A FOOD TRADITION

Bamileke Cuisine

Bamileke Cuisine represents the food traditions of the Bamileke communities in Cameroon's western highlands, while recognizing related practices among neighboring Grassfields peoples. Meals commonly combine maize, cocoyam, taro, plantain, beans, vegetables and meat or fish with palm oil, aromatic seeds and groundnuts. Pounding, steaming, boiling and prolonged simmering are central techniques, particularly for foods prepared at family and community gatherings. Examples associated with the tradition include nkui, a fragrant leafy sauce often eaten with corn fufu; taro with yellow sauce; and kondre, a richly seasoned plantain stew. Regional variation is substantial, and these foods also circulate beyond Bamileke communities.

Catalogue preview Cuisine connections may be unreviewed. Regional comparisons include their food references and do not establish the ingredients of a particular meal.