Cassava

The DRC is one of the world’s largest cassava producers – people eat both the tubers, as fufu, and the leaves, as pondu.

A shrubby plant of the spurge family from South America, grown for its starchy tuberous roots. It copes well with poor soils and drought, and the tubers can stay in the ground for many months. Raw, they contain cyanogenic compounds, so before eating they are soaked, fermented and dried. The young leaves, pounded in a mortar and cooked for a long time, are a valuable source of protein and vitamins.

Significance in the country

Cassava is the staple food of tens of millions of Congolese: its flour is made into fufu and kwanga, and pondu – cassava leaves cooked with palm oil and fish – is one of the most characteristic dishes of Kinshasa.

Where it grows

Grown throughout the country, from Kongo Central and Bandundu to Kasai and Kivu; the main producing areas are Bandundu and the two Kasai provinces.

More: Wikipedia (en) Wikipedia (pl)