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Cameroon

Cameroon is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Its coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean.

Featured Dishes from Cameroon

Beignet

Beignet

Beignet is a type of deep-fried pastry of French origin. It is commonly made from pâte à choux, but can also be made using rice flour (rice beignets) or yeast-leavened batters. Beignets can be served in a variety of preparations, the most common being dusted with confectioner’s sugar. The pastry is popular in French, Italian, and American cuisines. A traditional way beignets are prepared is using choux pastry dough. Otherwise known as the French-style beignet, this type of dough is typically made using butter, milk or water, sugar, flour, and salt. Choux pastry is versatile and is prepared differently by culture. The pâte à choux method is also the style of beignets that were introduced to New Orleans by French immigrants in the 1700s. Variations often include banana or plantain – popular fruits in the port city – or berries. Other variations include savory fillings such as meat and cheese fillings.

Bouillie

Bouillie

Red millet porridge

Fufu

Fufu

Fufu is a pounded meal found in West African cuisine. It is a Twi word that originates from the Akans in Ghana. The word has been expanded to include several variations of the pounded meal found in other African countries including Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Angola and Gabon. It also includes variations in the Greater Antilles and Central America, where African culinary influence is high. Although the original ingredients for fufu are boiled cassava, plantains, and cocoyam, yams (Ghana), it is also made in different ways in other West African countries. In Ghana, Ivory Coast and Liberia, they use the method of separately mixing and pounding equal portions of boiled cassava with green plantain or cocoyam, or by mixing cassava/plantains or cocoyam flour with water and stirring it on a stove. Its thickness is then adjusted to personal preference, and it is eaten with broth-like soups. In Nigeria, fufu (akpu) is made solely from fermented cassava giving it its unique thickness compared to that found in other west African countries. It is eaten with a variety of soups with vegetables and lots of beef and fish. In recent years other flours, such as semolina, maize flour, or mashed plantains, may take the place of cassava flour. This is common for those in the diaspora or families that live in urban cities. Families in rural areas with access to farmland still maintain the original recipe of using cassava. Fufu is traditionally eaten with the fingers, and a small ball of it can be dipped into an accompanying soup or sauce. Before the Portuguese traders introduced cassava to Africa from Brazil in the 16th century, fufu was mainly made from cocoyam, plantain and yams. The traditional method of eating fufu is to pinch some of the fufu off in one's right hand fingers and form it into an easily ingested round ball. The ball is then dipped in the soup before being eaten.

Ugali

Ugali

Ugali, also known as posho, nsima, papa, pap, sadza, isitshwala, akume, amawe, ewokple, akple, and other names, is a type of corn meal made from maize or corn flour in several African countries: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, DRC, Malawi, Botswana and South Africa, and in West Africa by the Ewes of Togo, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria and Cote D'Ivoire. It is cooked in boiling water or milk until it reaches a stiff or firm dough-like consistency. In 2017, the dish was added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, one of a few foods in the list. This dish is eaten widely across Africa, where it has different local names:

Yaourt

Yaourt

Yogurt is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to give yogurt its texture and characteristic tart flavor. Cow's milk is most commonly used to make yogurt. Milk from water buffalo, goats, ewes, mares, camels, and yaks is also used to produce yogurt. The milk used may be homogenized or not. It may be pasteurized or raw. Each type of milk produces substantially different results. Yogurt is produced using a culture of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus bacteria. Other lactobacilli and bifidobacteria are sometimes added during or after culturing yogurt. Some countries require yogurt to contain a specific amount of colony-forming units (CFU) of bacteria; for example, in China the requirement for the number of lactobacillus bacteria is at least 1 million CFU per milliliter.

Beignet

Beignet

Beignet is a type of deep-fried pastry of French origin. It is commonly made from pâte à choux, but can also be made using rice flour (rice beignets) or yeast-leavened batters. Beignets can be served in a variety of preparations, the most common being dusted with confectioner’s sugar. The pastry is popular in French, Italian, and American cuisines. A traditional way beignets are prepared is using choux pastry dough. Otherwise known as the French-style beignet, this type of dough is typically made using butter, milk or water, sugar, flour, and salt. Choux pastry is versatile and is prepared differently by culture. The pâte à choux method is also the style of beignets that were introduced to New Orleans by French immigrants in the 1700s. Variations often include banana or plantain – popular fruits in the port city – or berries. Other variations include savory fillings such as meat and cheese fillings.

Chin chin

Chin chin

Chin chin is a fried snack from Nigeria . It is known as atchomon in Togo and Benin, achomo in Ghana, and croquette or Chin Chin in Cameroon. It is similar to the Scandinavian snack klenat, a crunchy, donut-like baked or fried dough of wheat flour. Chin chin may contain cowpeas. Many people bake it with ground nutmeg for added flavor. The dough is usually kneaded and cut into small one-inch squares, about a quarter of an inch thick, before frying.

Crepe

Crepe

A crêpe or crepe is a dish made from unleavened batter or dough that is cooked on a frying pan or a griddle. Crêpes are usually one of two varieties: sweet crêpes (crêpes sucrées) or savoury galettes (crêpes salées). They are often served with a wide variety of fillings such as cheese, fruit, vegetables, meats, and a variety of spreads. Crêpes can also be flambéed, such as in crêpes Suzette. The French term "crêpe" derives from crispa, the feminine version of the Latin word crispus, which means "curled, wrinkled, having curly hair."

