Food Etiquette in Gambia Use Your Right Hand after you Wash Both Hands

This is how I set the Bar up for gatherings, and we all eat from these trays. Funny how this is such a tradition that we do communally. 

But here is another story and how we can take tradition and modernize it without knowing we are doing such.

When a typical Gambian family sits down to eat they do so around a communal bowl that has a mound of rice which might have a sauce on top or mixed rice like Benachin (Jollof Rice) with vegetables in the center. It is then placed on a mat (basing). 

A mound of rice, shaped with a teacup while hot helps builds the mound for individual serving. 

 As an honored guest, you may sometimes be given your own bowl or plate of food to eat depending on the circumstances. Don't be surprised if you are visiting a family and find them eating and be called over to join them for a meal. This is normal food etiquette in the Gambia. 

The first rule about eating food around a communal bowl is to first wash both your hands then take off your shoes before sitting down on the mat. Indeed shoe removal should be done when entering any family room or hallway. You may be offered a short stool to sit on. In strict religious families, particularly up-country and with the Mandinka tribe, women and men eat separately while the kids go to either bowl.

Lobster Tails, over The Ultimate Paella 

Do not start eating until you see your hosts begin eating and they will usually say the Arabic word "Bismillah" which is an idiom meaning "In the Name of Allah". Only use your right hand for eating. If you do choose to eat with a family in this way you shape the rice into an almost egg-shaped one before eating it. You may be given a spoon however, the above procedure should still be followed. Keep your hands to your section of the bowl i.e. the part directly in front of you which is about 10  - 15 cm wide. Don't be afraid to ask for a spoon if you don't think you can handle it because as a guest they are only too pleased to offer you a spoon. 

However, at intervals, you may go to the near center of the bowl to cut a piece of meat or vegetable to bring back to your section and mix it with some rice before putting it in your mouth. Do not eat any food directly from the center. Don't be surprised if people beat you to it and cut it for you and put it in your section.

On a word of caution, it is the height of bad manners in Gambian society to smell food in front of others before eating it. Furthermore, even if you are not hungry it is seen as rude to decline a meal so at least try and take a couple of mouthfuls to eat it slowly. However, should you decide not to eat do not watch others eating; you should move away somewhere else until the others are ready with their meal. 

When eating keep conversation down to the minimum but do mention how delicious the meal is. Any food that leaves the bowl and into your mouth or falls onto the food mat should be left there. You can request for and drink water while eating. Though it sounds odd to westerners a quiet but audible belch after a meal is considered polite as it shows you have enjoyed the food and have eaten to your satisfaction.

Standing around in the host kitchen, amazingly following a tradition, It was loud, cross-talking, and talking going on.

Way too full to get up we sat around and kept talking after dessert was served. 

If you have finished your meal you should get straight up and go wash your hands and do not return to the communal bowl for a chat. If you are an adult then you should try by all means and get up before the children. Wash your hands with soap and water. When all are finished you may again compliment your hosts on how delicious the meal was. 

While in the Gambia you will see some of the above rules being broken but the washing and right-hand rules must be adhered to. 

If you find yourself eating alone and somebody you know approaches you,  it is good manners to tell them "come and join me". Please note that the above rules are for lunch and sometimes dinner. Breakfast, however, tends to be a sole activity normally involving bread though do offer to share if you are in the company of others. 

The usual phrase people use when they are calling you to lunch is "Ky Len Nu Ane" and for dinner, it is "Ky Len Nu Rerr".