Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Mpondu and Mbinzu

Mpondu is the fantastic Congolese meal made with ground cassava leaves (feuilles de manioc), palm oil, and dried fish, which is unique to Central Africa. Elsewhere in the world, the cassava (or manioc, yuca, or yucca) plant is cultivated only for its tubers. Plantains or batons de manioc (kwanga) are often served with mpondu. Mbinzu or dried catepillars are a crunchy source of protein that are typically cooked with palm oil and kale.