Gateau au yaourt

Gateau au yaourt

Soufflé

Soufflé

A soufflé is a baked egg dish originating in France in the early 18th century. Combined with various other ingredients, it can be served as a savoury main dish or sweetened as a dessert. The word soufflé is the past participle of the French verb souffler, which means to blow, breathe, inflate or puff. The earliest mention of soufflé is attributed to the French master cook, Vincent La Chapelle, in the early eighteenth century. The development and popularisation of the soufflé is usually traced to the French chef Marie-Antoine Carême in the early nineteenth century.

33 Export

33 Export

Beaufort

Beaufort

La Beaufort est une bière blonde brassée dans les Brasseries du Cameroun depuis 1952. La marque est rachetée en 1990 par le groupe Castel avec la brasserie du Cameroun, elle profite de la puissance du groupe pour s'implanter dans tous les pays d'Afrique de l'Ouest, puis le reste de l'Afrique. Elle est depuis notamment produite dans les brasseries du groupe : Brasseries du Congo, Société béninoise de brasseries et Société de limonaderies et brasseries d'Afrique. Elle est commercialisée au Cameroun, au Burkina Faso, au Bénin, au Mali, en Algérie, en République Démocratique du Congo, en Côte d'Ivoire, au Maroc, au Gabon, au Togo et à Madagascar. Cette marque se positionne sur le secteur « jeunes adultes branchés ».

Bil

Bil

bil - Homemade beer made from corn, millet or sorghum

Castel

Castel

Castel Group is a French beverage company. It was established in 1949 by Pierre Castel, who continues to run the company as a family-owned concern. Castel is the largest French wine producer and owns the biggest French and foreign wine brands distributed in France. Castel Group is also the French leader for table wines and the number four for beers and soft drinks in Africa (after SABMiller, Heineken N.V., and Guinness), and—after Constellation Brands and Gallo—number four for wine worldwide. Castel claims to have a 25 percent share of profits from the African beer market. Starting with a wine merchant business in Bordeaux, the company steadily expanded in size and scope. Castel grew into other parts of the wine business, first bottling, then acquisition of viniculture lands and brands—Chateau de Goelane, a Bordeaux Superieur, was acquired in 1957—later distribution by buying the wine specialty stores of Nicolas (1998) and marketing.

Fruit juice

Fruit juice

Cassimango, foléré, lemonade, guava, papaya, pineapple, soursop

Guinness

Guinness

Guinness is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based multinational alcoholic beverage maker Diageo. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in over 120. Sales in 2011 amounted to 850,000,000 litres (190,000,000 imp gal; 220,000,000 U.S. gal). In spite of declining consumption since 2001, it is the best-selling alcoholic drink in Ireland where Guinness & Co. Brewery makes almost €2 billion worth of beer annually. The Guinness Storehouse is a tourist attraction at St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin, Ireland. Since opening in 2000, it has received over 20 million visitors.

Mützig

Mützig

Mützig is a beer brand owned by Heineken and its subsidiaries, and was originally brewed in 1810 by Brasserie Mutzig [fr] of Alsace, France. It is now a 5.5% ABV lager available in 65cl and 33cl bottles. It has a full-bodied taste and distinctive packaging, and is the most successful premium, locally brewed beer in Central Africa. Mützig is considered a flagship African brand. Mützig's slogan is "Mützig, the Taste of Success" in English and "Mützig, Le goût de la Réussite" in French. The name Mützig originates from Mutzig, a commune of France located at the entrance of the Bruche river valley, in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace, in north-eastern France. Brasserie Mutzig was founded in 1810 by Antoine Wagner and the beer was brewed there until the brewery closed in 1989, after merging into Alsacienne de Brasserie [fr] in 1969, and being acquired by Heineken in 1972. The 1969 merger forming l'Alsacienne de Brasserie (Alsatian Brewery), combined Mutzig with the Alsatian breweries: de l'Espérance, de la Perle, de Colmar, and Haag à Ingwiller. The old Mutzig brewery was bought by the city of Mutzig in 1992. It was designated a historical monument in 2001, renovated in 2009, and now houses a business incubator.

Robusta

Robusta

Coffea canephora is a species of coffee plant that has its origins in central and western sub-Saharan Africa. It is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. Though widely known as Coffea robusta, the plant is scientifically identified as Coffea canephora, which has two main varieties, robusta and nganda. Coffea robusta represents between 40% and 45% of global coffee production, with Coffea arabica constituting most of the remainder. There are several differences between the composition of coffee beans from C. arabica and C. robusta. Beans from C. robusta tend to have lower acidity, more bitterness, and a more woody and less fruity flavor compared to C. arabica beans, most of it is used for instant coffee.

