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Finely shredded fumbwa leaves, stewed with palm oil, peanut butter and fish, make one of Kinshasa’s favourite dishes.

Gnetum africanum is an evergreen woody climber of the family Gnetaceae that clambers up trees in humid tropical forests. Although it is a gymnosperm, it has broad, leathery, oval leaves that look like those of flowering plants. The leaves are rich in protein, fibre and minerals, and before cooking they are cut into very thin strips. Most of the harvest comes from the wild, which, with demand rising, is depleting wild populations.

Significance in the country

Fumbwa is a classic dish of Congolese cuisine, particularly popular in Kinshasa, where the leaves are sold ready-shredded in every market. Gathering and trading the leaves provides an income for many families in forest areas.

Where it grows

Wild in the equatorial forests of Équateur, Orientale and Bandundu provinces and in the forests of Kongo Central; the leaves reach the markets of Kinshasa in huge quantities.

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