Author and Epi contributor ZoeAdjonyoh explores the magic of shito, an irresistibly spicy Ghanaian condiment.
Shito is a famous Ghanaian hot chile condiment, akin to a relish, with a deep, earthy, smoky, fishy flavor. It can be made in a variety of ways, and every household has its own recipe. The condiment goes beautifully with both fish and meat, and can be served as a side to most dishes. It can also be used for marinating or as a dressing, dip, spread, or topping.
Part of the joy of eating shito as a child was being able to untwist its child-unfriendly cap, which made it feel like contraband. The strength required made accessing the black gold an adventure in and of itself—the threat of dark, smoky fish oil dripping all over my and my school uniform only added to the buzz.I ate it secretly—fearful of reprimand from Dad for eating all his shito.
We ate hot and extra-hot shito—never mild—in glass jars labeled “Ghana’s Best,” a phrase I was proud to be associated with: That mysterious land and its finest things had me in rapture.I’ve since learned that Ghana’s Best is not in fact owned by Ghanaians—but I’ve also learned a lot more about shito. After spending my 20s in a shito drought while living in Brighton, on the south coast of England, I returned to London, and shito came back into my diet and my imagination.
, I became a frequent shopper. And I got an education from the “aunties” I was not related to about the ingredients and flavors outside of my dad’s repertoire that Ghana had to offer.Ridley Road was where I bought my jarred shito. But that’s not the only shito that was available there: In Ghana, shito is a catch-all for any type of heat-giving chile or spice.
As I stood in the clamor and heat and hot smell, even with Evelyn by my side speaking in Twi and Ga, few women had much to say as I held up chiles of all shapes and sizes. They were all just “shito.” Still seeking answers, I turned to Google, and a limited number of African cookbooks and blogs available at the time. This added a new wrinkle: trying to figure out which tribes in Ghana called which chile by which local name.
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