Achu soup

Achu soup

Cocoyam stew with palm oil, spices, lime stone, serve with, for example, beef, fish

African eggplant

African eggplant

Solanum macrocarpon otherwise known as the African eggplant (Igbo language/ Igbo): añara), Surinamese eggplant (Sranang Tongo: Antroewa / Antruwa) or Vietnamese eggplant (Vietnamese: cà pháo, cannon eggplant) is a plant of the family Solanaceae. S. macrocarpon is a tropical perennial plant that is closely related to the eggplant. S. macrocarpon originated from West Africa, but is now widely distributed in Central and East Africa. The plant also grows in the Caribbean, South America, and some parts of Southeast Asia. S. macrocarpon is widely cultivated for its use as a food, its medicinal purposes, and as an ornamental plant. Solanum macrocarpon can grow to a height of 1-1.5 m. It has an alternate leaf pattern with the blade width of 4–15 cm and a height of 10–30 cm. The shapes of the leaves are oval and lobed with a wavy margin. Both sides of the leaves are hairy with stellate or simple hairs. Prickles may or may not be present on the leaves depending on the cultivar. When prickles are present they are found more along the midrib and lateral veins. The prickles are straight and can grow up to a length of 13 mm. The flowers have a diameter of 3–8 cm and are located on short stalked inflorescence that can contain 2 to 7 flowers. The lower portion of the plant carries bisexual flowers while the upper portion contains male flowers. The flowers are 2-3.5 cm in length and usually have a purple or pale purple color, on rare occasions there are white flowers.

Beans and plantains

Beans and plantains

Bean and plantain pottage

Bouillon

Bouillon

Broth, also known as bouillon , is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish, or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups, gravies, and sauces. Commercially prepared liquid broths are available, typically chicken, beef, fish, and vegetable varieties. Dehydrated broth in the form of bouillon cubes was commercialized beginning in the early 20th century.

Boulette

Boulette

A meatball is ground meat rolled into a ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, minced onion, eggs, butter, and seasoning. Meatballs are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce. There are many types of meatballs using different types of meats and spices. The term is sometimes extended to meatless versions based on legumes, vegetables or fish; the latter are also commonly known as fish balls. The ancient Roman cookbook Apicius included many meatball-type recipes. Early recipes included in some of the earliest known Greek cookbooks generally feature seasoned lamb rolled into orange-sized balls and glazed with egg yolk and sometimes saffron.

Brochette

Brochette

Skewered and grilled meat, chicken, pork, goat, beef, fish, scallops, prawns, venison, vegetables

Capitaine

Capitaine

The Nile perch , also known as the African snook, Goliath perch, African barramundi, Goliath barramundi, Giant lates or the Victoria perch, is a species of freshwater fish in family Latidae of order Perciformes. It is widespread throughout much of the Afrotropical realm, being native to the Congo, Nile, Senegal, Niger and Lake Chad, Volta, Lake Turkana, and other river basins. It also occurs in the brackish waters of Lake Maryut in Egypt. The Nile perch is a fish of substantial economic and food-security importance in East Africa. Originally described as Labrus niloticus, among the marine wrasses, the species has also been referred to as Centropomus niloticus. Common names include African snook, Victoria perch (a misleading trade name, as the species is not native to Lake Victoria, though they have been introduced there), and many local names in various African languages, such as the Luo name mbuta or mputa. In Tanzania, it is called sangara, sankara, or chenku. In Francophone African countries, it is known as capitaine. Its name in the Hausa language is giwan ruwa, meaning "water elephant". L. niloticus is silver in color with a blue tinge. It has distinctive dark-black eyes, with a bright-yellow outer ring. One of the largest freshwater fishes, it reaches a maximum length of nearly 2 m (6 ft 7 in), weighing up to 200 kg (440 lb). Mature fish typically range from 1.21–1.37 m (4 ft 0 in – 4 ft 6 in), although many fish are caught before they can grow this large.

Chawarma

Chawarma

Shawarma is a Middle Eastern dish that originated in the Levant region of the Arab world during the Ottoman Empire, consisting of meat that is cut into thin slices, stacked in an inverted cone, and roasted on a slow-turning vertical spit. Traditionally made with lamb or mutton, it may also be made with chicken, turkey, beef, or veal. The surface of the rotisserie meat is routinely shaved off once it cooks and is ready to be served. Shawarma is a popular street food throughout the Arab world and the Greater Middle East. The name shāwarmā in Arabic is a rendering of the term çevirme in Ottoman Turkish (چيويرمى [tʃeviɾˈme], lit. 'turning'), referring to rotisserie. Although the roasting of meat on horizontal spits has an ancient history, the shawarma technique—grilling a vertical stack of meat slices and cutting it off as it cooks—first appeared in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century in the form of döner kebab, which both the Greek gyros and the Levantine shawarma are derived from. Shawarma, in turn, led to the development during the early 20th century of the contemporary Mexican dish tacos al pastor when it was brought there by Lebanese immigrants. The dish is also especially popular in Ottawa, Ontario, where a large community of the Lebanese diaspora exists.

Chicken gizzard

Chicken gizzard

The gizzard, also referred to as the ventriculus, gastric mill, and gigerium, is an organ found in the digestive tract of some animals, including archosaurs , earthworms, some gastropods, some fish, and some crustaceans. This specialized stomach constructed of thick muscular walls is used for grinding up food, often aided by particles of stone or grit. In certain insects and molluscs, the gizzard features chitinous plates or teeth. The word gizzard comes from the Middle English giser, which derives from a similar word in Old French gésier, which itself evolved from the Latin gigeria, meaning giblets. Birds swallow food and store it in their crop if necessary. Then the food passes into their glandular stomach, also called the proventriculus, which is also sometimes referred to as the true stomach. This is the secretory part of the stomach. Then the food passes into the gizzard (also known as the muscular stomach or ventriculus). The gizzard can grind the food with previously swallowed grit and pass it back to the true stomach, and vice versa. In layman's terms, the gizzard 'chews' the food for the bird because it does not have teeth to chew food the way humans and other mammals do.

