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What to eat in Cameroon

Five dishes to try in Cameroon, the most typical first. Two are vegetarian.

Five dishes to try in Cameroon

  1. Ndolé

    Main dish

    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.

    Read about Ndolé on Wikipedia

  2. Achu

    Main dish

    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.

    Read about Achu on Wikipedia

  3. Eru

    Main dish

    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.

    Read about Eru on Wikipedia

  4. Koki

    Main dishVegetarian

    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.

    Read about Koki on Wikipedia

  5. Puff-puff

    Street foodVegetarian

    Fried balls of sweet yeasted dough.

    How to have it: Breakfast on the street as 'beignets haricots' with spicy beans and bouillie porridge.

    Read about Puff-puff on Wikipedia

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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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Dishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.