Democratic Republic of the Congo

Deep-fried fritters made from soaked, peeled and blended black-eyed peas whipped with onion.

Grilled skewers of goat or bush-meat seasoned with salt and spice, the ubiquitous street- and bar-food of the DR Congo.

A smooth, stretchy, elastic dough made by pounding boiled starchy staples — typically cassava and unripe plantain — into a cohesive, lump-free mass, served warm alongside soup or stew and eaten by hand.

A firm loaf of fermented cassava paste, wrapped in banana or marantaceae leaves and steamed, eaten as a starchy staple across Central Africa.

A whole river fish packed with aromatics, palm oil, and seasoning, sealed inside a folded banana-leaf parcel, and steam-braised over low heat until the flesh is deeply infused with leaf perfume and rendered tender.

A Congolese parcel of seasoned meat steamed inside a sealed banana-leaf wrapping until tender and infused with the leaf's aroma.

A Congolese mash of boiled plantain pounded smooth, sometimes enriched with groundnuts or palm oil.

A Congolese everyday plate of steamed rice served alongside red or white beans stewed in a tomato and palm-oil sauce.

A traditional Congolese artisanal distilled spirit made by fermenting and then distilling a mash of maize or cassava.

A Congolese dish of catfish (ngolo), fresh or smoked, seasoned with tomato, onion, and chile and steamed inside a folded banana-leaf parcel (liboke).

A Congolese everyday staple of white or red beans slow-cooked until creamy and enriched generously with red palm oil ('mafuta').

Ripe plantains fried or grilled into soft, caramelized fingers, eaten as a Central African street snack or side.

A Central African stew of ground pumpkin/melon seeds cooked with leafy greens and palm oil into a thick, nutty sauce, often with fish or meat.

Airy yeast-leavened dough balls deep-fried golden and sold warm by the dozen at roadside stalls.

A Central African feast dish of bone-in chicken pieces slow-braised in thick palm-nut cream (moambe) with garlic, hot chile, and onion until the sauce is deep, clingy, and faintly bitter-sweet.

A rich Central African sauce of pounded and reduced palm-nut pulp, simmered with fish or meat and aromatics, served over fufu or rice.

A Congolese dish of pork braised or roasted with onion, garlic, and palm oil, served as an urban feast centerpiece.

Pondu is a Central African slow-braise of pounded or fermented cassava leaves cooked down in palm oil with onion and chile until the greens collapse into a thick, unctuous, deeply savory stew.