Consommé

Consommé

In cooking, a consommé is a type of clear soup made from richly flavoured stock or broth that has been clarified, a process that uses egg whites to remove fat and sediment. Consommé has three English pronunciations: traditionally in the UK, the stress is on the middle syllable; in modern UK English, the stress is on the first; and in the US the stress is on the last. A large amount of meat only yields a small amount of consommé; in some recipes, as much as 500 grams of meat can go into a single 250-millilitre (9 imp fl oz; 8+1⁄2 US fl oz) serving. This low yield is part of what has traditionally given consommé its refined reputation as an expensive dish.[citation needed]

Cornchaff

Cornchaff

Stewed corn and beans with meat and vegetables

Curry

Curry

Curry is a dish with a sauce or gravy seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. It is not to be confused with leaves from the curry tree, although some curries do include curry leaves. Curry is prepared in the native cuisines of many Southeast Asian and East Asian countries.

Egusi

Egusi

Egusi sauce or Egusi Soup, traditionally Egusi or Obe Egusi in Yoruba, is a culinary sauce prepared with egusi seeds as a primary ingredient. Egusi seeds are the fat- and protein-rich seeds of certain cucurbitaceous plants. Egusi sauce is common and prevalent across Central Africa as mbíka, and may be served atop rice, cooked vegetables, or grilled meat, such as goat, chicken, beef, or fish. It may also be served atop fufu, omelettes, amala, and eba, among other foods. Egusi soup is also consumed in West Africa, sometimes with chicken. Egusi sauce is prepared by grinding egusi seeds, from which a paste is created. There are two methods of preparing egusi soup: 1. Frying method: Egusi paste is fried in palm oil before adding other ingredients.

Ekwang

Ekwang

Ekwang is a Cameroonian and Nigerian dish native to the Bakweri, Bafaw, Oroko, Cross River State and Akwa Ibom State people. It is made with freshly grated cocoyams that are wrapped in cocoyam leaves. Other ingredients include fresh or smoked fish, meat, palm oil, crayfish, Periwinkle and seasoning.

Eru soup

Eru soup

Stewed eru with spinach, meat, beef, crayfish, cow skin, turkey

Fried fish

Fried fish

Fried fish is any fish or shellfish that has been prepared by frying. Often, the fish is covered in batter, egg and breadcrumbs, flour, or herbs and spices before being fried and served, often with a slice of lemon. Fish is fried in many parts of the world, and fried fish is an important food in many cuisines. For many cultures, fried fish is historically derived from pescado frito, and the traditional fish and chips dish of England which it may have inspired. The latter remains a staple take-out dish of the UK and its former and present colonies. Fried fishcakes made of cod are widely available in the frozen food sections of U.S. grocery stores. Long John Silver's, Skippers, Captain D's, and Arthur Treacher's are well-known North American chain restaurants that serve fried fish as their main food offering. Catfish are also a prevalent farm-raised type of fish that is often served fried throughout the world. A classic fried fish recipe from France is sole meunière. Community fish fries are popular in the southern region of the United States. These social gatherings may center around a church, a civic organization or serve as a fundraiser for a club, volunteer fire department, a school or other organization. In the U.S., especially the Upper Midwest, the New England states, and the Mid-Atlantic states, community fish fries are somewhat popular, sometimes held in church basements or lots in observation of Lent. A fish fry is generally informal. A "shore lunch" is a tradition in the northern U.S. and Canada, where outdoor enthusiasts cook their catch on the shores of the ocean, or lake where the fish was caught.

Fufu

Fufu

Fufu is a pounded meal found in West African cuisine. It is a Twi word that originates from the Akans in Ghana. The word has been expanded to include several variations of the pounded meal found in other African countries including Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Angola and Gabon. It also includes variations in the Greater Antilles and Central America, where African culinary influence is high. Although the original ingredients for fufu are boiled cassava, plantains, and cocoyam, yams (Ghana), it is also made in different ways in other West African countries. In Ghana, Ivory Coast and Liberia, they use the method of separately mixing and pounding equal portions of boiled cassava with green plantain or cocoyam, or by mixing cassava/plantains or cocoyam flour with water and stirring it on a stove. Its thickness is then adjusted to personal preference, and it is eaten with broth-like soups. In Nigeria, fufu (akpu) is made solely from fermented cassava giving it its unique thickness compared to that found in other west African countries. It is eaten with a variety of soups with vegetables and lots of beef and fish. In recent years other flours, such as semolina, maize flour, or mashed plantains, may take the place of cassava flour. This is common for those in the diaspora or families that live in urban cities. Families in rural areas with access to farmland still maintain the original recipe of using cassava. Fufu is traditionally eaten with the fingers, and a small ball of it can be dipped into an accompanying soup or sauce. Before the Portuguese traders introduced cassava to Africa from Brazil in the 16th century, fufu was mainly made from cocoyam, plantain and yams. The traditional method of eating fufu is to pinch some of the fufu off in one's right hand fingers and form it into an easily ingested round ball. The ball is then dipped in the soup before being eaten.

