Central African Recipes

Central African cuisine spans the Congo Basin's vast tropical rainforests, encompassing some of the continent's most biodiverse ecosystems and the culinary traditions of Bantu, Pygmy, and other peoples. The cuisine is built on cassava (in all its forms — flour, leaves, fermented), plantains, and the forest's abundant wild game, river fish, and foraged ingredients. Palm oil, peanuts, and leafy greens form the foundational flavor trio. Cooking techniques include wrapping foods in banana and plantain leaves for steaming, smoking fish and meats, and fermenting cassava into various forms from chikwangue to fufu.