your diet compares with this?
Do you notice any processed foods or much sweet food?

Drinks may be tea, some made from leaves found locally from the bush.
Attaya tea is popular. There are juices made from the local fruits such as baobab.
It is very sweet.

Making attayah tea

This tea might be made several times a day. One packet is used at a time. It is called China Green Tea or gunpowder tea. It is imported from China	It is a long process. The tea is put in the pot with water and boiled on a little stove. That liquid is poured away and the process is repeated.	Sugar is added to the boiled tea
It is boiled again. Here the sugar is dissolving	The tea is poured from one glass to another many, many times	.........until it produces a thick froth

It really is delicious and refreshing! The glass is often passed around and shared

How many countries do you think your food has come from?

How many miles do you think it has travelled?

How does that compare with the food eaten in The Gambia?

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