Fumbwa

Fumbwa

Stewed wild spinach greens with onions, garlic, tomatoes, chicken stock, palm oil, ground peanuts, serve with, for example, fish

Garri

Garri

In West Africa, garri // ⓘ is the flour of the fresh starchy cassava root. In the Hausa language, garri can also refer to the flour of guinea corn, maize, rice, yam, plantain and millet.[citation needed] For example, garin dawa is processed from guinea corn, garin masara and garin alkama originate from maize and wheat respectively, while garin magani is a powdery medicine. Starchy flours mixed with cold or boiled water form a major part of the diet in Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Guinea, Cameroon and Liberia.[citation needed]

Gombo

Gombo

Okra , Abelmoschus esculentus, known in some English-speaking countries as lady's fingers, is a flowering plant in the mallow family native to East Africa. It has edible green seed pods. Cultivated in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions around the world, okra is used in the cuisines of many countries. Abelmoschus is Neo-Latin from Arabic: أَبُو المِسْك, romanized: ʾabū l-misk, lit. 'father of musk', while esculentus is Latin for being fit for human consumption.

Jollof rice

Jollof rice

Jollof , or jollof rice, is a rice dish from West Africa. The dish is typically made with long-grain rice, tomatoes, chilies, onions, spices, and sometimes other vegetables and/or meat in a single pot, although its ingredients and preparation methods vary across different regions. The dish's origins are traced to Senegal. Regional variations are a source of competition among the countries of West Africa, and in particular between Nigeria and Ghana, over whose version is the best; in the 2010s this developed into a friendly rivalry known as the "Jollof Wars".

Kati kati

Kati kati

Grilled chicken, serve with njama njama, fufu

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Kondre

Stewed plantains with meat and vegetables, made with beef, pork, oxtail, goat, chicken, fish

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Kwacoco

Cocoyam dumplings, made with mashed cocoyam steamed inside banana leaves, serve with mbanga soup

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Kwacoco bible

Mashed cocoyam cooked with palm oil, spinach and red fish inside banana leaves

Kwem

Kwem

Stewed cassava leaves with vegetables, meat, smoked fish

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Liboke ya mbika

Mbika cakes, made with ground pumpkin seeds, vegetables, fish, shrimp, herbs, spices, cooked inside banana leaves

Mbongo tchobi

Mbongo tchobi

Stewed meat and vegetables with hiomi from the mbongo tree, serve with boiled plantains

Meat pie

Meat pie

A meat pie is a pie with a filling of meat and often with other savory ingredients. They are found in cuisines worldwide. Meat pies are usually baked, fried, or deep fried to brown them and develop the flavour through the Maillard reaction. Many varieties have a flaky crust due to the incorporation of butter to develop a flaky texture when baking. The origins of the meat pie have been traced back to the Neolithic period, around 6000 BC. Versions of what are now known as pies were featured on ancient Egyptian tomb walls, and in ancient Greek and Roman texts.

Met de pistache

Met de pistache

Seeds from the pistache melon made into a paste and steamed inside banana leaves

Ndole

Ndole

Ndolé is a Cameroonian dish consisting of stewed nuts, ndoleh , and fish or beef. The dish may also contain shrimp. It is traditionally eaten with plantains, bobolo or miondo (a Cameroonian dish made of fermented ground manioc and wrapped in leaves), etc.

Ndomba

Ndomba

Cooking meat, pork, chicken, fish, vegetables in banana or other leaves

Njama njama

Njama njama

Solanum scabrum, also known as garden huckleberry, is an annual or perennial plant in the nightshade family. The geographic origin of the species is uncertain; Linnaeus attributed it to Africa, but it also occurs in North America, and it is naturalized in many countries. In Africa it is cultivated as a leaf vegetable and for dye from the berries.

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Nnam olis

Rice and peanut paste steamed in banana leaves

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Nnam owondo

Peanut paste steamed in banana leaves

Oxtails

Oxtails

Oxtail soup is a soup made with beef tails. The use of the word "ox" in this context is a legacy of nomenclature; no specialized stock of beef animals are used and tails may come from bovines other than oxen. Different versions of oxtail soup exist: an ethnic dish of the American South which traces its lineage back to the pre-revolutionary war era; Korean; Chinese; a fried/barbecued oxtail combined with a soup variation which is a popular dish in Indonesia, where it is called sop buntut; and a thick, rich, gravy-like soup popular in the United Kingdom since the 18th century. Creole oxtail soup is made from a tomato base with oxtails, potatoes, green beans, corn, mirepoix, garlic, and herbs and spices. Though translated literally as "oxtail soup" , this version of the dish is somewhere between a soup and a stew. One of the defining characteristics of oxtail soup is that it contains a large mass of solid ingredients rather than ingredients that have been diced or shredded, as is the norm with Chinese soup. Chunks of oxtail, potato, carrots, cabbage, tomato, and mushrooms are mixed in water, and salted to taste. The mixture should be heated at a slow boil, to allow time for the ingredients to release their flavors. In particular, the tomatoes and potatoes should largely disintegrate into the water, giving the broth a reddish-orange coloration and thickening it. As to be expected, oils from the oxtail lend most of the flavor. The soup is served with all of the ingredients. In the Hawaii version, the ingredients, preparation, and flavor is very reminiscent of Vietnamese pho broth. The broth has a sweet and subtle flavor of star anise, a common signature of oxtail soup in Hawaii popularized by Kapiolani Coffee Shop. In addition to star anise, common spices include ginger, onions, chen pi (dried citrus peel), peppercorns and bay leaves. Fish sauce or whisky are sometimes added to the broth. Raw peanuts, dried shiitake mushrooms, and mustard cabbage are often stewed with the soup. The soup is garnished with scallions and cilantro, with fresh grated ginger and soy sauce for dipping or as a condiment. Contemporary versions also offer the dish in the form of ramen and pho.

