A rebuke to those who’d paint a whole continent as a monolith of despair, or Islam as something to be feared, Senegal turns simple-minded assumptions and prejudice on their heads at every turn.
By the numbers
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1960
Year Senegal declared independence from French colonial rule
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6,000
Distance (in miles) of the annual Paris-Dakar Rally, now held in South America
Fact
Senegal’s population is more than 90% Muslim, but the nation’s first elected president after its independence from French colonial rule, Léopold Sédar Senghor, was a Catholic.
Eats
![](https://explorepartsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/thiam-aunt-e1490200148413.jpg?quality=95&strip=color&w=620&h=0)
Jardins de L’Amitié
Allées Seydou Nourou TALL N° 4011
221-33-824-86-93
Bazoff
Sicap Rue 10
+221-77-274-82-92
What Bourdain ate: Beef mafe served with rice
Dibiterie Le Mbotté
Rue 6 X 11, Medina
+221 33 822 13 88
What Bourdain ate: Dibi, roasted meat served on paper with grilled onions and mustard
Huitres de Sokone
Plage de la Pointe des Almadies
+221-77-803-46-29
What Bourdain ate: Clams, sea urchins and thiof fish
Marché Kermel
Rue de Essarts
Senegal has famously delicious food—flavors, and, often, ingredients that should be eerily familiar to any fan of Southern cooking.
Sidekicks
![](https://explorepartsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ofeibeaquistarcton-e1490200332244.jpeg?quality=95&strip=color&w=620&h=0)
Youssou N’Dour: Iconic musician and Senegal’s former tourism minister.
Pierre Thiam: Renowned chef and cookbook author.
Djily Bagdad: Hip-hop artist.
Oumy N’Dour: Journalist.
Ofeibea Quist-Arcton: NPR West Africa correspondent.
Jean Hazard: Paris-Dakar Rally racer.
![1. Bourdain with Oumy N'Dour, Fama Mouf, and Minielle Tall at Vitres de Sokone in Dakar / 2. Dinner on the beach](https://explorepartsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/23596_046_0045_cc.jpeg?quality=95&strip=color&w=625&h=0)
![1. Bourdain with Oumy N'Dour, Fama Mouf, and Minielle Tall at Vitres de Sokone in Dakar / 2. Dinner on the beach](https://explorepartsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/23596_046_0050_cc.jpeg?quality=95&strip=color&w=625&h=0)
Lingo
Thiof: Senegal’s signature fish.
Beef Mafe: Stew thickened with ground peanuts.
Thiebou Jenn: Rice with fish; Senegal’s national dish.
Dibi: Roasted meat served on paper with grilled onions and mustard; essential Senegalese street food.
Dibiterie: A place that serves dibi.
“God is great”: An expression used when there’s no solution to a problem.
![](https://explorepartsunknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/prayers.jpeg?quality=95&strip=color&w=1280&h=0)