Include ‘waakye’ in airplane menus- Chef Elijah Amoo

AWARD winning Ghanaian chef and social entrepreneur, Chef Elijah Amoo Addo, is championing a campaign for commercial airlines operating in and out of Ghana to feature the beloved Ghanaian delicacy “waakye” in their in-flight menu offerings.

Chef Elijah, founder of Food for All Africa, West Africa’s first and largest food bank located in Ghana, asserts that waakye, with its rich nutritional profile, is an ideal and wholesome choice for passengers during air travel.

The award-winning chef conveyed this appeal through his social media platforms over the weekend, sharing a video of himself relishing waakye during a flight with Ethiopian Airlines from Accra. The video was captioned, “Until airlines that travel to and from Accra start serving waakye, my tradition of buying and serving it on my trips will persist.”

Chef Elijah, a culinary advocate, believes that waakye, a Ghanaian staple, outshines many foods served on airplanes globally in terms of nutrition. He has maintained this tradition for the past five years, emphasizing that his commitment to waakye goes beyond personal preference; as a chef, he genuinely believes in its potential to offer a superior nutritional choice compared to standard airplane fare.

Waakye, a popular Ghanaian dish available as street food and commonly prepared at home, is made by boiling white rice with black-eyed peas and sorghum leaves, imparting its distinctive burgundy color. The inclusion of sorghum leaves in waakye preparation may fortify the dish with essential antioxidants, providing protection against diseases caused by oxidative stress, such as cancer, coronary heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cataracts.