Shito

Cans of Shito

Gravy with Shito (at top, green, red and black)

Shitor Din, commonly called Shito, is the word for pepper in Ga, a Ghanaian native language of the capital Accra. Whilst the word for pepper is different for each of the Ghanaian native languages, the word 'Shito' is widely used as the name for the hot black pepper sauce ubiquitous in Ghanaian cuisine.^[1]

Shito sauce consists primarily of fish or vegetable oil, ginger, dried fish, prawns, crustaceans, tomatoes, garlic, peppers and spices. The blend of spices and fish differs between different regions and villages but owes its original recipe to the Ga tribe.^[2]

In Ghana, shito is used with a variety of dishes. These include kenkey, steamed rice, eba and waakye (rice and beans). Indeed its uses have been adapted to that of a local ketchup, hot sauceor chili oil. It is not uncommon to find shito being eaten with white bread or spring rolls. In most Chinese restaurants across Ghana, shito replaces hot oil as a condiment to fried rice/steamed rice.^[3]

Ground shito

Shito is not always hot black pepper and it can also be prepared without the use of oil. The ingredients for this type of shito are fresh pepper, onions, tomatoes and a little salt mashed together in an earthenware bowl popularly known as 'asanka' and a pestle. The colour of the resulting sauce is red (shitor tsulu) or green (kpakpo shito) depending on the colour of the pepper used. It can be eaten with banku, akple, gari, kenkey and steamed rice.

Gallery

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  Fried Rice with Grilled Chicken and Shito

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  Fante Kenkey with Shito and Sardine

See also

• Chili oil
• Solomon Gundy

References

1. "Shitor Din". congocookbook.com. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
2. "Ghana, Food & Drinks, Sauce/Stew". ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
3. "Shito without oil".