Characteristic products
Agriculture is a major sector of the Congolese economy, and the country's largely equatorial climate allows for a wide variety of different crops. Starchy foods are essential to local cuisine, and include cassava (the country is the world's2nd largest producer after Nigeria), rice, corn, sweet potatoes, yams, taro (a tuber) and plantains. Rice is often included in every meal. As for manioc, it is an essential ingredient in Congolese cuisine, and both its tubers and leaves are eaten. Tubers require meticulous cooking, as cassava contains cyanide. Raw, it is unfit for consumption.
Other vegetables include tomatoes, pumpkins, eggplants, peas, beans and cabbage. The term " ndongo-ndongo " refers to okra, a vegetable that looks like a green chili pepper and tastes like a zucchini. Its viscous juice is particularly appreciated as a binder for sauces. Leafy vegetables such as matembele (sweet potato leaves) or ngaï-ngaï (Guinea sorrel leaves or hibiscus roselle) are widely consumed. Fumbwa - known scientifically as Gnetum africanum - is a liana prized for its iron-rich leaves. Peanuts and peanut paste in particular are highly prized in Congolese cuisine.
The Congo River basin is home to more than 800 species of fish, which can be prepared in a variety of sauces, but are never eaten raw. Fish is usually on the menu along rivers and lakes. The most popular species are ngolo (catfish), mboto (carp), capitaine, tilapia, malangwa (cousin of tilapia), eel, etc. Cossas-cossas - giant freshwater shrimps - are a delicacy of choice. Fish can be grilled, boiled, fried, in broth or en papillote for immediate consumption, or smoked or salted for later consumption.
Beef, pork, mutton, goat, poultry and game are among the most popular meats, although there is a strong preference for chicken, which is easy and inexpensive to raise. Meat and poultry are either grilled or cooked in sauces with various condiments and garnishes. They can also be smoked and dried; this is even a necessity, especially in rural areas where the cold chain and access to electricity are sometimes uncertain.
Although bushmeat has technically been banned from consumption in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the arrival of the Ebola virus in 2018, it is still an essential source of protein for a large proportion of the population living in remote rural areas. Monkeys, antelopes, bats, monitor lizards, crocodiles, snakes and rodents are hunted in abundance. Insects (winged ants, grasshoppers, larvae, termites, caterpillars, locusts) are also consumed. In a country where food security is a key issue, the consumption of these products is generally crucial to the local diet. However, as a tourist, it's best not to give in to curiosity: many of these animals - including several species threatened by poaching - carry parasites and diseases, not to mention the unhygienic conditions in which they are stored and transported.
The oil palm - a tree native to equatorial Africa - is omnipresent throughout the Congolese territory. Its oil, with its pronounced taste reminiscent of paprika and carrot, is very popular here for preparing sauces. Although palm oil is much maligned in the West, the palm's unrefined red oil is particularly rich in beta-carotenes and vitamins. The tree's sap is fermented to produce wine. Boiled palm nuts, still warm, are nibbled like a delicacy. It can be sprinkled with sugar or eaten as is.
While Congolese cuisine is not lacking in flavors, it makes little use of spices and condiments, concentrating on just a few products: garlic, onion, ginger, chili pepper, etc. Stock cubes are an integral part of many preparations. The proverbial pili-pili (chili pepper) is a must. A central ingredient in Congolese cuisine, it can be eaten and used cooked, raw, whole or powdered. Chopped chili is served at the table with salt. Chilli is said to have a bactericidal effect, reducing intestinal infections. It also prevents microbial contamination of foodstuffs, a valuable quality in rural areas where access to refrigeration is sometimes limited.
In a country suffering from chronic famine, access to food and eating habits vary greatly from place to place. It's quite common to eat a hearty breakfast of milk tea, bread, doughnuts and sometimes omelettes, to keep you going throughout the day, followed by a more traditional meal of starchy foods and meat or fish in sauce at the end of the afternoon. When it comes to eating out, apart from the establishments of the major international hotels, there are two main options. Street canteens, or malewa, are particularly common in the cities, offering classic Congolese dishes in the form of a complete meal at an affordable price. The ngandas (buvettes) offer beer and grilled chicken, fish or goat, in a noisy, festive atmosphere. While cutlery is generally found in restaurants, many Congolese traditionally eat with their hands.
