Togo is a country that is narrow, coastal, and stretches northward from the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahel. It is bordered to the west by Ghana, to the east by Benin, to the north by Burkina Faso, and to the South by the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean). One unique thing is that Togo shares some food culture and delicacies with these neighbouring countries.
Togolese cuisine tells a story of resourcefulness and rich culinary tradition, and glass is becoming an essential part of how these flavours are preserved and shared. This guide covers what Togolese households store, how they store it, the glass jars and bottles that work best, plus recipes and facts about Togolese food culture.
The Togolese Food Culture and the Use of Glass Jars and Bottles
Togolese food shows the country’s ethnic diversity: Ewe, Kabye, Mina, Tem, and other communities, each with unique culinary traditions that come together in a shared love of bold sauces, fermented staples, and communal eating.
The Ewe south is defined by palm nut sauces and seafood; the Kabye north by millet, sorghum, and tchoukoutou. What unites these delicacies is the use of the clay pot, which is the original Togolese preserving and cooking container, and is still present in many households today.
Most glass containers arrive imported from Ghana, Nigeria, and Europe, which has historically made glass a considered resource rather than a disposable one. The transition from clay pots and calabash gourds to glass jars and bottles happened gradually.
Modern Togolese kitchens have moved from calabash gourds and clay pots to glass because it offers better sealing, easier cleaning, and a surface that doesn’t interact with the acidic and oil-rich foods at the centre of Togolese cooking.
Togolese Preserved Foods and Drinks in Glass Jars and Bottles
Gboma Dési (Spinach Sauce)
Gboma Dési is the sauce that defines Togolese cooking in the southern part of the country. It is known as "sauce feuille" in French; it's a green sauce made from spinach or gboma leaves cooked with ground peanuts or peanut paste(optional), palm oil, tomatoes, spices, beef, smoked fish, shrimp, and sometimes crabs into a thick sauce. The sauce can be prepared in advance and stored in large wide-mouth storage jars or preserving jars for reheating conveniently.
Tchoukoutou (Fermented Millet Beer)
Tchoukoutou is Togo's traditional sorghum beer, known as "tchouk". It's brewed in a several-day process involving boiling malted grains, fermenting, and producing a reddish-brown, lightly sparkling brew with a cidery sweetness and yogurty tang. It is traditionally consumed from calabashes at market stalls; it can be stored in spirit bottles, alcohol bottles, swing-top glass bottles, and refrigerated for a short time.
Palm Nut Sauce (Sauce Graine)
Sauce graine, or palm nut soup, is a rich, flavourful West African delicacy made from the pulp of palm nuts simmered with meat, fish, or vegetables. The sauce is served with fufu, rice, or pounded yam. It can be filled into wide-mouth jars and stored in the fridge for use later.
Tchakpallo (Fermented Millet Drink)
Tchakpallo is a fermented drink made from a blend of millet and palm wine. It is lighter and more complex than tchoukoutou, with a slightly fruity quality from the palm wine content. It is served chilled in many parts of Togo. Tchakpallo can be stored in glass milk bottles or swing-top glass bottles for both storage and serving. Like tchoukoutou, it’s an active ferment; hence the bottle needs to accommodate some pressure.
Akume (Fermented Corn Porridge)
Akume is a staple corn porridge with a unique sourness from fermentation. It's served with fried fish and a tomato-pepper sauce called ebessessi. While best consumed fresh, glass jars work well for storing the leftover porridge.
Tropical Fruit Jams
Togo's tropical climate produces abundant mango, papaya, pineapple, and guava. These fruits are used to make preserves and are hot-filled into jam jars for a longer shelf life.
Palm Oil & Spices
Palm oil, the cooking fat at the base of most Togolese sauces, is often stored in sealed oil bottles for several months at room temperature. Dried spices and pantry staples are best kept in preserving jars or storage jars to protect them from moisture and preserve their aroma.