Palm nut soup

Palm nut soup

Palm nut soup or banga is a soup made from palm fruit common in the Cameroonian, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ivorian communities. The soup is made from a palm cream or palm nut base with stewed marinated meats, smoked dried fish, and aromatics. It is often eaten with starch, fufu, omotuo, banku, fonio, or rice. The use of the palm fruit in cooking is significant in Ivorian, Cameronian, Nigerian, Ghanaian, Liberian and other West and Central African cuisine. Mbanga soup is a palm fruit soup in Cameroonian cuisine and West African cuisine. It is often served with kwacoco. The soup is Cameroon's version of the West African banga, a palm fruit soup eaten in areas including parts of Nigeria. In Cameroon mbanga is made using fresh palm nuts. Outside the area canned nuts can be used. Banga is a type of palm fruit soup from Southern Nigeria, particularly the itsekiri ethnic group. This cuisine is quite different from ofe akwu, a variant found in Igbo culture. The Binis have a soup from palm fruits similar to ofe akwu" in ingredients and manner of preparation. The Yoruba people palm nut soup is called Obe Eyin.

Peanut sauce

Peanut sauce

Peanut stew or groundnut stew, also known as maafe , sauce d'arachide (French) or tigadèguèna is a stew that is a staple food in Western Africa. While maafe is a dish originating in Senegal, tigadéguéna originates from the Mandinka and Bambara people of Mali. The proper name for it in the Mandinka language is domodah or tigadegena (lit. 'peanut butter sauce,' where tige is 'peanut,' dege is 'paste,' and na is 'sauce') in Bamanankan. Domodah is a sauce also used by Gambians, whose name has been borrowed from the Mandinka language. In Senegal domodah or domoda refers to flour-thickened soup or stew, which is different from maafe that uses peanut paste.

Peppersoup

Peppersoup

Peppersoup is a soup from Nigeria, made using various meats or fishes, chili peppers, scent leaves and calabash nutmeg as the primary ingredients. It is a spicy soup that has a light, watery texture. Despite its name, the soup is not necessarily defined by a pepper-forward flavor profile, that is, the flavors are much more complex, with nutty, bitter, woodsy, and floral notes, as well as warmth. It is considered to be a delicacy by some people in Western Africa, and some West Africans believe that the soup has some basic medicinal qualities. Pepper soup is a common soup in Nigeria that is prepared using various meats, fishes, chili peppers and calabash nutmeg as its primary ingredients. Pepper soup is very spicy and goes well with a cold beer or soft drink. While it is served as an appetizer at official gatherings, pepper soup is more popular at pubs. In Nigeria, it is served at "leisure spots" as a recreational or "feel good" dish. Pepper soup cubes, a pre-mixed blend of spices used in pepper soup, are manufactured by one Nigerian company. Pepper soup is typically a watery, soup. It can be prepared with combinations of various meats, such as fish, shrimp, tripe, oxtail, chicken, game, goat, beef or cow hide. Additional ingredients can include tomatoes, onion, green onions, garlic, sweet peppers, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and lime juice. Fufu, a food prepared from boiled and then pounded cassava or other tubers, is sometimes used as an ingredient, which thickens the soup and serves to impart a creamy texture. It is sometimes served with side dishes such as rice or boiled tubers, or served atop these ingredients. On the western coast of Africa, it is typically cooked outdoors in a cauldron.

Poisson braisé

Poisson braisé

Grilled fish, serve with tomatoes and onions

Ponmo

Ponmo

Cow skin, commonly stewed, peppered, with rice, in salads

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Poulet à la noix de coco et aux arachides

Chicken in coconut and peanut sauce

Poulet DG

Poulet DG

Chicken, plantains and vegetables in a tomato sauce

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Ragout d'igname

Stewed yams and vegetables, may contain meat, beef

Sanga

Sanga

Sangah is a food made with maize, cassava leaf, and palm nut juice in Cameroonian cuisine. The leaves are mashed and the cooked mixture becomes a thick stew. It is often accompanied by rice or boiled plantain. It is a traditional food.

Sauce feuille

Sauce feuille

Stewed greens, made with cassava leaves, potato leaves, baobab leaves, may also include vegetables, meat, seafood, serve with rice

Sauce gombo

Sauce gombo

Stewed meat, seafood, okra

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Sese plantains

Plantain porridge with meat, vegetables, greens

Soufflé

Soufflé

A soufflé is a baked egg dish originating in France in the early 18th century. Combined with various other ingredients, it can be served as a savoury main dish or sweetened as a dessert. The word soufflé is the past participle of the French verb souffler, which means to blow, breathe, inflate or puff. The earliest mention of soufflé is attributed to the French master cook, Vincent La Chapelle, in the early eighteenth century. The development and popularisation of the soufflé is usually traced to the French chef Marie-Antoine Carême in the early nineteenth century.

