The following highlights some of the popular Traditional Congolese Foods. If you manage to be in an Congolese restaurant or you are visiting Republic of the Congo, I recommend the following
1. White Elephant
Some regions of the Congo offer unique specialities such as the White Elephant. It is a popular alcoholic drink made with rum, coconut and milk.
2. Satori
Satori is a popular stew in the fishing village of Kisangani. This dish is prepared by cooking tilapia fillets in a pan coated with pumpkin seeds, plantain and garlic. This preparation can be found at the Nganda restaurant in Kinshasa. Often run by single women, these restaurants are somewhere between a bar and a restaurant. This dish goes well with a cold beer.
3. Pili Pili
Super spicy African sauce made with chillies, habanero peppers, garlic and olive oil. It has a pungent, smoky, earthy aroma and flavor due to the use of raw peppers. From the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, the word is used throughout tropical Africa to refer to the red pepper.
4. Linguila
Lunguila or sugar cane wine is a drink from the province of Bas-Congo. The sugar cane is peeled, cut and put into a press made of hollow logs to extract the juice. The juice is then left to ferment for several days before the resulting alcoholic beverage is enjoyed.
5. Palm Wine
Known by many names around the world, palm wine is a sweet and salty alcoholic beverage made from the sap of different types of palm trees. The sap is usually extracted from the uppermost parts of the plant which are climbed and collected by young villagers called collectors.
6. Moambe
A traditional African stew. This thick red sauce is made from the fruit of the African oil palm. Beef, lamb or chicken is added to complete the dish. For Moambe, put the marinated meat in an iron skillet with chopped onion. Simmer until the meat is lightly browned and you’re done!
7. Maboke
A dish of spiced grilled fish over cassava and banana leaves. In other parts of Africa, it is also eaten in other parts of African cuisine. It is sometimes served with fried potatoes and rice. The most famous maboke recipe is made with catfish.
8. Saka Saka
Also known as Mpondu, Mpondu, Pondu. It is a stew or sauce prepared by crushing tender cassava leaves and simmering them in chili and palm fruit juices. It is usually served with boiled or fried plantains or cassava.
9. Fufu
Fufu is the staple food of the Congo. A thick paste made by grinding cooked cassava in a mortar. It is usually eaten as a side dish to peanut soup. To eat this dish in the traditional way, take a piece of paste and shape it into a small ball with your right hand. Make a hole in the middle of the ball with your thumb and use it as a spoon to scoop the soup into your mouth.
10. Chikwanga
Cassava is used to make chikwanga. The tubers are ground to a paste, wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in a frying pan. They are sold wrapped in the same leaf. It is eaten as a snack and is a perfect travel companion as the packaging keeps the noodles fresh.
If you found this list useful, here are some more Traditional African Foods to try out on my Pinterest channel.