Classics of Congolese cuisine
Congolese food is essentially composed of starchy foods and vegetables. Starchy foods are boiled, fried, mashed into patties or fritters. Kwanga or chikwangue, a fermented cassava bread, cooked and wrapped in leaves, is widespread throughout the country and Central Africa. Lituma is a mashed plantain flavored with palm nuts. Fufu is a paste made from a starch or flour such as cassava, maize or yam. Although these preparations are supposed to be combined with meat or fish, they are often eaten as they are, as meat products can be too expensive for some Congolese.
Rice is widely consumed, often plain as a side dish, but also flavored, such as loso boulayi or tomato rice, which is sometimes garnished with meat, shrimp, dried fish, etc. Originally from the Middle East, pilaf is common in East Africa, prepared by the Swahili. In the Congo, pilaf is found in Kivu. Pilaf is a richly spiced rice containing cinnamon, ginger, cumin, etc. It is often prepared with beef or pork. It is often prepared with beef, mutton or goat. Madesu ya pembe is a white bean stew with tomato, usually eaten with rice. It is usually garnished with beef, tripe, pork and fish.
Chicken is particularly popular. The national dish, soso ya mwamba, consists of chicken simmered in a rich peanut butter, tomato and onion sauce. Another classic, soso ya makasi, is a recipe for chicken in a spicy tomato and bell pepper sauce. Soso ya lumba lumba is chicken in a basil sauce. Finally, soso ya ko tumba is a tasty recipe for chicken marinated in a spicy sauce and barbecued over coals. A dish of Angolan origin, chicken à la moambe or mossaka is very popular in the Congo. The meat is cooked in a creamy sauce made from palm nut purée with onion, garlic, tomato and chili pepper.
Other meats are also eaten. Beef with blocked sauce is seared in a mixture of peanut and palm oil, and cooked with onions and garlic. It is served with a spicy, fresh tomato sauce. Common on market stalls, kamundele or nyama choma are skewers generally made from beef. A complete dish, babute is made with curried minced meat, apricots, cream and eggs, prepared in the form of a gratin. More rustic, mitshopo is a dish based on goat tripe with tomato and chili pepper.
A classic of Congolese cuisine, liboke is a papillote made from banana leaves, cooked either in an oven or directly on a grill over a fire. The leaves must be sealed to retain heat and cooking juices. The best-known version is liboke ya mbisi, with fish, ginger, tomatoes and onions, although other variants exist with chicken, shrimps, etc. Other fish dishes include makayabu or Congolese-style cod, simmered with garlic, chilli and bell pepper, or pepe supu, a spicy fish soup.
Consumed throughout the country, pondu is a creamy dish made from chopped manioc leaves, simmered and flavored with onion, garlic, chili pepper and dried fish crumbs. Sakamadesu is a variant of pondu with white beans. Similar to pondu, bitekuteku is a sauce with amaranth leaves, flavored with smoked fish. Also quite similar, nkovi is made with chard or green cabbage. From East Africa, kamchumbari - an onion, tomato and chili salad - is eaten mainly in the Kivu region. Mbika is a grainy sauce made from African pumpkin seeds, tomato pulp, onion and dried fish. Sambusa - the local name for samoussas - are small triangular turnovers from South Asia, filled with meat and/or vegetables.
Desserts and drinks
There are relatively few pastries and desserts, the sweetness and sugar being provided by fruits that are eaten fresh: mango, banana, papaya, citrus, watermelon or even rarer local varieties like the tondolo, with its sweet-and-sour white pulp. There are also a few sweets on offer. Mikate are doughnuts made from flour, water, baking powder and vanilla sugar, cooked in a bath of fried oil. They are often plain, but can be prepared in a variety of flavors: pineapple, vanilla, banana, etc. They can be eaten as a snack, breakfast or dessert. Gratana are sometimes comically called "cacapigeon". They are corn cookies in the shape of sticks. Niampul comes in the form of caramelized coconut shavings. In the major cities, you'll find a number of Western pastry shops offering more elaborate desserts. As for drinks, there are a multitude of fruit juices, including the very popular tangawisi, a mixture of ginger and pineapple juice. Bissap is an iced infusion of hibiscus roselle flowers. There are also a variety of handcrafted alcoholic beverages produced throughout the country. One of these is lotoko, a type of brandy made from corn and/or manioc and consumed by the Ngala people, particularly in Equateur province. Although technically forbidden due to its high alcohol content (up to 50°), it is still widely produced. Palm wine - known as malafu, nsamba or ngasi - is made from the sap of different palm species and can be of varying degrees of strength. Popular beers in Congo include Primus, Tembo, Nkoyi and Class. Lungwila is a sugarcane beer.
