Centrafrican cuisine

Fufu (right) is a staple food of West and Central Africa. It's a thick paste made by boiling starchy root vegetables in water and pounding the mixture with a mortar and pestle. Peanut soup is pictured left.

Centrafrican cuisine is the cooking traditions, practices, foods and dishes associated with the Central African Republic (CAR). The diet is heavy on staple starches such as millet and sorghum, and utilizes a significant amount of vegetables and sauces. Okra, onions, garlic, chiles and peanuts are commonly used in stews and sauces. Meat is generally scarce in CAR, and sources of protein include peanuts and insects such as cicadas, grasshoppers, crickets and termites.

Common foods and dishes

Location of Central African Republic

A boston lettuce plantation in northern Central African Republic

• Muama de galinha, chicken with okra and palm oil
• Palm butter soup
• Fufu (pounded cassava) and Foutou (pounded plantains) are often served with stews, soups and sauces

• 

  Shelled peanuts

• 

  Okra is commonly used in Central African Republic

Beverages

• Palm wine
• Banana wine

Food scarcity

CAR's potential agricultural output can feed the entire population, however, four coups have occurred during the last decade which has significantly reduced agriculture and food production. These political and economic crises have caused significant food shortages due to the burning of agricultural fields, food storage areas and villages by armed groups.

External links

• Central African Cuisine from Wikia recipes wiki. Accessed June 2011.