Democratic Republic of Congo Food and Drink

Congo’s major towns and cities have a decent and eclectic array of cafés, restaurants and bakeries that bear witness to a rich and complex cultural heritage. Influences include Chinese, Lebanese, French, Belgian, Italian, Arabic, Indian and even South African.

Many of the smarter restaurants and bars are found inside city hotels and lodges, where both food and accommodation can be expensive. For the more adventurous, Kinshasa’s Nganda restaurants serve specialties from different regions of the Congo. A good local beer such as Primus or Skol to wash it all down is never far away.

In the bustling markets, which you’ll find in any populated area, are full of weird and wonderful fruits, vegetables and local delicacies.

Specialities

Moambe: DRC’s national dish consisting of chicken or fish with cassava leaves, hot pepper sauce, bananas, rice, peanuts, fish, chicken, and palm nuts.
Chikwanga: Cassava cooked and stored in banana leaves.
Fufu: A sticky, dough-like staple made from cassava flour.
Pili Pili: Hot chilli sauce or paste served with almost everything.
Satori: A tasty fish dish consisting of tilapia fillets fried with pumpkin seeds, plantains and garlic.
Saka Saka: Ground cassava leaves cooked with palm oil, peanut paste, beans and salt fish.
Maboke: A freshwater fish cooked in large marantacee leaves.
Linguila: A wine made from fermented sugar cane.
Palm wine: A tipple made from the sap of palm trees and fermented by natural yeasts.
White elephant: A popular alcoholic drink made from rum, coconut and milk.

Tipping

10% service charge is added to hotel and restaurant bills. Extra tipping is unnecessary.

Drinking age

18.