Baku Kitchen! An independent reference of traditional food

Central African Republic

Ask what the Central African Republic eats and the answer starts with this: cassava gozo with pounded leaf sauces, squash-seed kanda, river fish and peanut-thickened stews. Look for Gozo (cassava-flour paste, the everyday swallow for sauces), Ngoundja (pounded cassava leaves stewed with palm oil, peanut butter and fish) and Kanda (steamed squash-seed and minced-meat balls in tomato-palm sauce). The Sango name for cassava dough pounded stiff, the staple that replaced older yam and banana starches as cassava spread up the Ubangi. This atlas has 24 Central African Republic dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.

24 dishes.

Bili-biliBili-biliSour red millet beer served warm from calabashesBrochettesBrochettesCharcoal beef or mutton skewers with mustard and chiliChenillesChenillesForest caterpillars dried or fried, eaten by the handful with cassavaFried plantainsFried plantainsGolden plantain slices served beside stewsGinger juiceGinger juiceSweet-spicy fresh ginger drinkGozoGozoCassava-flour paste, the everyday swallow for saucesGrilled capitaineGrilled capitaineNile perch from the Ubangi grilled with chili and limeJus de tamarinJus de tamarinSweet-sour tamarind pulp steeped and strained into a chilled juiceKandaKandaSteamed squash-seed and minced-meat balls in tomato-palm sauceKarkanjiKarkanjiDeep red hibiscus infusion spiced with ginger and cloves, drunk chilledKokoKokoWild gnetum vine leaves cooked with peanut and smoked fishKwangaKwangaFermented cassava paste wrapped in leaves and steamed into a firm sour loafMabokéMabokéRiver fish seasoned and steamed in folded leaf parcels over embersMakaraMakaraFried leavened dough rounds sold at marketsNgoundjaNgoundjaPounded cassava leaves stewed with palm oil, peanut butter and fishNgunzaNgunzaPounded cassava leaves stewed with palm oil, groundnut and smoked fishPalm winePalm wineSweet-then-sour sap tapped from the oil palm, drunk the day it runsPili piliPili piliCrushed hot chili paste set on the table beside every dishPoisson fuméPoisson fuméUbangi river fish split and smoked black, crumbled into every saucePoulet a la moambePoulet a la moambeChicken simmered in thick palm-nut pulp, eaten with cassava or riceSauce d’arachideSauce d’arachidePeanut sauce with chicken or beef over rice or gozoSauce gomboSauce gomboSlippery okra sauce with crab or smoked fishTermites grillésTermites grillésWinged termites caught at dusk and fried crisp in their own fatViande boucanéeViande boucanéeBush meat smoked hard over wood so it survives the journey to market

  • Bili-bili

    Sour red millet beer served warm from calabashes. A wine & spirit recipe from Central African Republic.

  • Chenilles

    Forest caterpillars dried or fried, eaten by the handful with cassava. Ready in 30 min prep and 40 min cooking.…

  • Fried plantains

    Golden plantain slices served beside stews. Ready in 10 minutes prep and 15 minutes cooking. Serves 4. A salad &…

  • Ginger juice

    Sweet-spicy fresh ginger drink. Ready in 20 minutes prep and none cooking. Makes about 1.5 litres. A drink recipe from…

  • Grilled capitaine

    Nile perch from the Ubangi grilled with chili and lime. Ready in 30 minutes prep and 30 minutes cooking. Serves…

  • Jus de tamarin

    Sweet-sour tamarind pulp steeped and strained into a chilled juice. Ready in 20 minutes prep and none cooking. About 2…

  • Koko

    Wild gnetum vine leaves cooked with peanut and smoked fish. Ready in 40 min prep and 1 hour cooking. 6…

  • Kwanga

    Fermented cassava paste wrapped in leaves and steamed into a firm sour loaf. A fermented & pickled recipe from Central…

  • Maboké

    River fish seasoned and steamed in folded leaf parcels over embers. Ready in 30 minutes prep and 45 minutes cooking.…

  • Makara

    Fried leavened dough rounds sold at markets. Ready in 20 min prep and 25 min cooking. About 30. A bread…