Chic African Culture Africa Factbook

Did you know?

1. No African country names begin with the letters F, H, I, J, O, P, Q, V, W, X, or Y.

2. Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent.

3. The Republic of the Congo is one of the most urbanized countries in Africa.

Congolese Cassava Pondu and Fufu Nosh

French is the official language of the Republic of Congo, in Kikongo the name of this African country favorite dish is named Pondu, in French it is named feuille de manioc, in English it is known as cassava leaf stew.

Congolese cooks combine a mixture of mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, pumkin, palm-oil and herbs, other fresh vegetables such as cassava leaves, fish, bush-meat and goat-meat eaten with a starchy dish called fufu.
Farming Cassava Leaves
Farming Cassava Leaves


Fufu is rolled into golf ball-sized balls, an indentation is made with the right finger and then dipped into a soup, sauce or stew in order to soak-up the flavor .

Cassava is known by many names depending on where you live on this planet; the most common names for cassava are manioc, yucca, yuca, mandioca, and tapioca. Cassava originated from tropical America and cassava was first introduced into Africa in the Congo Basin by the Portuguese around 1558.

Africans eat around 176 pounds or 80 kilograms of cassava per year per person. It is estimated that 37% of dietary energy comes from cassava. The Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest consumer of cassava in sub-Saharan Africa, followed by Nigeria, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire.

Congolese Pondu and Fufu Cassava Nosh
Cooked Congolese Cassava

Congolese Pondu and Fufu Cassava Nosh

 
Congolese Pondu Cassava Recipe

Ingredients
4 handfuls cassava leaves, chopped
3 medium pieces smoked fish
1 medium white onion, diced
1 hot pepper, chopped
1 cup of palm oil
1 large diced tomato


Directions
In a large pot, add oil, and onions over medium-high heat and cook onions until soft and light brown. Add smoked fish, chopped hot pepper then cassava leaves, stir and cover 5 minutes. When leaves are cooked soft or with some bite left in them serve with fufu.

Pounding fufu in the Congo
 Pounding fufu in the Congo

Congolese Cassava Fufu Recipe

Fufu is a staple food common in many countries in Africa. How do you eat Fufu? Simply tear off a small piece of fufu hold it with the tips of your right fingers making a slight indentation to scoop up a small portion of food. 

Ingredients
3 peeled and boiled cassavas
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
Water for boiling

Directions
In a large pot place the peeled and evenly cut cassava and cover with water. Boil until soft about 20 minutes. Place the salt, flour, and cassava in a mixer and knead until the consistency of soft dough is achieved. Fufu should be much stiffer than mashed potatoes in texture.

Did you know the Republic of Congo is about twice the size of the USA State of Florida and about 70% of the population of the Republic of Congo lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them?



Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

Africa is surrounded by water but is not an island, here are a few African Island facts.

Madagascar is the 4th large island in the world and is located in the Indian Ocean supporting a unique biology, about 90% of its plants and animals are found nowhere else on earth.

Composed of 155 islands, Seychelles is Africa's smallest country. By far the largest island is Mahe, home to about 90% of the population and the site of its capital city of Victoria.

Cabo Verde has a strategic location 310 miles or 500 km from the west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site.

Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent. Continents can not be considered islands because of their size and also by historic definition since many people who study geography define islands and continents as two different things.

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African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

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Being African in America I have grown up learning about different ethnic cultures. My father and mother are historians of African culture and history and their influence expanded my activities to several best-selling cookbooks, magazine columns, self-branded products, and a popular African culture and food blog.

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