My name is Mnkong Emmanuel Saah based in Mankon, one of the locality in the city of Bamenda. And l would like to share with the friends and audience of this community space the typical dishes (food) in Cameroon; the case study of the cosmopolitan city of Bamenda.
Cameroonian food is diverse and varies by region. The food eaten in Cameroon is based largely on plant products such as maize, plantains, yams, Irish and sweet potatoes, cocoyams, Ndole etc, and delicious tropical fruits such as pineapples, mangoes, bananas, pawpaw etc. Cameroonians also like meat, beef, goat, pork, fish etc. Let me draw your attention to the various dishes of the ten regions of Cameroon, that makes each, so unique and diverse.
In the central region of Cameroon, one of the typical dishes prepared, served and eaten by the people is "kwem", kwem is made up of cassava leaves crushed and mixed with palm nut juice and or crushed groundnut. This is eaten with plantains, cocoyams or cassava tubers. And in the littoral region of the country, the Sawa people which are the indigents, their common dish is ndole. Infact ndole is a long dish to cook, and is made up of bitter leaves vegetables, cooked in groundnut paste with shrimps, meat and or fish. Ndole is usually accompanied by plantains, cocoyams or cassava sticks commonly known as Bobolo.
And in the west region of Cameroon which is the cradle of the Bamileke people; one of their typical dishes is called "nkui". Nkui is a sticky or slimming sauce from the bark of the same plant and is often cooked to celebrate the birth of a child. This dish is seasoned with various spices and eaten with corn fufu.
And in the three northern regions of Cameroon; the North, Adamawa and the Far North, one of the typical dishes of these regions is the millet balls, which is made up of millet flour mixed with water. And is eaten with beef. Corn and sorghum are also consumed in these regions.
The south region has quite varied dishes which often content exotic fruits. One of the typical dishes of the people, is DG chicken which is made up of chicken, carrots, onions, tomatoes, plantains, peppers and condiments.
We also have the people of the eastern region of the Country whose typical dish is ball of pistachio. This dish is made up of crushed squash seeds and mixed with water and beef, fish or bushmeat, and eaten with cassava sticks commonly called Bobolo.
And moving to the south west of the Country, one of the English speaking regions of the country,(the anglophones)their typical dish is "Eru". This is made up of okok leaves and water leaves, Palm oil and various spices. Eru is eaten with water fufu, made from cassava tubers. This dish is very popular in the region and loved even by non indigents.
The Case study of the Cosmopolitan City of Bamenda; Bamenda is the regional headquarters of the people of the North West Region of Cameroon. And Bamenda is the name given to all the people of the north west region by the non indigents. And Bamenda is known to accommodate people from different cultural backgrounds seen through their variety of dishes loved and eaten by both the indigents and non indigents in the region. The North West Region of Cameroon is the region of the Bamenda people otherwise known as the people of the grassfield "grafi". One of the typical dishes of the region is called "Achu". Achu is made up of pounded cocoyams mixed with local unripe cooked bananas, accompanied by yellow sauce made from palm oil, rock salt, combination of African indigenous spices condiments and meat that gives the sauce a unique aroma. Infact Achu is a rich traditional dish that is otherwise known as "one Finger" and "food for the Kings". In Bamenda, Achu is the dish to prepare when visiting a King or traditional rulers, from the North West Region of Cameroon. And that's why it is called "food for kings". And Achu is usually eaten with one finger, thus the appellation "one finger". In most ceremonies people usually like to go for Achu after eating any other dishes and drinking a variety of drinks because the yellow sauce helps in bringing the acholic intake under check.
Apart from this typical dish of the Bamenda people, there is also "khati khati" which is a traditional dish of the north west people. It's a flavorful and healthy meal typically made from a combination of fufu corn, njama njama ( huckleberry) and local breaded chicken. People of Bamenda also love and adore Eru and water fufu. Eru is a popular dish in Bamenda though a traditional dish from the people of the south west region. Bamenda due to it's cosmopolitan nature you can find dishes such as Eru, ndole, khati khati, koki etc
Hope this article did enlighten and blessed somebody. Thank you for reading through, as you are always in my mind when I am creating these contents. Love you all, your friend Emmanuel 🌹.
