Popular African Pastries & Baked Goods by Country
African pastries and baked goods reflect a rich blend of traditional, colonial, and indigenous influences. From sweet treats to savory snacks, here are some of the most popular pastries and baked delicacies across Africa:
🥖 Bread & Baked Goods
-
Mandazi – 🇰🇪 Kenya / 🇹🇿 Tanzania / 🇺🇬 Uganda
- Deep-fried, slightly sweet dough similar to a doughnut, often flavored with coconut or cardamom.
-
Fataya – 🇸🇳 Senegal / 🇲🇱 Mali
- West African version of an empanada, filled with spiced fish or meat.
-
Chapati – 🇺🇬 Uganda / 🇰🇪 Kenya / 🇹🇿 Tanzania
- Soft, layered flatbread, popular for breakfast or as an accompaniment to stews.
-
Msemen – 🇲🇦 Morocco
- Square-shaped, flaky Moroccan flatbread, often eaten with honey and butter.
-
Brik – 🇹🇳 Tunisia
- Thin pastry filled with egg, tuna, and spices, then deep-fried to crispy perfection.
-
Meloui – 🇲🇦 Morocco
- Similar to msemen but more rolled and flaky, often eaten with honey or cheese.
-
Lahooh – 🇩🇯 Djibouti / 🇸🇴 Somalia / 🇾🇪 Yemen
- Spongy, fermented pancake-like bread, similar to Ethiopian injera but smaller and often served for breakfast.
-
Pain Sénégalais (Tapalapa Bread) – 🇸🇳 Senegal / 🇬🇲 Gambia
- Dense, chewy bread similar to a baguette but with a unique texture.
-
Paõ (Mozambican Bread Rolls) – 🇲🇿 Mozambique
- Portuguese-influenced, soft bread rolls often eaten with peri-peri chicken.
-
Kisra – 🇸🇩 Sudan / 🇸🇸 South Sudan
- Fermented sorghum-based flatbread, a staple in Sudanese cuisine.
Pastries & Sweet Treats
- Koeksisters – 🇿🇦 South Africa
- Fried braided dough soaked in sugary syrup, crispy on the outside, soft inside.
- Kaab el Ghazal (Gazelle Horns) – 🇲🇦 Morocco
- Crescent-shaped almond-filled pastries dusted with powdered sugar.
- Chin Chin – 🇳🇬 Nigeria / 🇬🇭 Ghana
- Crunchy, deep-fried dough bites, sweet and often spiced with nutmeg.
- Pastelitos de Nata (Custard Tarts) – 🇦🇴 Angola / 🇲🇿 Mozambique
- Portuguese-style custard tarts with a caramelized top.
- Mkate wa Sinia – 🇹🇿 Tanzania / 🇰🇪 Kenya (Swahili Coast)
- A soft, sweet, spiced coconut cake made with rice flour.
- Canjeero (Somali Pancakes) – 🇸🇴 Somalia
- Slightly sweet, spongy pancakes served with butter and honey.
- Gurasa – 🇸🇩 Sudan
- Thick, round Sudanese bread that’s both a pancake and flatbread.
- Baghrir (Thousand-Hole Pancakes) – 🇲🇦 Morocco / 🇩🇿 Algeria
- Soft, honeycomb-textured pancakes served with honey and butter.
- Beignets – 🇨🇲 Cameroon / 🇨🇩 DR Congo / 🇸🇳 Senegal
- Fluffy, deep-fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar.
- Makroud – 🇹🇳 Tunisia / 🇩🇿 Algeria
- Date-filled semolina cookies, often glazed with honey.
- Malva Pudding – 🇿🇦 South Africa
- A warm, spongy dessert cake soaked in caramel sauce.
- Qumbe (Coconut Bars) – 🇸🇴 Somalia / 🇰🇪 Kenya
- Sweet coconut and sugar bars, often flavored with cardamom.
- Puff-Puff – 🇳🇬 Nigeria / 🇬🇭 Ghana / 🇨🇲 Cameroon
- Fluffy deep-fried dough balls, similar to doughnuts but softer inside.
- Mkatra Foutra – 🇰🇲 Comoros
- Coconut-flavored fried bread, served with honey or tea.
- Benne Wafers – 🇸🇳 Senegal
- Thin sesame seed cookies with a crunchy texture.
🥧 Savory Pastries & Pies
- Samosas – 🇰🇪 Kenya / 🇹🇿 Tanzania / 🇸🇩 Sudan
- Crispy, triangular pastries filled with spiced meat or vegetables.
- Empanadas Africanas – 🇦🇴 Angola
- Portuguese-style meat pies with a spicy kick.
- Cassava Bread – 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone / 🇱🇷 Liberia
- Flat, chewy bread made from cassava, served with soups.
- Khebab Bread (Shawarma Wraps) – 🇳🇬 Nigeria / 🇬🇭 Ghana
- Flatbread used for wrapping grilled meats and sauces.
- Sfenj – 🇲🇦 Morocco / 🇩🇿 Algeria
- Light, airy doughnuts, often eaten with honey or sugar.
