okra – The Congo Cookbook

Okra and Greens

Okra is generally thought to have originated in the wild in Northern or Northeastern Africa. It has been cultivated throughout Africa, the Middle East, and Asia […]

Saka-Saka (Cassava Leaves)

Saka-Saka (Saca-Saca, Sakasaka, and also known as Mpondou, Mpondu, or Pondu) is the Congolese word for cassava leaves, and the name of a dish made from them. Could “saka” be […]

Sauce aux Crevettes

Dried shrimp or prawns are used to add flavor to many stews and soups in Western Africa and the western part of Central Africa. Sauce aux […]

Calalu

At first glance, Calalu seems like Gumbo: an African-style recipe with an African name, but found only in the Americas. The main difference is that Calalu always includes greens, while […]

Egusi Soup

Various Egusi soups are favorites in Western Africa. The soup is thickened with flour ground from seeds of a species of Cucurbitaceae (which includes gourds, melons, pumpkins, and squashes, […]

Groundnut is the common African word for peanut, and Groundnut Stew or Groundnut Chop is one of many Chop dishes; the Western African version of the Chicken in Peanut-Tomato Sauce eaten all over sub-Saharan […]

Ogbono Soup

This recipe, which is popular in Nigeria and its neighbors, uses ogbono (sometimes spelled agbono, and also called apon) as the soup thickener. Ogbono is the kernels (whole or […]

Palaver Sauce

Palaver “Sauce” is a good example of the English word “sauce” used to describe something that is more like a soup or stew. Platto, bologie, and bitterleaf all appear […]

Palm-Oil Chop

“The Negroes cook uniformly very well, and at moments are inspired in the direction of palm-oil chop and fish cooking.” wrote Mary Henrietta Kingsley in 1896 (in Travels […]

Ceebu Jën (Rice and Fish)

Ceebu Jën is one of Senegal’s classic dishes. There are dozens of possible variations; use this recipe as a starting point and put in whatever you […]

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