What is "shito"

n. A spicy Ghanaian sauce made with seafood, tomatoes, garlic, peppers, and spices.

Shitor, is the word for pepper in Ga, a Ghanaian native language of the capital Accra. Whilst the word for pepper is different for each of the Ghanaian native languages, Shitor Din, (black pepper) commonly called 'Shito' is widely used as the name for the hot black pepper sauce ubiquitous in Ghanaian cuisine.

Shito sauce consists primarily of fish or vegetable oil, ginger, dried fish, prawns, crustaceans, tomatoes, garlic, peppers and spices. The blend of spices and fish differs between different regions and villages but owes its original recipe to the Ga tribe.

In Ghana, shito is used with a variety of dishes. These include kenkey, steamed rice, eba and waakye (rice and beans). Indeed its uses have been adapted to that of a local ketchup, hot sauce or chili oil. It is not uncommon to find shito being eaten with white bread or spring rolls. In most Chinese restaurants across Ghana, shito replaces hot oil as a condiment to fried rice/steamed rice.