Congolese Food

Congo has the best fruits and vegetables in the world! They are truly organic and all natural! You can find all kinds of tropical fruit: pineapples, mangoes, papayas, oranges, grapefruit, and starfruit. Vegetables are plentiful and very good. Zucchini, tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, onions, and eggplant are some of my favorite! Last term, I planted a mango tree, a papaya tree, and an avocado tree. I look forward to the fruit they will produce. This array of fruits and vegetables and peanuts were a gift from a church where I was invited to preach. Some of the vegetables are the size of my arm!!

Mangoustan is a well-known fruit in the DRCongo! The skin is burgundy color and very spongy. The white flesh inside is juicy and you must be careful not to swallow the seed inside it.

Pandu, matembale, frumbwa, bitikiteka are all green leafy vegetables found in the DRCongo and many people can grow these all year-round! Women or girls will bring their supply to the market. They are bought in whole leaves as you see here.

Then you cut, wash, and pound.

Fufu is another staple of many Congolese, as well as, foreigners. Fufu is my favorite with greens and fish. It comes from the root of a cassava bush. It is pounded into a powder, like flour. You add the powder to boiling water, stir, wait, watch, and smell. Ha! Ha! Yes, there is an odor that will tell you when it is almost ready. This can take up to 15 minutes, once boiling. It will get thicker.

Once it ready, they take it off the fire and bring it to the ground, making sure they have flip-flops or something to protect their feet. They will put the pot between their feet to be able to stir it more as it thickens and then create balls.

Et Voila!! Fufu with peanut chicken, or with beans and greens.

Or with fish!! Yummy! (minus the teeth...)