Do you love African food? It’s easier to find the food you want at an African grocery store. There are several different kinds of African foods that you cannot find in a regular grocery store. You will learn where you can find grocery stores that carry all International food, including African.
Whether you’re from Africa or another country, it’s best to introduce foods of all cultures to your family. Below you will find a list of African grocery stores that are in the United States. Look through the ones mentioned and see if any of them are close to where you live.
The Top 3 African Grocery Stores in the United States
1. South African Emporium
This grocery store is located in Buford, Georgia. They have a wide range of products to choose from. We’ll list the categories below along with price ranges so you will know what to expect when you visit the store.
- Sweets: Their sweet products will range anywhere from $1 for an individual product to $4 for packaged products. You can find individual candy bars, packaged cookies, and more to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings.
- Drinks: The drink selection can range anywhere from $1 to $7. These drinks are cold and are located in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. You may see some cans of ginger beer and alcoholic drinks.
- Breakfast items: This store does sell cereal, but it may not be the cereal you’re used to. It will be in a rectangular box, and it may cost upwards of $7.
Online Store: southafricans.com
2. African Choice Food Market
This African grocery store is located in the popular city of Orlando, FL. Orlando is known for its attractions and millions of people from all over the world visit Orlando each year.
Whether you’re visiting or you’re a local, the African Choice Food Market has a lot of great African food for any occasion. They have all different types of African foods, such as Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and several more. Let’s take a look and see what they have in their store.
- Fresh fruits and vegetables: They have lots of fresh fruits and vegetables that are available all year round. You can purchase them in bulk amount, you can purchase an individual size, or you can purchase them by the pound.
- Oils: There’s a whole aisle dedicated to oils that are used to cook with.
- Miscellaneous items: Miscellaneous items can consist of flour, sugar, canned goods, beverages, and several more items. This is a large grocery store so you can find just about anything related to African culture.
Website: africanmarketorlando.com
3. Keita West African Market
Let’s travel up north to Brooklyn where we’ll find another African grocery store. This is a great grocery store if you want to get all your groceries in one place.
- Vitamins: You can purchase all sorts of vitamins to fulfill all your health needs.
- Grocery items: You may notice the grocery store has a lot of similar foods to the American culture. A few of those grocery items include eggs, peppers, meats, and others.
- Delivery services: This grocery store will also deliver your groceries in case you’re too sick to leave or unable to leave for other reasons.
Website: Keitawestafricanmkt
Traditional African foods
Africa is a diverse continent with many different cultures and cuisines. Here are some examples of traditional African foods:
Fufu:
This is a starchy, dough-like substance made from cassava, yams, or plantains that is popular in West and Central Africa. It is typically served with soup or stew.
Jollof Rice:
A flavorful rice dish that originated in West Africa. It is made with rice, tomatoes, onions, and a variety of spices, and can be served with meat, fish, or vegetables.
Injera:
A sourdough flatbread that is a staple in Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. It is typically served with stews and curries.
Ugali:
A porridge-like dish made from cornmeal that is popular in East and Southern Africa. It is often served with meat, vegetables, or stew.
Bobotie:
A South African dish made with spiced minced meat, bread, and milk, and topped with a mixture of eggs and milk before baking.
Suya:
A spicy grilled meat skewer that is popular in West Africa. It is typically made with beef, chicken, or goat and served with a spicy peanut sauce.
Berbere:
A spice blend used in Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. It typically contains chili peppers, garlic, ginger, and other spices and is used to flavor stews, curries, and other dishes.
Bunny Chow:
A South African street food consisting of a hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with curry.
Chapati:
A flatbread made from wheat flour that is popular in East Africa. It is typically served with stews, curries, or vegetables.
Biltong:
A South African snack made from dried and cured meat, similar to jerky. It is typically made from beef, but can also be made from game meats like ostrich or kudu.
How to Find African Grocery Stores?
The grocery stores listed above are only in Georgia, Florida, and New York. What if you’re not close to any of those places? You should be on the lookout for African grocery stores near you.
- Customer reviews: Customer reviews will say a lot about the best African restaurants that are located close to you. They will let you know what to expect when you go to the store. The kinds of food there are, the customer service, and the cleanliness of the store are things that attract customers to new places.
- Looking at a map: If you look at a map online, you will see all kinds of African grocery stores. Be sure to type in your location when you search online so it can be calculated correctly.
It can be frustrating when you go to a chain grocery store, such as Walmart, Target, and Publix and you can’t find what you’re looking for when cooking an African meal. An African grocery store is a great resource to purchase everything African.
African grocery stores typically offer a wide range of products, including spices, herbs, sauces, grains, vegetables, fruits, meat, and fish. They also carry specialty items such as palm oil, yams, plantains, and cassava.
