Congolese Food Guide

The staple diet of the Congolese in common with other African people is starchy flours made from tubers of cassava. The cassava was brought into Africa from the Americas and became hugely popular till it is ubiquitous to all African meals. Cassava is supplemented by a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, peanuts and game. Traditionally, the Congolese people did not raise cattle but hunted wild animals for food – this gave rise to a whole range of game meats that were either smoked or stewed. Monkey, antelope and warthog were common items on menus and a change of taste introduced with the use of river fish and seafood, depending on their access to water bodies.

A regulation item in most Congolese kitchens is a huge stew pot simmering over an open fire. Peanuts or cassava stew make up the main course and are usually eaten with a starchy side-dish like baton de manioc, fufu, ugali or some form of rice, millet, sorghum, or corn (maize). Favorites of Congolese cuisine are grilled or roast chicken marinated in a peanut sauce; vegetable stews made out of cassava leaves and salads that combine potatoes, spinach, garlic, beans and peppers. Despite the strong ties with France, elaborate desserts do not feature on the average Congolese meal and the sweet tooth is satiated with puddings made of tropical fruits like pineapples, paw paw, plantains and sugarcane.