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Soupe à la noix de coco

Soupe poisson

Soupe poisson

Fish and/or seafood soup or stew

Stewed beef

Stewed beef

Stewed chicken

Stewed chicken

Stewed fish

Stewed fish

Stewed greens

Stewed greens

Stewed cassava leaves, kale, malakwang, blackjack, goosefoot, marogo, pigweed, purslane, thistle, sweet potato leaves, malanga, pumpkin leaves, njama njama, spinach

Stewed meat

Stewed meat

A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients can include any combination of vegetables and may include meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef, pork, venison, rabbit, lamb, poultry, sausages, and seafood. While water can be used as the stew-cooking liquid, stock is also common. A small amount of red wine or other alcohol is sometimes added for flavour. Seasonings and flavourings may also be added. Stews are typically cooked at a relatively low temperature , allowing flavours to mingle. Stewing is suitable for the least tender cuts of meat that become tender and juicy with the slow, moist heat method. This makes it popular for low-cost cooking. Cuts with a certain amount of marbling and gelatinous connective tissue give moist, juicy stews, while lean meat may easily become dry. Stews are thickened by reduction or with flour, either by coating pieces of meat with flour before searing or by using a roux or beurre manié, a dough consisting of equal parts fat and flour. Thickeners like cornstarch, potato starch, or arrowroot may also be used.

Stewed vegetables

Stewed vegetables

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Sweet potatoes and beans

Ugali

Ugali

Ugali, also known as posho, nsima, papa, pap, sadza, isitshwala, akume, amawe, ewokple, akple, and other names, is a type of corn meal made from maize or corn flour in several African countries: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, DRC, Malawi, Botswana and South Africa, and in West Africa by the Ewes of Togo, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria and Cote D'Ivoire. It is cooked in boiling water or milk until it reaches a stiff or firm dough-like consistency. In 2017, the dish was added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, one of a few foods in the list. This dish is eaten widely across Africa, where it has different local names:

Yassa

Yassa

Yassa is a spicy dish prepared with onions and either marinated poultry, marinated fish or marinated lamb. Originally from Senegal, yassa has become popular throughout West Africa. Chicken yassa , prepared with onions, lemon or mustard, is a specialty from Senegal. Other meats used for yassa are lamb and fish.

Abacha

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Abacha

Shredded cassava salad

Abari

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Abari

Savory steamed corn pudding made with vegetables, fish, crayfish, chili peppers, greens

Akara

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Akara

Àkàrà (English: bean cake; Hausa: kosai; Portuguese: acarajé ( Portuguese pronunciation: [akaɾaˈʒɛ] ⓘ) is a type of fritter made from cowpeas or beans (black-eyed peas) by the Yoruba people of Nigeria, Benin and Togo. It is found throughout West African, Caribbean, and Brazilian cuisines. The dish is traditionally encountered in Brazil's northeastern state of Bahia, especially in the city of Salvador. Acarajé serves as both a religious offering to the gods in the Candomblé religion and as street food. The dish was brought by enslaved Nigerian citizens from West Africa, and can still be found in various forms in Nigeria, Benin and Togo. Akara is made from peeled beans (black-eyed peas), washed and ground with pepper, and other preferred seasonings, then beaten to aerate them, and deep-fried in small balls. Brazilian acarajé is made from raw and milled cowpeas that are seasoned with salt, pepper and chopped onions molded into the shape of a large scone and deep-fried in dendê with a wok-like pan in front of the customers. It is served split in half and stuffed with vatapá and caruru – spicy pastes made from shrimp,ground cashews, palm oil and other ingredients. A vegetarian version is typically served with hot peppers and green tomatoes. Acarajé can also come in a second form called abará, where the nutritious ingredients are steamed instead of deep-fried.

Alloco

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Alloco

Fried plantains, serve with chilies and onions

Arachides

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Arachides

Arachis is a genus of about 70 species of annual and perennial flowering plants in the family , native to South America, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic Pterocarpus clade of the Dalbergieae. At least one species, the peanut (Arachis hypogaea), is a major food crop species of global importance; some of the other species are cultivated for food to a small extent in South America. Other species such as A. pintoi are cultivated worldwide as forage and soil conditioner plants, with the leaves providing high-protein feed for grazing livestock and a nitrogen source in agroforestry and permaculture systems. Arachis species, including the peanut, are used as food plants by some Lepidoptera species, including the flame shoulder, nutmeg, and turnip moth.

Attieke

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Attieke

Fermented cassava couscous, serve with fried or smoked fish, onions, tomatoes and chili peppers

Banana bread

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Banana bread

Banana bread is a type of sweet bread made from mashed bananas. It is often a moist and sweet quick bread but some recipes are yeast raised. Bananas appeared in the US in the 1870s, but it took a while for them to appear as ingredients in desserts. Banana bread recipes emerged in cookbooks across North America when baking powder became available in grocery stores in the 1930s. Some food historians believe banana bread was a byproduct of the Great Depression as resourceful housewives did not wish to throw away overripe bananas. Others believe that banana bread was developed in corporate kitchens to promote flour and baking soda products. Banana bread experienced a resurgence in popularity in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. In the Philippines, banana bread is usually called "banana cake." It was introduced during the American colonial period of the Philippines as the Philippines became a top banana supplier.

Bread

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Bread

Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made foods, having been of significance since the dawn of agriculture, and plays an essential role in both religious rituals and secular culture. Bread may be leavened by naturally occurring microbes (e.g. sourdough), chemicals (e.g. baking soda), industrially produced yeast, or high-pressure aeration, which creates the gas bubbles that fluff up bread. In many countries, commercial bread often contains additives to improve flavor, texture, color, shelf life, nutrition, and ease of production.

Cassava

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Cassava

Manihot esculenta, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca , is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions as an annual crop for its edible starchy root tuber. Cassava is predominantly consumed in boiled form, but substantial quantities are processed to extract cassava starch, called tapioca, which is used for food, animal feed, and industrial purposes. The Brazilian farinha, and the related garri of West Africa, is an edible coarse flour obtained by grating cassava roots, pressing moisture off the obtained grated pulp, and finally drying it (and roasting in the case of both farinha and garri).

