Big pots arrive at the table, the smell of spice reaches you before the plate does, and conversation gets louder with every dish passed from hand to hand. Neighbours drop in unannounced and an extra stool is always found, while each region brings its own flavours and jokes to the meal.
Warm all year, with a wet season and a dry season, the weather is tropical in the south and drier and hotter toward the north. Dry months can bring the dusty harmattan wind. A Local Friend sits down with you at a table you would not have found alone, and introduces you to the people who make it lively.
