Food, eating habits and cusine of Cameroon

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Officially the Republic of Cameroon, Cameroon is a country positioned between Central, North and West Africa. It is bordered by Chad, Nigeria, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. Cameroon’s coastline is on part of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea called the Bight of Biafra and the country measures 183,569 square miles.

English and French are Cameroon’s official languages and it is often referred to as "Africa in miniature" because of its cultural and geological diversity. Cameroon has many landscapes including beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests and savannas. Mount Cameroon is the country’s highest point reaching 4,100 metres. Cameroon’s biggest cities, in terms of population, are Douala, which is its main seaport and economic capital; Yaoundé, its political capital and Garoua.

Gastronomy in Cameroon Overview

Cameroonian cuisine is one of the most diverse in Africa because of Cameroon’s position on the crossroads between North, West and Central Africa; the multiplicity in ethnicity with mixtures ranging from Bantus, Semi-bantus and Shua-Arabs. From 1884 until after World War I, Germany controlled Cameroon, after which the French took over 80% and the British 20%. After World War II, Cameroon was self-governed until in 1972 when a republic was formed. This history has also influenced Cameroon’s cuisine.

A breakfast staple and very widely consumed in the French speaking parts of Cameroon is French bread which was introduced by the French. Whilst British plain pan-loafs locally called "Kumba bread" is a less rich form of dinner roll but very common in the English-speaking parts of the country. The main protein source for most Cameroonians is fish, poultry and beef. Bush meat was previously a common food, some of the most sought-after species were the pangolin, the porcupine and the giant rat, however, now these are much rarer and are looked upon as delicacies. Sadly, Cameroon has a thriving, illegal trade in endangered bush meat species such as gorilla and chimpanzee.

Gastronomy in Cameroon Influences

Cameroon’s history has had a massive impact on its cuisine. With it being colonised repeatedly, New World staples, European cooking techniques and cultures were all introduced to the country over several centuries. Its geography has also had an influence, with distinct differences between its North and South provinces. Cameroon is made up of more than 250 ethnic groups and cuisines differ between ethnic group.

For the most part, the soil in Cameroon is very fertile and Cameroonians grow a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, both domestic and imported species. Home grown produce includes: cassava, plantain, peanuts, fufu, hot pepper/Penja white pepper, corn, eggplant, okra, bitter leaf, tomato, cocoyam and bananas.

Cameroon Specialties

Ndolé,the un-official Cameroon National dish, Source

In Cameroon, the abundant food production supports creative cuisine. The local recipes reflect the cultural diversity of Cameroon, which consists of over 200 ethnic groups. There are many Cameroonian specialties, some examples are:

Fufu Corn - is a popular Cameroonian delicacy made from fine ground corn.
Njama Njama - is huckleberry leaves stewed in tomatoes and onions.
Brochettes (locally known as soya) - are a barbecued kebab made from either chicken, beef, or goat.
Sangah – is a mixture of maize, cassava leaf and palm nut juice.
Mbanga Soup – is a West African soup made from pounding the palm nut fruit to extract the pulp and simmering with assorted meat, spices and bitter leaf or spinach.
Eru - is a vegetable soup made from finely shredded leaves of the eru or okok. The eru is stewed together with spinach, palm oil and smoked fish, cow skin (kanda) or beef. Traditionally eru is eaten with fermented water-fufu or garri.
Ndolé – is the un-official Cameroon National dish. Ndolé is a spicy stew containing bitter leaf greens, meat, pork rind, shrimp and peanut paste.
Koki – is a roti made with a whole wheat flour dough perked up with other ingredients such as onions, coriander, cumin seeds and pomegranate seeds.
Achu and yellow soup – is a delicate yellow red palm oil soup which is served with mashed or pounded achu coco (taro).
Mbongo Tchobi - is a spicy black soup made with native herbs and spices.
Egusi soup – is a soup made from ground pumpkin seeds and it is often cooked with dark leafy greens, cabbage or okra.
Kondreh - is made from stewed unripe plantains, herbs and spices. It is usually cooked with goat meat.
Insects - are a delicacy eaten in some parts of Cameroon, particularly the forested regions.
Poulet D.G – D.G stands for le directeur général (boss), named because the dish used to mostly be served to high-ranking officials and included only the finest chicken. It’s a one-pot dish that brings chicken and plantains together in a flavourful tomato sauce, a cross between stir fried chicken and fricassee.
Ekwang – is one of the traditional delicacies from the South West region of Cameroon. Grated cocoyams are wrapped in cocoyam leaves and cooked with dried fish, crayfish and palm oil.
Sese plantains - aka turning plantains is a popular Cameroonian and West African everyday meal made with stewed beef, plantains, spices and seasonings.
Accra Banana – is deep-fried puffs that are made out of banana and flour. Any sort of flour will do, cornmeal, cassava and garri are all good choices.
Jollof Rice – or just jollof, is a one-pot rice dish well-liked in many West African countries. It is made from rice, tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, cooking oil and goat meat or beef.
Kati Kati - is a whole farm chicken burnt on a grill and cooked in tomatoes, onions, oil, salt and knorr cubes.
Kwacoco Bible– is made from grated cocoyams and combined with spinach, smoked fish, red oil and other spices.
Groundnut Sweet - is also known as candied peanuts or sugar-coated peanuts and is a popular snack or street food.
Fish Roll - is simple and popular street food made of a pastry dough, wrapped around a spicy fish filling.