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Side, Snack, Appetizer

Cassava fritters

Cocoyam

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Cocoyam

Cocoyam is a common name for more than one tropical root crop and vegetable crop belonging to the Arum family and may refer to: Cocoyams are herbaceous perennial plants belonging to the family Araceae and are grown primarily for their edible roots, although all parts of the plant are edible. Cocoyams that are cultivated as food crops belong to either the genus Colocasia or the genus Xanthosoma and are generally composed of a large spherical corm (swollen underground storage stem), from which a few large leaves emerge. The petioles of the leaves (leaf stems) stand erect and can reach lengths in excess of one metre (three feet). The leaf blades are large and heart-shaped and can reach 50 centimetres (20 inches) in length. The corm produces lateral buds that give rise to side-corms (cormels, suckers) or stolons (long runners, creeping rhizomes) depending on the species and variety. Cocoyams commonly reach in excess of one metre (three feet) in height and although they are perennials, they are often grown as annuals, harvested after one season. Colocasia species may also be referred to as taro, old cocoyam, arrowroot, eddoe, macabo, kontomire or dasheen and originate from the region of Southeast Asia. Xanthosoma species may be referred to as tannia, yautia, new cocoyam or Chinese taro and originate from Central and South America.

Croquette

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Croquette

A croquette is a deep-fried roll originating in French cuisine, consisting of a thick binder combined with a filling, which is then breaded. It is served as a side dish, a snack, or fast food worldwide. The binder is typically a thick béchamel or brown sauce, mashed potatoes, wheat flour or wheat bread. The binder may be mixed with or stuffed with a filling. Typical fillings include finely chopped meat, seafood, cheese, rice, mushrooms, and various vegetables, which may be combined with seasonings such as herbs and spices. Sweet croquettes may use a pastry cream binder and be filled with fruit. Croquettes may also be formed in other shapes, such as disks, ovals, or balls.

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Side, Snack, Appetizer

Dombolo

Dombolo, , is a traditional South African steamed bread. It is a popular staple food in many homes within South Africa. The bread is prepared in a container in a pot of boiling water. It differs from the traditional dumpling in that it is prepared using yeast instead of baking powder. There are different variations of the dish around South Africa. In the Zulu culture, dombolo is cooked on top of a stew rather than on its own in a separate pot. That variation of the steamed bread is known amongst the Zulus as uJeqe. Dombolo is often consumed with different kinds of side dishes such as chicken stew, beef stew, oxtail stew, lamb stew, or tripe. Dombolo can be made by using cake flour and placed on top of a stew to soak in the stew's flavours. It is related to Dutch Jan-in-de-zak or broeder.

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Side, Snack, Appetizer

Ekomba

A type of cornbread, made with corn, peanuts, sugar, water, cooked inside banana leaves

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Side, Snack, Appetizer

Fish roll

Rolled meat pie with a savory fish and vegetable filling

Fruit

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Fruit

Bananas, coconut, limes, mangoes, oranges, papaya, pineapple

Gombo

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Gombo

Okra , Abelmoschus esculentus, known in some English-speaking countries as lady's fingers, is a flowering plant in the mallow family native to East Africa. It has edible green seed pods. Cultivated in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions around the world, okra is used in the cuisines of many countries. Abelmoschus is Neo-Latin from Arabic: أَبُو المِسْك, romanized: ʾabū l-misk, lit. 'father of musk', while esculentus is Latin for being fit for human consumption.

Groundnut

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Groundnut

The peanut , also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large commercial producers, both as grain legume and as an oil crop. Atypically among legumes, peanut pods develop underground leading botanist Carl Linnaeus to name peanuts hypogaea, which means "under the earth". The peanut belongs to the botanical family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), commonly known as the legume, bean, or pea family. Like most other legumes, peanuts harbor symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root nodules, which improve soil fertility, making them valuable in crop rotations.

Groundnut sweet

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Groundnut sweet

Candied peanuts

Igname

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Igname

Yam is the common name for some plant species in the genus Dioscorea that form edible tubers (some other species in the genus being toxic). Yams are perennial herbaceous vines native to Africa, Asia, and the Americas and cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in many temperate and tropical regions. The tubers themselves, also called "yams", come in a variety of forms owing to numerous cultivars and related species.

Kampot peppercorn sauce

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Kampot peppercorn sauce

Kampot pepper is a cultivar of black pepper (Piper nigrum) grown and produced in Cambodia. During the early 20th century under the French protectorate within French Indochina it was also known as Indochinese pepper (French: poivre d'Indochine; Khmer: ម្រេចឥណ្ឌូចិន, mrech Indauchen). The pepper's modern name is derived from the area where it is grown, the Province of Kampot, but its historic name uses the French term for Mainland Southeast Asia. Kampot pepper is a certified geographical indication (GI) product in Cambodia (since 2010) and in European Union (since 2016). There are two varieties: the small leaf (កំចាយ, kamchay) and the big leaf variety (lampong or belantoeung). Kampot pepper is grown, produced and sold in green, black, white and red varieties, all from the same plant. The climate of Kampot Province offers perfect conditions for growing pepper and the quartz content of the soil in the foothills of the Elephant Mountains helps to give Kampot pepper its unique terroir.

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