Wagashi
Wagashi is a soft cow's milk cheese from northern Benin, sold in quantity in Parakou and across the West African savanna. It is mild in flavor and almost always cooked, usually in a sauce eaten with pounded yams or millet or maize pâte.
Noahalorwu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Key Facts
| Specific Origin | Sahel region |
| Milk Type | Cow’s milk |
| Milk Treatment | Heated |
| Rind | Red wax coating |
| Texture | Compact |
| Flavor | Mild |
| Colors | White, optionally deep red if dyed with sorghum |
| Forms | Small (12–16 ounces), Large (26–30 ounces) |
| Age | Fresh or dried |
| Rennet Type | Calotropis procera latex |
| Alternative Spellings | wagasi |
| Also Known As | amo, wara, warakashi, gasaru, fromage |
What is Wagashi Cheese?
Wagashi is a cow's milk cheese made in northern Benin and found across West Africa, mainly in the savanna zone on the latitude of Parakou. Parakou, in central Benin, is where it is sold in the greatest quantity. The name shifts by language: wagasi in Zarma-Songhai and Dendi, amo in Fon, wara and warakashi in Nagot and Yoruba, gasaru in Bariba. The French call it fromage, and in Ghana it is widely known as wagashi.
Making it starts with warming cow's milk. A leaf from a fromagier plant such as Bombax ceiba is stirred in, or another acidic substance, and the milk curdles. The curds are removed and pressed into round wheels, then dipped in a red wax made from a different leaf, which helps preserve them.
The cheese is relatively soft and mild in flavor. The wax gives the outside its red color.
Cooks fry it or boil it. In Benin it is usually served in a sauce as a substitute for fish or meat, eaten with a starch such as pounded yams or pâte, the millet or maize porridge known as tuwo in Hausa. Fried wagashi is also sold to travelers, with pepper for dipping.
How Does Wagashi Cheese Compare?
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