|
Togolese Food/Drink |
Preservation Method |
Glass Jars & Bottles |
Storage Time (+ Advantages) |
|
Gboma dési (spinach sauce) |
Refrigerated |
Wide-mouth preserving jar or storage jar |
Up to 5 days refrigerated; glass doesn’t absorb palm oil or leaf staining |
|
Tchoukoutou (millet beer) |
Active fermentation |
Swing-top bottle or beer bottle |
1-3 days; swing-top can hold fermentation pressure |
|
Palm nut sauce |
Up to 5 days refrigerated; glass is non-reactive with oily bases |
||
|
Tchakpallo (millet-palm wine drink) |
Active fermentation, chilled |
Glass milk bottle or swing-top bottle |
24-48 hours refrigerated; active fermentation requires a pressure-safe seal |
|
Tropical mango or papaya jam |
Sugar + hot-fill vacuum seal |
Square jar, hexagonal jar or jam jar with lid |
12-18 months sealed; glass creates an airtight moisture and air barrier |
|
Palm oil |
Ambient sealed storage |
Oil bottle or narrow-neck glass bottle |
3-6 months ambient; glass doesn’t absorb colour or flavour |
|
Togolese honey |
Natural antimicrobial |
Honey jar orcio jar or hexagonal jar |
Indefinitely sealed; glass is inert, honey self-preserving |
|
Dried spices and pantry staples |
Dry airtight storage |
Spice jar or storage jar |
It varies; glass prevents moisture and preserves aroma |
|
Agouti or koklo meme sauce |
Refrigerated |
Wide-mouth storage jar or preserving jar |
Up to 5 days refrigerated; wide mouth is suitable for such chunky meat sauces. |
Southern Jar Company supplies glass jars, glass bottles, jar lids, and closures across the UK in wholesale quantities with free delivery to some places in the UK.
Local Togolese Recipes
Togolese Gboma Dési (Spinach Sauce with Smoked Fish) Recipe in Wide-Mouth Glass Jars
Ingredients
● 300g gboma leaves (garden egg leaves/African spinach, available from African and Caribbean grocers in the UK) or substitute cavolo nero or dark spinach
● 200g smoked fish (smoked mackerel or smoked tilapia, bones removed and flaked)
● 100g ground peanuts or unsweetened smooth peanut butter (optional)
● 3 tbsp red palm oil
● 2 large tomatoes, blended
● 1 medium onion, finely diced
● 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, whole or chopped (to taste)
● 250ml water or fish stock
● Salt to taste
● Optional: 1 tsp ground crayfish (dried shrimp powder, available from African grocers, adds authentic umami depth)
Method
● Wash gboma leaves thoroughly, roughly chop, and set aside.
● Heat palm oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and fry.
● Add blended tomato and Scotch bonnet. Cook down for 2-3 minutes until reduced and the oil separates at the edges.
● Add peanut paste and stir thoroughly to incorporate. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
● Add flaked smoked fish, ground crayfish if using, and water or stock. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer for 10-15 minutes.
● Add gboma leaves and stir into the sauce. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until the leaves are completely tender, and the sauce is thick and rich. Season with salt.
● Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then pour into sterilised jars. Seal and refrigerate immediately.
Use wide-mouth preserving jars or storage jars which are available in our collection.
Pro tip: Gboma leaves (also called “garden egg leaves” in West African shops) have a slightly bitter, earthy flavour that’s central to this dish. Cavolo nero is the closest widely available UK substitute in terms of texture and bitterness.
Togolese Tchoukoutou (Fermented Millet Beer) Recipe in Bottles
Tchoukoutou is traditionally prepared communally in large clay pots, a multi-day process involving malting, mashing, and fermentation. This adapted home recipe uses a simplified method.
Ingredients
● 500g whole millet
● 2 litres water
● A small amount of active sourdough starter or a packet of dried ale yeast (as a fermentation starter; traditional tchoukoutou uses wild fermentation, but a starter gives more consistent results)
● Optional: 1 tsp sugar to assist initial fermentation
Method
● Soak millet in cold water for 24 hours. Drain and spread on a damp cloth. Leave in a warm place for 24-48 hours until the grains begin to sprout.
● Grind the sprouted millet coarsely — a food processor works well. Don’t grind too fine; some texture is correct.
● Combine ground sprouted millet with 1 litre of water in a large pot. Boil for 30 minutes, stirring regularly.
● Strain through a fine sieve or muslin. Allow the liquid to cool to lukewarm (approximately 30°C).
● Add your starter or yeast. Stir well, cover loosely, and leave in a warm place for 24-48 hours to ferment. The liquid will become cloudy, develop a sour aroma, and begin to effervesce lightly.
● Taste after 24 hours; tchoukoutou should be mildly sour and lightly fizzy. When the flavour is right, pour through a funnel into sterilised swing-top bottles. Seal and refrigerate immediately.
● Consume within 2-3 days. The fermentation continues slowly in the bottle, so open carefully over a sink.
The recommended container is a swing-top glass bottle, beer bottle, or even milk bottle. The clip-top seal and screw cap can hold light fermentation pressure and can be released briefly if needed. These bottles are available in different sizes in our collection.
