Pranjal Mishra

Inside Dani Olmo’s Surprising Love for Ghanaian Cuisine

Dani Olmo, RB Leipzig, Spain National Football Team

The Spanish midfielder is seen having a treat of traditional Ghanaian cuisine and fans absolutely love it.

Dani Olmo never hesitates from experimenting with himself, be it on the football field or otherwise. In a viral video, the 26-year-old Spanish international is seen having an absolute delightful time putting his taste buds to good use with traditional Ghanaian cuisine.

In the 17 second video, Dani Olmo can be seen enjoying Plantain and Fufu from his bare hands with a caption on the video that added ‘This brudda is from Ghana’ symbolizing that he has been accepted by Ghanaian people as a native now.

Social media users could not stop themselves from reacting to the RB Leipzig midfielder trying Ghanaian food. Some users appreciated Olmo for being so welcoming to other nation’s cuisine and cultures. Some users were also split on whether Fufu is an ethnic Ghanaian or Nigerian food. Others commented on Olmo’s mixed ancestry as the Spanish midfielder has spent several years of his youth in Croatia and can speak German, Spanish and Croatian fluently.

This is not the first time that Olmo has tried Ghanaian food. Last year, after he scored a hat-trick against Bayern Munich for The Red Bulls in the German Super Cup, he claimed that his exceptional performance was inspired by Jollof rice.

Jollof rice is a West African delicacy made with long-grain rice, tomatoes, chilies, onions, spices, and sometimes other vegetables or meat in a single pot. Its name is derived from the Wolof people native to Senegal, Mauritania and Gambia. Although the dish is widely popular in Ghana, the origins of Jollof rice routes back to Senegal.

Who is the other person in the video ?

The man making Dani Olmo taste Ghanaian food is his teammate from RB Leipzig, Benjamin Heinrichs. This is not the first occasion that the German international is making Dani Olmo taste Ghanaian food or talking about Ghana’s culture. Heinrichs surprisingly calls him, ‘Dani Kofi Olmo.’ Heinrichs has also made Olmo speak the Twi language in the past. Benjamin Heinrichs was born in Germany to a German father and a Ghanaian mother.

What is Plantain and Fufu ?

Plantain is a tropical fruit belonging to the banana family. They are larger than bananas and are rich in starch content. In the viral video, Dani Olmo can be seen eating a plantain recipe known as Kelewele. Kelewele is a popular street food in Ghana. It is simply fried spiced plantain served alone, as a side or with other finger food like roasted peanuts. Fufu is one of the staple foods of Ghana which is made up of boiled yams, plantains or cassava rounded and made into balls. Fufu consumption goes beyond Ghana in central and west African countries. Fufu is often dipped into sauces and consumed with vegetable, meat or fish stew.