Bissap, Bouye and Ginger: Homemade Senegalese Juices in Dakar

Bissap, bouye and ginger juice are the three great traditional juices of Senegal. At Ge'eza they are homemade and cost 1,500 F each. Bissap is a deep red hibiscus juice, naturally tart; bouye is a creamy, slightly tart baobab fruit juice; and the ginger juice is fresh ginger blended with pure pineapple juice and water. Beside them the menu offers Ethiopian drinks: birz, spris and spiced tea. The restaurant is at 656 avenue Birago Diop in Point E, Dakar.

Bissap: hibiscus

Bissap is probably Dakar's most recognisable juice. It is made from dried hibiscus flowers, infused, then sweetened. Ge'eza's menu describes it as Senegalese hibiscus juice, deep red, naturally tart, refreshing.

Its colour is that of red wine, its taste that of a fruity, taut infusion. It is drunk cold, over ice, and goes well with spicy dishes, because its acidity cleans the palate. Price: 1,500 F.

Bouye: baobab fruit

Bouye is the fruit of the baobab. The pulp, dry and powdery, is stirred into water to give a creamy white drink with a thick texture and a gentle tartness. The menu speaks of a creamy, slightly tart juice. It is rarer abroad than bissap and a drink to try for its character: the baobab is an emblematic tree of Senegal.

Price: 1,500 F. It suits those who like milky drinks without the milk, or who want a distinctive taste without chilli.

Ginger: the drink that wakes you up

Ge'eza's ginger juice is fresh ginger blended with pure pineapple juice and water. The bite of the ginger is softened by the roundness of the pineapple. The drink is lively, clear, golden yellow. Price: 1,500 F.

It is the choice that best accompanies hearty meals, because its liveliness cuts through rich sauces. You will happily drink it with tibs or a dish made with clarified butter.

One standard: homemade

In the introduction to the drinks section, the menu stresses that all the juices are homemade, from carefully selected produce. Senegalese classics meet Ethiopian tradition there: it is the very principle of the house, which brings two cultures into one menu.

The Ethiopian counterparts

Beside the three Senegalese juices, the menu offers Ethiopian drinks that play the same role, refreshing or accompanying a meal.

• Birz, 2,000 F: Ethiopian honey water, made of pure Senegalese honey and water. Two ingredients, centuries of tradition, says the menu. It is the alcohol-free version of tej.
• Spris, 3,500 F: a layered Ethiopian smoothie, in which fresh seasonal fruits are blended separately and stacked with honey.
• Ethiopian tea, 2,000 F: black tea infused with spices, served hot.
• Tej, 3,500 F: traditional Ethiopian honey wine, sweet, lightly amber, naturally fermented. It contains alcohol. The story of tej and birz is told in tej, Ethiopian honey wine.

And for water: still natural water from Casamance, small at 1,000 F or large at 1,500 F.

Which drink with which dish

A few simple pairings from the menu.

• With a beyaynetu, from 7,000 F, a bissap: its acidity answers the richness of pulse stews. For the dish, see beyaynetu.
• With a tibs or a Siga Wot, a ginger juice for its liveliness.
• With the Senegalese dish of the day, the local juice is included in the 5,500 F, with attaya.
• With a very spicy dish, a birz, soft and sweet, to calm the fire.
• For a festive meal, a tej, to accompany a dinner among friends.

Iced coffees and the rest

If you want something more bracing, the menu also has iced coffees: iced Ethiopian coffee at 2,500 F, iced latte at 3,500 F, iced caramel latte and iced mocha at 4,000 F, and the iced spiced latte at 3,500 F, the house signature. The Ethiopian macchiato is 2,500 F.

Coming to taste them

Drinks are served at any opening hour, Tuesday to Sunday, 8am to 10pm, in the villa in Point E: on the terrace under the trees, in the gallery lounge or in the glass-roofed room. To see the whole menu, go to the restaurant page.

Drinks by time of day

You do not choose a juice the same way at breakfast, at lunch or in the evening. In the morning, from 8am to 11am, with a foul or a chechebsa, a ginger juice at 1,500 F or an Ethiopian tea at 2,000 F make a lively start. At midday, the juice included in the Senegalese dish of the day follows the house's choice: ask what is available. In the late afternoon, a very cold bissap on the terrace under the trees is the simplest choice.

For the evening, those who like pairings will take a tej, which goes well with festive dishes, and those who prefer to avoid alcohol a birz. In both cases the menu describes a plain drink, with no artifice: honey and water for the birz, fermented honey for the tej.

Ordering for a group

If you come with several people, a round of juices is easy to order: the three Senegalese juices are the same price, 1,500 F. If you are several, you can mix, one bissap, one bouye, one ginger, and taste each other's glasses. For six people, a round of juices comes to 9,000 F. Birz at 2,000 F and spris at 3,500 F can be added for those who want something more Ethiopian.