Mafé — Nutrition Facts (1 bowl)
Per 1 bowl (approximately 350–400g cooked, stew only, without rice). Source: PlateFuel global food database.
What Is Mafé?
Mafé (also maafé, mafe, or tigadèguèna in Bambara) is a peanut-based stew eaten across Senegal, Mali, Guinea, and the Gambia. It's typically made with beef, lamb, or chicken simmered in a thick sauce of ground peanuts (groundnut paste), tomato, palm oil or vegetable oil, and spices. Sweet potato, cassava, or carrots are commonly added.
It is, by nutritional profile, one of the richest dishes in West African cuisine. The peanuts alone contribute enormous calorie and fat density — and that's before accounting for the meat and cooking oil. If you're tracking macros, this is not a dish to eyeball.
Where the 520 Calories Come From
| Component | Approx. Amount | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Peanut paste (groundnut) | ~60g | ~350 cal |
| Beef/lamb (stewed) | ~100g | ~230 cal |
| Tomato + onion base | ~80g | ~30 cal |
| Vegetables (sweet potato, carrot) | ~80g | ~65 cal |
| Cooking oil | ~10ml | ~85 cal |
| Total (stew only) | ~520 cal |
Note: This is the stew alone. A full plate of mafé with rice adds 200–250 calories. Track them separately. Most tracker entries for "mafé" include rice — which doubles the portion calories without being clear about it.
The Fat Profile Matters
At 30g of fat per bowl, mafé is high-fat by any standard. The fat composition breaks down roughly as:
- ~18g unsaturated fat — from peanuts, which are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid). This is the "good" fat from groundnuts.
- ~8g saturated fat — from palm oil or the rendered fat in the meat.
- ~4g polyunsaturated fat — also from peanuts.
For context: the American Heart Association recommends capping saturated fat at 13g/day on a 2,000-calorie diet. One bowl of mafé gets you to 62% of that. Not a reason to avoid it — but worth knowing if you're managing cardiovascular health.
Why Mainstream Apps Get Mafé Wrong
We checked the top entries for "mafé" or "maafe" on MyFitnessPal and Lose It. Results ranged from 180 to 890 calories per serving with no consistency in what "serving" even means. Three common failure modes:
- Underestimating peanut paste. Several entries listed "mafe sauce" without the meat and with only 20g of peanut paste. Restaurant and home versions use 50–80g per serving easily.
- Bundling rice into the stew entry. "Mafe with rice" entered as a single item, but the calorie count only matches the stew. Users who scan the barcode get half the actual calories.
- Using generic "peanut stew" templates. Some apps substitute Thai peanut sauce data — which has a completely different ingredient ratio and no meat component.
How to Track Mafé Accurately
The most reliable approach for home cooks is to track ingredients as cooked rather than using a pre-built dish entry:
- Weigh the peanut paste before adding to the pot — this is your biggest calorie contributor.
- Track meat by raw weight (it'll lose about 25% moisture during cooking).
- Measure oil before adding to pot.
- Divide the total batch by number of portions.
If you're eating at a restaurant, the 520 cal/bowl estimate from PlateFuel's database is a solid baseline. Add 200–230 calories if rice is included.
Mafé vs Other West African Dishes
| Dish | Calories | Protein | Fat | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mafé (stew only) | 520 | 24g | 30g | High fat from peanuts |
| Groundnut Soup | 510 | 22g | 34g | Similar profile, no potatoes |
| Thieboudienne | 480 | 26g | 14g | Much lower fat (fish-based) |
| Egusi Soup | 480 | 22g | 38g | Melon seed base, even fattier |
| Okra Soup | 320 | 18g | 22g | Lighter option |
Stop guessing on West African calories
PlateFuel has verified nutritional data for mafé, thieboudienne, egusi, jollof rice, and 600+ other global dishes. Track your macros with actual data — not generic guesses from apps that don't know what groundnut paste is.
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