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Food facts | BENIN Facts at a glanceFull name: The Republic of Benin
Population: 7.1 million (UN, 2005)
Capital: Porto-Novo
Major languages: French (official) Fon, Ge, Bariba, Yoruba, Dendi
Major religions: Indigenous beliefs, Christianity, Islam Life expectancy: 53 years (men), 54 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc = 100 centimes
GNI per capita: US $510 (World Bank, 2006) [Source: BBC News]
Mention Benin and it conjures images of voodoo, stilted villages and succulent food.
Benin was formerly known as Dahomey. It has emerged as a beacon of democracy and is one of Africa’s most stable nations.
The country has undergone an economic recovery, since the transition to a democratic government in 1990.
The economy is dependent on subsistence agriculture and cotton, and relies heavily on trade with Nigeria. Whilst it is one of Africa’s largest cotton producers along with the production of textiles, palm products, and cocoa, it remains one of the world’s poorest countries.
Maize (corn), beans, rice, peanuts, cashews, pineapples, cassava, yams, and other various tubers are grown for local subsistence.
In 2005, thousands of Togolese refugees fled from political unrest in their homeland and sought refuge in Benin. International aid was called on to help shelter and feed the exiles. Deep fried peanut butter sticks called klui klui is a favourite dish in the country. Did you know? Aliment de Rues, the Benin Consumers organisation did a questionnaire in towns and villages around the country.
The survey of 50 street food vendors and 50 consumers revealed that… 87% of vendors have not received basic hygiene training 57% of consumers have been ill after eating street food 43% of consumers are not satisfied with street food
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