The Congos have a rich culture, occupied by the Belgians, the French and the Portuguese, they have a subsoil out of the ordinary, and several dozen ethnic groups shared in the two countries. In this article, rather than focusing on the ethnic mix of the two Congos, we’re going to take a closer look at Congolese gastronomy, with fish, meat and vegetables on our list of ten must-try Congolese dishes.

Congolese cuisine is highly imaginative, and dishes can include insects, reptiles, monkeys, turtles, rats, crocodiles, etc. That’s why we’ve come up with a list of the 10 best Congolese dishes.

1.Moambé chicken

Originally a Gabonese dish, it is the national dish of the DRC and is known as poulet nyembwe, also spelt gnemboue. Nyembwe means palm oil in Myènè, one of the languages of Gabon. The dish is made with chicken, palm oil and tomatoes.

Recipe:

1. Season the chicken, fry the chicken, then set aside.
2. Prepare the sauce using diced tomatoes, garlic cloves, onions, ginger, chilli flakes, salt and pepper.
3. Re-cook the chicken in the sauce for 20 minutes.
4. Add peanut butter to the simmered dish.
5. Serve hot.

2.Mitshopo

Mitshopo is a tripe dish that is said to have been invented in 1902 by the Irish pastor Mitchell MacMelling, who was stationed in the Protestant parish of Kalémie, then known as Albertville. Anecdotally, it was served to the faithful on Sundays as they left the temple during the evangelisation of the Congo. It was one of the only sources of animal protein for the Congolese, other than fish caught in Lake Tanganyika.

The dish was a great success, and people came to mass just to enjoy the tripe. The dish therefore played a part in the successful Christianisation of the town, and a real craze spread around Lake Tanganyika and Lake Mwero.

Recipe:

1. Clean the viscera, tomatoes, onions and lumba lumba (basil) leaves.
2. Chop the ingredients until smooth.
3. Place the viscera and ingredients in a deep frying pan, add salt, oil and a little water.
4. Cook for about 20 minutes.
5. Serve hot.

3.Soso ya lumba lumba/Tshiluabenyi:

Originally from Kasai province, soso ya lumba lumba is a chicken dish cooked in a basil sauce. It is very popular with men and women in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and it is customary to serve it at weddings or when entertaining guests.

Recipe:

1. In a saucepan, boil the chicken seasoned with garlic and the seasonings from the recipe (grated nutmeg, onions, bay leaves).
2. Once the chicken has boiled, remove it from the pan and fry it.
3. In another pot, make a tomato sauce using fresh tomatoes and onions.
4. Pour the tomato sauce into the chicken stock.
5. Simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Serve the fried chicken with the stock mixed with the tomato sauce.

4.Pepe supu with fish:

Pepe supu is a fish soup eaten on cooler days. It is spicy and particularly hot. Eating it awakens the taste buds and takes you back to the traditions of Central Africa.

Recipe:

1. Clean the fish and dice finely.
2. Blend onions, tomatoes, garlic and parsley and mix with the fish.
3. Add slices of onion on top of the mixture.
4. Simmer the mixture with a little water (600 ml to 500 ml) and a stock cube (optional) in a casserole dish for 30 to 40 minutes.
5. Serve hot.

5.Thompson:

Thompson is a fish dish from the Congo River. Thompson can be eaten grilled in a sauce or steamed. It is eaten with rice, manioc, banana, vegetables or bread. For us, the fish brings out all its flavour when it’s grilled, which is why we’ve provided the recipe here.

Recipe:

1. Clean the Thompson.
2. Season it with garlic, salt and pepper, and cut slits in the side for cooking.
3. Grill the fish in olive oil.
4. Serve hot.

6.Kosa kosa :

The Kosa Kosa is a type of prawn that is unique to the Congo River. It is very large in size. Kosa Kosa is usually cooked in a garlic sauce, however like the Thompson we think it delivers its full flavour when grilled which is why we give you the recipe here :

Recipe:

1. Clean the prawns.
2. Season with garlic, salt and pepper.
3. Grill the prawns in olive oil.
4. Serve hot.

7.Babute:

Babute originates from the Babute commune in Kisangani, from which it takes its name. It is made with curried minced meat, apricots, cream and eggs. It is highly prized for its protein content.

Recipe:

1. Mix the minced beef, salt and curry powder.
2. Mix the eggs (4), milk (1 glass) and crème fraîche (1 glass).
3. Pour half the egg mixture over the meat and stir in the apricots.
4. Place the mixture in a baking dish.
5. Pour the rest of the egg mixture over the dish and add the bay leaves on top of the egg cream.
6. Bake for 45 minutes at 180°C, 350 Fahrenheit.
7. Serve hot.

8.Madesu ya baluba :

Madesu ya baluba is a bean broth that is very popular with the Congolese population due to its ease of preparation and the fact that the ingredients are readily available. These red beans are boiled in water, palm oil and a little salt. It becomes a soup and is eaten with white rice and sugar.

Recipe:

1. Put the water, beans, palm oil and salt in a pot.
2. Simmer until cooked.
3. Serve hot.

9.Moussaka :

Moussaka is a broth made from seeds and chicken meat, and is eaten mainly at Congolese gatherings or when the weather turns colder.

The seeds can be soya, beans, peas, corns or any other seed.

Recipe:

1. Cook your seeds until they become tender.
2. Chop the chicken and fry in a pan.
3. In another pan, add the diced tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.
4. Pour the cooked seeds, chicken and sauce into a pot.
5. Simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Serve hot.

10.Madesu:

Madesu is a dish made with beans, peanut oil and tomato sauce. It can be accompanied by meat or fish to make it even better.

Recipe:

1. Cook the beans in water until tender.
2. Fry the cooked beans in oil.
3. Prepare a tomato sauce in a frying pan using the tomatoes, onions and salt.
4. Pour the tomato sauce and refried beans into a pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Serve hot.