ExploFood · Africa
What to eat in DR Congo
Five dishes to try in the DR Congo, the most typical first. Three are vegetarian.
Five dishes to try in the DR Congo
Moambe chicken Poulet à la moambé
Chicken stewed in a rich palm-nut sauce.
How to have it: Considered the national dish; served with rice, fufu or chikwangue.
Pondu
Pounded cassava leaves stewed with palm oil, onion and often smoked fish.
How to have it: An everyday side in Kinshasa; order it at a nganda with grilled fish or chicken.
Fufu
Stiff dough of cassava or maize flour.
How to have it: The staple starch; tear off a piece by hand and use it to scoop sauce.
Chikwangue
Fermented cassava paste steamed in leaves into firm loaves.
How to have it: Sold in markets as kwanga; slice it as a side to grilled fish or moambe.
Palm wine Malafu
Mildly alcoholic, cloudy drink tapped from palm trees.
How to have it: Sold fresh in villages and markets; drink it the day it is tapped before it turns sour.
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Questions
What food is the DR Congo famous for?
Moambe chicken (chicken stewed in a rich palm-nut sauce) comes first on our list, followed by Pondu, Fufu, Chikwangue and Palm wine.
What is the national dish of the DR Congo?
Ask ten people and you get several answers. The dish we put first for the DR Congo is Moambe chicken: chicken stewed in a rich palm-nut sauce. Considered the national dish; served with rice, fufu or chikwangue.
Which dishes in the DR Congo are vegetarian?
Three of the five on this page are vegetarian as usually made: Fufu, Chikwangue and Palm wine. Recipes vary, so ask about stock, lard or fish sauce.
What do people drink in the DR Congo?
Palm wine: mildly alcoholic, cloudy drink tapped from palm trees.
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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Get ExploDishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.