Food · Africa
What to eat in Cameroon
Five dishes to try in Cameroon, the most typical first. Two are vegetarian.
Five dishes to try in Cameroon
Ndolé
Bitter-leaf stew with ground peanuts, beef and shrimp.
How to have it: The national dish, from Douala; served with fried plantains, miondo or bobolo cassava sticks.
Achu
Pounded cocoyam with a yellow palm-oil and limestone soup and assorted meat.
How to have it: A North West region speciality; eaten with fingers from a well made in the cocoyam mound.
Eru
Shredded eru leaves and waterleaf cooked with palm oil, meat and smoked fish.
How to have it: From the South West; eat with garri or water fufu at chop houses.
Koki
Black-eyed bean paste with palm oil, steamed in banana leaves.
How to have it: Sold wrapped at markets; eat it with boiled plantain or cassava.
Puff-puff
Fried balls of sweet yeasted dough.
How to have it: Breakfast on the street as 'beignets haricots' with spicy beans and bouillie porridge.
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Questions
What food is Cameroon famous for?
Ndolé (bitter-leaf stew with ground peanuts, beef and shrimp) comes first on our list, followed by Achu, Eru, Koki and Puff-puff.
What is the national dish of Cameroon?
Ask ten people and you get several answers. The dish we put first for Cameroon is Ndolé: bitter-leaf stew with ground peanuts, beef and shrimp. The national dish, from Douala; served with fried plantains, miondo or bobolo cassava sticks.
Which dishes in Cameroon are vegetarian?
Two of the five on this page are vegetarian as usually made: Koki and Puff-puff. Recipes vary, so ask about stock, lard or fish sauce.
What street food should I try in Cameroon?
Puff-puff (fried balls of sweet yeasted dough).
How reliable is this list?
The dishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, where you can also tick off the ones you have tried. Recipes vary by region and by family, so take it as a starting point.
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Tick off every dish you try in Cameroon
Explo is a free app: light up the countries you have visited, keep the dishes you have tried, and check visa rules, weather and holidays before you go.
Get ExploDishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.