middle-africa
Explore 52 foods connected to DR Congo, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
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The local shortlist
12 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
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The full directory
52 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.
DR Congo
Lumba-lumba
A vegetable with a very aromatic flavor reminiscent of mint; popular in the center of the country; does not need the addition of spices in its preparation; sometimes prepared with chicken and chili; listed in Chef's Pencil as a Congolese dish; a foraged leaf vegetable from the Congolese forest; the aromatic green of the Congo; a distinctive regional dish.
DR Congo
Madesu
A Congolese bean stew; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; beans are slow-cooked with onions, tomatoes, palm oil, and spices; a vegetarian-friendly dish that is naturally gluten-free; a staple for many Congolese families; served with rice, fufu, or chikwangue; the bean stew of the Congo; a hearty, nutritious, and affordable dish.
Nigeria
Ofe onugbu
Washed bitter leaf cooked with cocoyam paste, palm oil, stockfish and meat into a thick soup that keeps a deliberate bitter edge.
DR Congo
Mbewngi
Black-eyed peas, a traditional Congolese dish; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; the peas are slow-cooked with onions, tomatoes, palm oil, and spices; a vegetarian-friendly dish rich in protein; served with rice, fufu, or chikwangue; a humble, nutritious, and affordable dish; the black-eyed pea dish of the Congo; found at family tables and markets.
DR Congo
Cassava fermented, pounded and packed into a long stick wrapped in leaves, then steamed until firm and slightly sour.
Rwanda
Ibiritanya
Rwanda's national street food — meat (goat, beef, pork, or fish) cut into cubes, marinated with spices, skewered with onions and vegetables, and grilled over charcoal; sold at every bar, roadside stand, and market in the country.
DR Congo
Soso
Chicken and rice, a common Congolese dish; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; chicken is cooked with rice in a single pot with tomatoes, onions, and spices; a simple, comforting, and filling meal; a popular dish for family dinners; the chicken and rice of the Congo; found at every restaurant and family table; a beloved everyday dish.
DR Congo
Kwanga
A fermented cassava bread wrapped in marantaceae leaves and steamed; the cassava is soaked in water for up to fourteen days, then pounded into a paste and wrapped in leaves for steaming; dense, slightly sour, and incredibly filling; commercially produced throughout the country; a staple across Central Africa; darker in some parts, nearly white in others; eaten with all kinds of sauces and fish.
DR Congo
Kamundele
Beef skewers, the most popular street food of the DRC; small kebab sticks of beef seasoned with local spices and grilled over open charcoal flames; found on almost every busy corner in Kinshasa and Goma; the Congolese name for brochettes; served with fried plantains (makemba) and pili-pili sauce; a quick, affordable, and beloved street food.
DR Congo
Mikate
Deep-fried dough balls, crispy on the outside and fluffy inside; a popular Congolese street food and snack; often served with a side of peanut sauce for a sweet and savory kick; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; similar to puff-puff across West Africa; found at street stalls and markets across Kinshasa; the beloved fried treat of the Congo.
DR Congo
Loso ya bulayi
Congolese fried rice; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; rice cooked with vegetables, meat, and spices in a style influenced by colonial history; a popular dish in urban areas; reflects the fusion of Congolese and European culinary traditions; served as a main dish; the fried rice of the Congo; found at restaurants and street stalls.
DR Congo
Fufu
The staple food of the Congo — a smooth, dense, slightly elastic dough made from cassava flour, corn flour, or sometimes plantains; rolled into golf-ball-sized balls and dipped into stews; the proper way to eat it is to pinch off a piece with the right hand, indent with the thumb, and scoop up sauce; present on all Congolese tables from north to south; the universal accompaniment.
DR Congo
Pili pili
A very hot chili pepper sauce served with nearly everything in the Congo; made from pili-pili peppers, onions, garlic, and oil; occasionally dried and sprinkled on fruit; the Congolese condiment that adds fire to any dish; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; the heat of Central African cuisine; found at every table and street stall.
DR Congo
Mayebo
A Congolese delicacy of mushrooms, fresh or dried; prepared in tomato sauce, palm oil, or mixed with vegetables; can be prepared in broth or stew; mushrooms are especially prized among the Luba people and seen as a substitute for meat in times of shortage; listed in Chef's Pencil as a Congolese delicacy; a foraged food from the forest; the mushroom dish of the Congo.
DR Congo
Malafu
Palm wine made from the sap of a wild palm tree, fermented by natural yeasts; has an alcohol content of between five and seven percent; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; a traditional beverage across Central Africa; the sap is collected from cut palm flower stems and ferments naturally; a refreshing, slightly sweet drink; the traditional alcohol of the Congo.
DR Congo
Mbembe
Snails, a traditional Congolese food; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; snails are gathered from the wild and cooked in various ways; a foraged food that reflects the bounty of the Congolese forest; often cooked in sauces with spices and palm oil; a delicacy in some regions; the snail dish of the Congo; an acquired taste.
