From dry savannas to wet forests, Ghana has a variety of climatic zones, allowing it to produce a wide range of fruits to enjoy. Some fruits grown in Ghana are found all over the world, while others are unique to the African continent, eaten and loved by locals for ages.
With such a wide variety of fruits to enjoy, it helps to make a list of all the best that Ghana has to offer!
Oranges
There is nothing quite like a glass of orange juice in the morning, with the tangy, citrus taste from the juicy fruit. Enjoyed as juice or eaten in slices, oranges are sweet and full of a citrus burst.
Ghana boasts subtropical climates with both hot summers and fairly mild winters, giving the perfect terrain for the growth of oranges. It is fruit to be enjoyed all year round, and is considered one of the most popular fruits throughout the world!
Banana
Ghana is one of the three countries in Africa who have preferential trading of bananas to the European Union, so the banana trade in Ghana is ever-growing.
Bananas are a vastly popular fruit, with their soft texture and mild, yet unique flavor. Green bananas are used in cooking in Ghana as well, with the yellow ripe bananas eaten as is.
Apples
Apples Are juicy, crisp and oh so sweet. With so many different types of apples to choose between, from the sour green apple to the deliciously sweet red, apples cater to all different tastes!
From raw apple slices to cooked in a pie, apples have many different culinary purposes, but in Ghana, you will find them sold by street market vendors and are as fresh as you will get them!
African Pear
African pears are native to West African countries and are also known as ube, resembling eggplants. African pears have a pink color when unripe, but turn to a dark purple when they are ready to eat. Unlike other fruit, African pears are often cooked, and are buttery when roasted. Another popular method is to dip the African pear in hot water before eating. It is rich in antioxidants and has many other health benefits to boot.
Lemons
Lemons are not native to Ghana, but due to the hot climate and new lemon plantations, the lemon industry has boomed in this vibrant country.
The tangy sour citrus is used in so many ways, as juice, as a flavoring, as a dressing, and in cooking. It is as versatile just as it is flavorful. Lemons also offers many health benefits when eaten or consumed in water, making it a staple for many households.
Limes
Limes are often considered the baby cousin of lemons, smaller in shape with a greener color. Limes have a sweeter taste, with more fresh citrus notes than that of a lemon. While not generally eaten raw, limes are used in many dishes in Ghana and across the world, even being the star ingredient in many different desserts!
Noni Fruit
Noni fruit has a very distinctive flavor and taste, often smelling like fermented fruit and having a bitter taste. Noni fruit is not often eaten raw thanks to its not so pleasant flavor, but more commonly it is served in juice form, either sweetened, unsweetened or diluted and mixed with other fruit juices.
Noni fruit is popular thanks to its many health benefits and is enjoyed across African and Asian countries, due to its immune-boosting and pain-relieving properties.
Sisibi
Sisibi is a delicately sweet fruit similar to the grape. It comes from the sisibi tree, grown in the rainy season in Ghana. While sisibi fruits look similar to grapes, the difference is that sisibi fruit has seeds with peanut-like bits inside.
Purple in color and growing very similar to grapes, the two fruits can be confused between each other, but the sisibi fruit has a distinctive flavor that is loved throughout Ghana.
Tangerine
Tangerines are a group of orange-colored citrus fruits, similar to a mandarin. Tangerines tend to be smaller and less round than oranges, with a sweeter and stronger taste. The skin is peeled off fairly easily and is pebbly in texture.
Tangerines are eaten in segments once the skin has been peeled away, and the fruit grows between autumn and spring, having a long growing season in Ghana.
Soursop
Soursop is a very unique tasting fruit. It has an aroma very similar to that of a pineapple, with the taste being a mixture of strawberries and apples, with very mild citrus notes, all while having the creamy texture of a banana.
The leaves and roots of the soursop are used as immune system boosters, and help to ease hypertension and stomach ailments. It is an all-round good-for-you fruit that is completely unique in flavor and texture!
Pineapple
You don’t get more tropical than pineapples. Rich in antioxidants, enzymes, and vitamins, pineapples are as delicious as they are good for you.
With a fairly acidic taste, pineapples are both sweet and sour and luckily come in large portions thanks to the size of the fruit. Grown on pineapple trees, pineapple is harvested in Ghana and can be commonly found sold in markets and by street vendors. Enjoyed on its own or with spices, pineapples have the perfect acidic to sweet ratio.
Mango
Who doesn’t love the incredibly sweet, delicious taste of mango? Stone fruits, mangoes grow from tropical trees and are often grown wild.
The skin of the mango can be eaten with the soft fruit inside, but many people choose to peel the skin away to enjoy the soft fruit on its own.
Thanks to its flavor and texture, mangos are enjoyed all over the world, and mango juice is just as delicious as the fruit itself. Mangos are also known for their high levels of vitamin C, fiber and pectin, making it a good choice to help control cholesterol levels.