Cameroon Restaurant Industry

Sweet potatoes are a staple food in Cameroon, Source

The restaurant industry is well established in Cameroon with eateries offering food from all around the globe. However, the international food on offer is much pricier than Cameroonian dishes such as hearty stews, mielie meal (a maize porridge) and rich seafood dishes found on the coasts.

Most of the nightlife in Cameroon is focussed in the larger cities of Douala and Yaoundé. There are a good selection of bars, nightclubs and casinos. Bars mostly stay open until the early hours of the morning or as long as there are still customers walking through the doors. Most venues are restaurants by day and music spots by night.

Douala and Yaoundé not only have a great nightlife but they also have the best restaurants and the widest variety of cuisines in Cameroon. Local Cameroonian food is delicious however, travellers in search of international cuisine will find everything from Western to Asian and African dishes. Cameroonian fare is the cheaper option. For the best seafood, the advice is to head to the coast where some for the freshest shellfish can be found.

In 2001, Doula boasted a large number of Parisian-style cafes, Greek, Lebanese and Chinese restaurants, along with places offering hamburgers and pizza. Restaurants in the capital, Yaounde, offered a selection of cuisines, including Chinese, French, Italian, Russian and traditional Cameroonian food. In smaller cities, street vendors and restaurants serve more traditional favourites rather than foreign dishes.

Being vegetarian in Cameroon can be quite problematic as meat plays a predominant role in the cuisine. Some restaurants can adapt with substitutes like potatoes, yam, plantains or savoury rice and couscous dishes, although most popular dishes are hearty stews.

At mealtime, damp hand towels may be passed out to diners to wash their hands, both before and after the meal. During traditional meals Cameroonians eat from communal bowls. Using their right hands, they dip three fingers into the starchy food (usually fufu or a millet dish) and then into the stews or sauces. It is the custom for men to serve themselves first, whilst the women wait patiently and the children will eat what is left when the adults have finished.

The people of Cameroon generally eat three meals a day. A variety of foods, such as fruit, porridge and boiled plantains, tend to be eaten for breakfast. Eggs and boiled cassava are other popular choices. Lunch and dinner are likely to feature a vegetable soup or a hearty stew served with a starchy dish such as fufu, boiled cassava, rice or millet.

Meal preparation is a very time-consuming practice in Cameroon. For example, preparation of fufu can take days because the cassava must be boiled and pounded into a pulp. This preparation when using powdered starch or rice is less complicated but still needs a lot of stirring. Cooking in the villages mostly takes place on wood or charcoal fires, using iron pots and wooden spoons. In towns, cylinders of propane can be used to power gas stoves. Even though we are in the twenty-first century, electricity is seldom available for cooking other than in the larger cities.