Senegalese food is considered among the best in Africa. The basis of many dishes is chicken or fish, but the distinctive taste is due to ingredients not found outside Africa. This food is served in many restaurants in Dakar. Provincial rest houses serve less sophisticated but delicious variations. There are bars in some hotels and clubs. Although Senegal is predominantly a Muslim country, alcohol is available.
National specialities:
• Chicken au yassa (chicken with lemon, pimento and onions).
• Tiebou dienne (rice and fish).
• Maffe (chicken or mutton in peanut sauce).
• Dem à la St Louis (stuffed mullet).
• Accras (a kind of fritter).
National drinks:
• Toufam (a kind of yoghurt thinned with sugared water).
• Mint tea, the first cup drunk slightly bitter, the second with more sugar and the third very sweet.
• Palm wine, which is drunk either fresh or fermented.
• Home-roasted coffee with pimento.
Tipping: A service charge of 10 to 15 per cent is included in all hotel and restaurant bills. Taxi drivers are not normally given a tip.

There are several nightclubs and music venues in Dakar, playing mbalakh (the local modern music), as well as a casino on the route to N’Gor. There are many cinemas showing the latest French films. The Daniel Sorano National Theatre in the Boulevard de la Republique is a popular venue for theatre, concerts and other arts performances.

Visitors to Senegal must go to some of the many colourful markets. They are abundant with a range of bargins from food to handmade crafts and electronics. Most markets and centres sell traditional fabric, embroidery and costume, pottery, necklaces of clay beads and costume jewellery of wood or various seeds. At Soumbe-dionne, on the Corniche de Fann, is a craft village where the visitor can watch craftspeople at work and buy their handicrafts. Purchases include woodcarving in the form of African gaming boards, masks and statues; musical instruments; and metalwork, including copper pendants, bowls and statuettes. Shopping hours: Generally Mon-Sat 0830-1230 and 1530-1930. Some shops open Sunday morning, others are closed Monday.