Papaya
The papaya tree is a small tree with few branches, with spiral leaves near the top of the trunk. When ripe, papaya, or pawpaw, is eaten raw, without the seeds or skin. The seeds can be eaten and have a spicy, sharp flavor. In some cases, the seeds are actually ground down and used in place of black pepper.
Unripened papaya is cooked up and served in salads in stews, often replacing potatoes or other vegetables.
The fruit itself has a mild fruity flavor, and the soft flesh is easy to cube and enjoy, usually as a breakfast or in a fruit salad, sprinkled lightly with sugar.
Melon
Sweet melons are popular summer fruit and enjoyed by almost everyone due to its mildly sweet flavor and juicy insides.
Melons are grown in Ghana throughout spring in towards the end of autumn and are often readily available during these times. The large fruit contains seeds which are removed along with the skin, before slicing and enjoying as the perfect fruit snack.
Melons are also known as cantaloupes or spanspek, depending on the area you are buying them from.
Coconut
The coconut is one of the most staple fruits in many countries around the world, with all parts of the coconut being used, the husk, the shell, the meat, and the water.
Considered both a fruit, a nut and a seed, a coconut on a tree has a hard green shell, beneath that is the hairy brown husk, and beneath that is the endocarp (the outside of the seed) which holds the white layer of the coconut, the meat, and the water.
It has the most incredibly unique taste and can be eaten raw, cooked or shaved in many different savory and sweet recipes. It really is a wonder-fruit, with coconut oil helping solve many ailments.
Coconuts are considered a superfood, so it is no wonder they are popular in Ghana.
Guava
Guavas have a taste which is a delightful mix between a strawberry and a pear. Depending on how ripe the fruit is, the pulp might taste sour or sweet, with the sweeter guavas tasting like a grapefruit and pear mixture.
The pulp of the guava has an amazing aroma and mild, subtle pink color. The pulp does have a milder taste than most fruits, but the flavor is very distinctive.
Guavas are served with the skin and pips removed, with the fruit chopped up. Guava yogurt is also a popular variety, mixing the creaminess of yogurt with the mild fruity flavor of the guava.
Atemoya
The atemoya would seem a strange fruit to those who aren’t familiar with it. It is a heart-shaped fruit that can grow to weigh up to 5 pounds. With a pale green skin when unripened, the fruit turns a yellow color as it is ready to be eaten.
The inside of the atemoya looks similar to a pinecone but has a snow-white color. The black seeds should not be eaten, and the flesh has a custard texture with some grittiness.
The taste of the atemoya is similar to a pineapple cross vanilla cream, with slight acidic notes. The fruit is best enjoyed chilled, eaten out the shell with a spoon, or added to fruit salads or desserts.
It is not a popular fruit worldwide, but visitors to Ghana should definitely give it a try.
Jackfruit
Jackfruits are a versatile fruit, often used to substitute meat in vegetarian dishes. It is a tropical tree-grown fruit that is large, with thick yellow flesh. Both the pod and the seeds in the jackfruit are edible. The flavor of the jackfruit is very distinctive, compared to a combination of a banana and a pineapple.
The fibrous texture of the jackfruit makes it popular as a meat substitute and is found in many native Ghanaian dishes. It is nutritious, readily available and full of flavor.
Pears
Pears have an incredibly sweet, mild and fruity flavor. Rich in antioxidants, pears are more than just a delicious fruit snack.
Fibrous and fat-free, a pear is one of the healthiest fruits you can eat. Eaten raw, the pear has a slight grainy flavor but is juicy and soft. Pears are also often cooked in desserts, giving a fruity touch to sweet dishes around the world.
Ghana has a large pear production and exports its best pears around the world.
Watermelon
Another tropical fruit, there are very few people who don’t enjoy a juicy slice of watermelon on a hot summers day. Grown in tropical and subtropical areas, watermelons are fairly easy to find in Ghana.
The outer hard skin of the watermelon cannot be eaten, but the soft pink-red interior flesh is fully edible, including the seeds. Watermelons get their name from containing a large amount of water, which makes it the perfect rehydrating-snack.
Other than high water content, watermelons have other health benefits. Thanks to their massive size, they can be shared with friends and family, or enjoyed over several days.
African Star Fruit aka Agbalumo
The African star fruit is commonly found throughout tropical Africa and is a popular fruit in Ghana. The fruit has many different health benefits and is often used as a natural remedy in many African countries.
The fruit has sweet and sour flavor, with the skin being edible as well. Often yellow or green in color, the star fruit gets its name from resembling a star when cut cross-section.
Depending on the maturity of the fruit, it can either be deliciously sweet or not-so-deliciously sour.
Fruits in Ghana
Due to the climate in Ghana, it is able to be home to many different fruits. From the coconut to the orange, there are different flavors and tastes to be enjoyed.
The beauty of enjoying fruits in Ghana is being able to purchase them fresh from markets, enjoying them soon after they were picked. The colors, fragrances, and tastes are a sensory delight, and the diversity of the fruits available speak to the absolute vibrancy of the colorful African country.
Work your way through the list to try as many fruits found in Ghana as you can!
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