Endangered indigenous Ghanaian dishes: Home Economics Students of University of Education, Winneba, Ghana’s Perspective

The culture of any group of people portrays their way of life transmitted across generations. Most of the elements of the Ghanaian culture including the food, its preparation and service have been altered due to colonization. There seems to be an abandonment of indigenous Ghanaian cuisines and delicacies as very little of them is seen in eateries, at social functions and in homes. The study sought to identify indigenous Ghanaian dishes that are endangered; examine the factors accounting for the endangerment of the dishes and suggest strategies for ameliorating this phenomenon. This descriptive survey adopted the quantitative research approach to gather and analyze data from a sample of 204 respondents who were chosen from the various regional groups that were formed. Respondents were on an average age of 23 years. A multistage sampling technique comprising Purposive, Stratified Random and Convenience sampling techniques were employed to select respondents. A self-developed questionnaire (Google form) was used to gather data which were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. The results revealed that majority (78.2%) of respondents are unfamiliar with most indigenous Ghanaian dishes from their respective localities; indicating their possible extinction. Factors leading to the unfamiliarity included Westernized education (96%), advertisement of foreign foods (92%), climate change (92%) and migration (89%). In order to ameliorate this looming canker, it was suggested that, media advertisements should hype indigenous dishes (37.2%); there should also be improvement in the nutritive and organoleptic properties of the dishes (14%) as well as infusion of indigenous foods into school curricula (10.1%). More research on endangered indigenous Ghanaian dishes is recommended to bail them out of obscurity and extinction. Intervention programmes such as recipe development of local dishes at school levels to revitalize cultural values in foods are also recommended.