National Dish Burkina Faso: Banfora Gateaux (Recipe)
In this article
Gateaux in Burkina Faso are not cakes in the French sense but small balls of sweet yeast dough, deep-fried until golden and sold warm from enamel bowls at every market and roadside. In Banfora, as elsewhere in the country, they are breakfast, they are a snack, and they are what children are given a coin for.
About Banfora Gateaux
Gateaux are sweet fried dough balls, a fixture of street food across Burkina Faso and much of West Africa. A simple yeast dough of flour, sugar and water is left to rise, then dropped in spoonfuls into hot oil, where the balls puff and turn deep golden. They are crisp outside, soft and slightly chewy within, and they are always eaten warm, often with sweet tea or a cup of bissap.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 250 g plain flour
- 4 g dried yeast
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 150 ml lukewarm water
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg (optional)
- Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Shopping for the ingredients
Nothing here is unusual: plain flour, sugar, yeast and oil. What matters is the oil. Use a neutral one with a high smoke point and enough of it that the balls can float rather than sit on the bottom. A little nutmeg is a common West African addition and worth having.
Preparing the dish
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the lukewarm water and leave it until foaming. Mix into a thick, sticky batter-dough, considerably wetter than bread dough, closer to a very thick pancake batter, and let it rise until visibly bubbly. Heat the oil to about 170 °C before you start shaping.
Step-by-step instructions
- Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the lukewarm water; leave 10 minutes until foaming.
- Add the flour, salt and nutmeg, and beat into a thick, sticky dough.
- Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 1–1½ hours, until bubbly and doubled.
- Heat the oil to 170 °C in a deep pan.
- Scoop walnut-sized portions with a wet spoon and slide them into the oil.
- Fry for 4–5 minutes, turning, until deep golden all over.
- Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm, dusted with sugar if you like.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
The dough contains no dairy or eggs, so it is naturally lactose-free. A gluten-free version works with a bread-specific blend, though the balls will be denser. Add an extra teaspoon of sugar and a little more water, since gluten-free flours absorb more liquid.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
Gateaux are vegan exactly as written: flour, water, yeast, sugar and oil. Fried in fresh vegetable oil they suit any plant-based diet, and they are one of the most reliable street snacks in West Africa for anyone avoiding animal products.
More tips and tricks
Keep the oil at a steady moderate temperature, too hot and the outside colours before the middle cooks, which is the usual failure. Use a wet spoon to release the sticky dough cleanly. And fry in small batches, since crowding the pan drops the oil temperature and gives greasy results.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Mashed banana in the dough is a common and excellent variation. A pinch of cinnamon or a splash of vanilla suits the sweetness. Some vendors roll the hot balls in sugar; others serve them plain, letting the dough speak for itself.
Ingredient substitutions
Millet or maize flour can replace up to a third of the wheat flour for a more traditional, slightly grainier texture. Milk in place of water enriches the dough if you are not keeping it vegan. Any neutral frying oil works, in Burkina Faso it would usually be groundnut oil.
Drink pairing ideas
Sweet mint tea or strong Nescafé are the standard companions at market stalls. Bissap, chilled hibiscus juice, is the classic cold option and its tartness balances the sweetness perfectly. Ginger juice (gnamakoudji) works just as well.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve gateaux warm, piled in a bowl or wrapped in paper as they are sold. They need no plate and no cutlery. A small dish of sugar for dipping is a nice touch, though most Burkinabè would consider it unnecessary.
A bit of history
Fried dough snacks of this kind are found right across West Africa, as puff-puff in Nigeria, bofrot in Ghana, beignets in the francophone countries, and they travel with the region’s street food culture. In Burkina Faso they are sold by women running small stalls, often as an independent livelihood, which makes them an economic institution as much as a culinary one. They offer a genuine window onto Burkinabè cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Banfora Gateaux
Gateaux are sweet yeast dough balls fried until golden, Burkina Faso’s most reliable street snack, vegan by default and best eaten warm. One rise, five minutes in the oil, and a bowlful that disappears immediately.
