Republic of the Congo

🇨🇬Republic of the Congo

Ngoki

Grilled catfish served with cassava porridge and vegetables; a traditional dish from the Congo River basin.

🇨🇬Republic of the Congo

Ntoba Mbodi

A fermented cassava leaf product made by alkaline fermentation; dark, pungent, and used as a base for sauces.

🇨🇩DR Congo

Peanut Butter Bread

Pain mwambe

Peanut butter bread, a traditional Congolese food; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; bread spread with or made with peanut butter; a popular snack and breakfast item; reflects the importance of peanuts in Congolese cuisine; a simple, filling, and nutritious food; found at bakeries and street stalls; the peanut butter bread of the Congo.

🇨🇩DR Congo

Peanut Butter Sauce

Moamba

A common Congolese way of cooking chicken or meat with peanut sauce; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; the sauce is made from peanut butter, tomatoes, onions, and spices; a foundational sauce of Congolese cuisine; distinct from poulet moambe which uses palm nut butter; served with rice, fufu, or chikwangue; the peanut sauce of the Congo.

🇨🇩DR Congo

Poisson Braisé Congolais

Poisson braisé

Grilled fish, a popular Congolese dish; fish from the Congo River and its tributaries; typically tilapia or capitaine (Nile perch); grilled whole over charcoal with spices and pili-pili; the riverside nganda restaurants serve baked fish with cooked plantains; a staple for communities along the Congo River; the grilled fish of the Congo; found at every riverside restaurant.

🇨🇩DR Congo

Pondu

Saka saka

The beloved national staple of the Congo — cassava leaves pounded into a fine paste and slow-cooked for hours with palm oil, onions, garlic, and often smoked fish or beef; rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals; the palm oil gives a characteristic reddish-brown color and nutty flavor; served with fufu, chikwangue, or plantains; the backbone of daily Congolese dining.

🇨🇩Brazzaville, DR Congo

Poulet Mayonnaise

Poulet mayo

Roasted chicken pieces coated generously in mayonnaise with onions, tomatoes, and sometimes fried plantains; a popular Brazzaville street food.

🇨🇩DR Congo

Poulet à la Moambe

Poulet moambe

The national dish of the Democratic Republic of the Congo — chicken braised low and slow in a glossy, deep-orange sauce built from palm nut pulp, peanut butter, tomatoes, and warm aromatics; the name 'moambe' refers to the palm butter made from the pericarp of palm nuts; served with rice, fufu, or chikwangue; the soul of Congolese culinary tradition.

🇨🇬Republic of the Congo

Primus Beer Congo

Primus

A mass-market pale lager brewed in Brazzaville; served in large returnable green bottles and known locally as the biere du pays.

🇨🇩DR Congo

Pumpkin Seed Pudding

Mbika

A dish made from flour produced by grinding squash seeds; the flour encases the food it's cooked with, creating a wrapping; often prepared in the liboke method, wrapped in banana leaves; the finished dish has a texture similar to blood sausage; listed in Chef's Pencil and Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; a unique Congolese dish; the pumpkin seed pudding of the Congo.

🇨🇩DR Congo

Rice and Beans

Loso na madesu

Rice and beans, a staple combination across the Congo; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; rice is often mixed with beans as a filling, nutritious meal; a simple, everyday dish; the beans are stewed with onions, tomatoes, and spices; a complete protein source; served as a main dish or side; the rice and beans of the Congo.

🇨🇬Republic of the Congo

Safou

A purple-black oily fruit roasted or dipped in hot water until the flesh softens into something between avocado and olive, eaten with maize.

🇨🇩DR Congo

Salt Fish

Makayabu

Salted fish, a key ingredient in Congolese cuisine; listed in Wikipedia's Congolese cuisine; often grilled and served with fried plantains (makemba); a preservation method that extends the shelf life of fish; used in pondu and other stews for umami; found at every market; the salt fish that flavors Congolese dishes; an essential pantry ingredient.

🇨🇬Republic of the Congo

Soso ya Makasi

Tough rooster simmered slowly in a tomato sauce with peppers, onions, garlic, and nutmeg until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick.

🇨🇩DR Congo

Sweet Potato Leaf Stew

Matembele

A vegetable dish made from sweet potato leaves; a creeping plant that grows quickly in almost any plot in the Congo; easy to prepare with a few spices and oil; goes well with almost any local accompaniment; found more often on the plate of the Congolese than pondu because of its extremely low cost; a humble, everyday vegetable dish; served with fufu or rice.

🇨🇬Republic of the Congo

Ya Jean

Barbecued lamb, beef, or goat cooked twice over charcoal, often wrapped in parchment paper for the second cooking to keep it tender.

🇨🇬Republic of the Congo

Yuuma

Roasted peanuts ground into paste and served with boiled bananas, cassava, and palm oil; a simple, hearty combination from the Congolese countryside.