DR Congo
Tshomba tsha kabiola
A traditional Congolese dish listed in Chef's Pencil; made from leafy greens rolled and prepared with spices; a specialty of specific regions of the DRC; reflects the diversity of Congolese vegetable dishes; served with fufu or rice; a unique regional specialty; the spinach roll of the Congo; a distinctive traditional dish.
Cameroon
Fufu corn
Maize flour stirred into boiling water into a stiff yellow mound, the everyday starch of the North-West and West.
DR Congo
Mbinzo
Dried caterpillars, a Congolese delicacy; listed in Chef's Pencil and Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; in Kinshasa, generally cooked with a light white sauce of onions, oil, and red chili; recipes across the country are varied and creative; can be associated with mayebo (mushrooms) or mixed with mbika; edible insects are eaten across the Congo and have a nutty flavor; a sustainable protein.
DR Congo
Ndakala
Small dried fish, nicknamed '1000 poisons'; a key ingredient in Congolese cuisine; fried in oil with chili and savored with fufu or chikwangue; mixed with vegetables and bathed in tomato sauce; added to pondu for umami depth; a preserved fish that extends the shelf life of river catch; found at every market; the fish that flavors Congolese stews.
DR Congo
Makemba
Fried plantains, a popular street food and side dish across the Congo; ripe plantains sliced and fried golden; eaten as a side or a snack; turn up alongside just about everything; in Congo's largest cities, fried plantains have become a popular fast food item, even overshadowing French fries; a simple, beloved staple.
Liberia
Akpu
Cassava soaked for days until it ferments, then pounded or wrapped and steamed into a soft, sour white swallow.
DR Congo
A vegetable dish made from the leaves of Gnetum africanum (African spinach); the leaves are rolled into a bundle and cut into thin strips, giving them a filament appearance; usually prepared with spices and peanuts; a specialty of the western provinces of DRC; also known as okok in Cameroon; a nutritious, earthy vegetable dish; served with fufu or chikwangue.
DR Congo
Ntaba
Grilled goat or pork, a traditional Congolese dish; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine as 'ntaba or ngulu yako tumba'; goat is the most widely consumed meat in the DRC; grilled over charcoal with spices and pili-pili; a popular dish at celebrations and street stalls; the grilled meat of the Congo; found at every brochette stall and restaurant.
Ghana
Tilapia
Whole tilapia scored, rubbed with ginger, garlic and pepper and grilled over charcoal, served with banku and hot pepper sauce.
DR Congo
Thomson
Horse mackerel, a common fish in Congolese cuisine; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; a small, oily fish that is fried, grilled, or stewed; an affordable source of protein; often sold canned or fresh at markets; a staple fish for many Congolese families; the horse mackerel of the Congo; found at every market and restaurant.
DR Congo
Liboké
An emblematic Congolese cooking method — fish, chicken, or meat marinated with spices and vegetables, then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed or grilled; the word means 'package' in Lingala; the parcel keeps everything moist and lets seasonings sink in; the most popular version is fish liboke with catfish, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and chili; a defining technique of Congolese cuisine.
DR Congo
A strong Democratic Congolese spirit distilled in small batches from fermented cassava or maize beer. Lotoko is associated with Kinshasa and informal local distilling rather than a standardized commercial bottle.
Central African Republic
Fish fillets steamed in banana or cassava leaves over a bed of onions, garlic, tomatoes, parsley and hot peppers; eaten in the Central African Republic and the Congo basin.
DR Congo
Grasshoppers, a traditional Congolese food; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; edible insects are eaten across the Congo and tend to have a nutty flavor; grasshoppers are fried or roasted and seasoned with spices; a sustainable protein source; a foraged food that reflects the bounty of the Congolese ecosystem; the grasshopper snack of the Congo.
DR Congo
Lituma
A popular Congolese side dish made from boiled plantains that are peeled and pounded into a sticky, pliable dough; spices can be added for flavor; naturally sweeter than fufu; prized by populations from the equatorial zones of the central basin; pairs wonderfully with grilled fish or meat; a simpler but no less delicious alternative to fufu.
DR Congo
Dongo-dongo
Okra dish, also known as dongo-dongo; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; okra is cooked into a viscous, slippery sauce with onions, tomatoes, and palm oil; similar to sauce gombo across West Africa; served with fufu, chikwangue, or rice; a traditional Congolese vegetable dish; the okra dish of the Congo; the slippery texture is the tell.
DR Congo
Ngai ngai
A sauce or dish prepared with a sauce made from the pericarp (not the seeds) of palm nuts, the fruit of the African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis); ngai ngai is a leaf called oseille in French and sorrel in English; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; a traditional sauce of western Middle Africa; served with fufu, rice, or chikwangue; the sorrel sauce of the Congo.
Kenya
Kenya's unofficial national dish: grilled goat or sheep meat over open fire, eaten with hands, ugali, and kachumbari
DR Congo
Gnetum leaves shredded to threads and cooked with palm oil, ground peanuts or bush mango, eaten with cassava sticks.
Guinée Forestière (Nzérékoré / Forest), The Gambia
Emu
Sap tapped from a palm tree and fermenting from the moment it is collected — milky, sweet in the morning, sour and stronger by evening.