Omanghana
Ghanaian actress Nadia Buari has reignited the friendly culinary rivalry between Ghana and Nigeria after trying gari soakings with fried fish for the first time.
The lighthearted debate began on a Nigerian film set when a crew member told Buari that some Nigerians enjoy soaked gari with fish.
The suggestion surprised the actress, who insisted that the Ghanaian version should contain groundnuts, milk and sugar—not fish.
“Don’t tell any Ghanaian this,” she jokingly warned before describing the savory combination as strange.
Buari Accepts the Gari-and-Fish Challenge
After her initial reaction attracted attention online, Buari’s Nigerian colleagues challenged her to taste the dish before rejecting it completely.
A follow-up video captured the actress hesitantly taking small portions of the gari and fried fish. She added milk to make the mixture creamier and more familiar to her Ghanaian palate.
Her doubts soon disappeared as she continued eating.
“It’s nice. Yeah, it’s actually nice,” Buari admitted. Her approving reaction was also described in social-media posts as the combination “slapping”—popular slang for food that tastes unexpectedly good.
The verdict amused her Nigerian colleagues, who celebrated as though they had secured another victory in the long-running Ghana-Nigeria food rivalry.
Ghanaians Jokingly Ask Actress to Return Home
The video attracted more than 1,400 comments, with several Ghanaian fans jokingly asking Buari to return home before her food preferences were permanently changed.
“Nadia, please come back home, we beg,” one commenter wrote.
Others maintained that authentic Ghanaian gari soakings should contain only water, sugar, milk and roasted groundnuts. Some jokingly threatened to stop recognizing Buari as Ghanaian if she continued eating the Nigerian version.
A few viewers remained unconvinced by her reaction, suggesting that she approved of the food merely to avoid embarrassing her colleagues.
The exchanges remained largely humorous, reflecting the playful tone that often accompanies cultural debates between citizens of the two neighboring countries.
Nigerians Defend savory Gari Combination
Nigerian viewers defended gari with fish as a familiar and satisfying meal, particularly when prepared with cold water, sugar and other ingredients.
Some joked that Buari’s conversion proved she had simply never experienced the combination properly. Others declared victory over Ghana and insisted that every Nigerian should support the pairing.
The conversation soon moved beyond Buari’s reaction, with users debating whether gari should be treated as a sweet snack, a savory meal or both.
Ghanaian Food Traditions Also Include savory Gari
Several commenters pointed out that using gari in savory dishes is not entirely foreign to Ghanaian cuisine.
Ghanaian meals such as gari foto combine cassava flakes with tomato sauce, onions, vegetables and sometimes fish, meat or eggs. Gari is also commonly eaten with beans, red oil and fried plantain.
The main source of surprise was therefore not the pairing of gari and fish itself, but placing fried fish inside the sweet, milk-based drink known in Ghana as gari soakings.
Another Chapter in the Ghana-Nigeria Food Rivalry
Food debates between Ghana and Nigeria have become a familiar feature of West African social media.
The best-known dispute concerns which country prepares the superior jollof rice, but the rivalry has expanded to include soups, stews, snacks, spices and now gari soakings.
Buari’s reluctant tasting session provided another playful chapter in that competition. She may not have abandoned the Ghanaian version, but her admission that Nigeria’s gari-and-fish combination was “actually nice” gave Nigerian food lovers enough material to celebrate.
Source: Omanghana