Pro tip: The flavour of tchoukoutou develops significantly between day one and day two. Day one is light and slightly sweet; day two is more complex and sour. Most traditional tchoukoutou is consumed on day two to three.
Togolese Palm Nut Sauce (Sauce de Noix de Palme) Recipe in Glass Jars
Ingredients
● 1 × 400g tin palm nut cream (or 400g fresh palm nut pulp if available)
● 200g smoked or fresh fish, or cooked chicken pieces
● 1 medium onion, finely diced
● 2 cloves garlic, minced
● 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, whole (you can remove before serving)
● 500ml water or chicken stock
● 1 tsp ground crayfish (optional but authentic)
● Salt to taste
● 1 tbsp palm oil (to finish)
Method
● Sterilise Orcio jars or Bonta jars and their lids, or wide-mouth preserving jars as an alternative.
● In a medium pot, combine palm nut cream and water or stock. Simmer gently and stir to combine.
● Add onion, garlic, Scotch bonnet, and crayfish. Simmer for 10 minutes.
● Add fish or chicken. Continue simmering for 20-25 minutes until the sauce reduces, darkens, and the oil begins to rise to the surface.
● Season with salt. Stir in the finishing tablespoon of palm oil for richness and colour.
● Remove the whole Scotch bonnet if preferred. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then pour into warm sterilised jars. Seal and refrigerate.
Use wide-mouth jars for this palm nut sauce. We have these jars in various sizes and designs in our collection.
Pro tip: Tinned palm nut cream shouldn’t be confused with palm oil. It is stocked at most UK African grocery shops and some Asian supermarkets.
Togolese Tchakpallo (Fermented Millet and Palm Wine Drink) Recipe in Glass Bottles
Tchakpallo is lighter than tchoukoutou and more complex, with a fruity quality from the palm wine component. This adapted home recipe uses palm wine syrup or a light palm sugar simple syrup as a substitute for fresh palm wine, which isn’t widely available in the UK.
Ingredients
● 300g whole millet
● 1 litre water
● 200ml palm wine (if available from a West African supplier) or substitute: 150ml light apple cider vinegar mixed with 50ml coconut sugar syrup to approximate palm wine’s fermented-sweet character
● Juice of 1 lime
● 1 tsp sugar (to assist fermentation if using the substitute)
● A pinch of dried ale yeast or a small spoon of sourdough starter
Method
● Sterilise glass milk bottles or swing-top glass bottles.
● Soak and sprout millet as per the tchoukoutou recipe (24 hours soaking, 24-48 hours sprouting). Grind coarsely.
● Combine ground sprouted millet with 800ml water. Simmer for 20 minutes, then strain through muslin. Allow to cool to lukewarm.
● Add palm wine or the substitute mixture, lime juice, and yeast or starter. Stir well.
● Cover loosely and ferment in a warm place for 12-24 hours; tchakpallo ferments faster than tchoukoutou and is ready when it’s lightly fizzy and pleasantly sour-fruity.
● Strain through a fine sieve. Pour through a funnel into sterilised glass bottles. Seal and refrigerate immediately.
● Serve chilled over ice within 24-48 hours.
Use glass milk bottles, alcohol bottles or swing-top glass bottles. The bottles are available in different designs and sizes in our collection.
Pro tip: Tchakpallo is best consumed very cold and very fresh. Its light, fruity character fades quickly as fermentation continues. Don’t make it more than 24 hours before you plan to serve it and keep refrigerated until the last moment.
Facts About Togolese Glass and Food Culture
● Clay pots and calabash gourds were the original storage system before glass became widely available. Togolese households used clay pots for cooking, water storage, and food preservation, and dried calabash gourds as serving and storage vessels. Both are still used today alongside modern glass containers.
● Tchoukoutou is one popular Togolese drink. Fermented from millet in clay pots, tchoukoutou is consumed communally, mostly ladled from a shared bowl into calabash cups, and is central to social life across northern Togo and into the Kabye culture.
● Akume rivals fufu as Togo’s most unique staple. It is made from fermented corn flour; akume has a sour, complex flavour that develops during fermentation, closer to a mild sourdough than a neutral starch. Its fermented quality means it stays longer and actually improves with time in the right conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does gboma dési last in a glass jar?
When properly sealed in a wide-mouth glass jar and refrigerated after cooking, gboma dési keeps for up to five days. The smoked fish and palm oil base are both natural preservatives, but refrigeration is essential from the moment the sauce is jarred. For longer storage, freeze in glass jars with at least 2cm of headspace. The sauce retains its flavour well on thawing.