Gabonese
Poulet nyembwe in palm-nut pulp, saka-saka cassava leaves with smoked fish, atanga safou warmed off the coals, baton de manioc fermented in banana leaves — equatorial forest cooking at the Bantu source.
Poulet Nyembwe
Gabon's national chicken-and-palm-nut stew — chicken pieces simmered in palm-nut pulp (the orange-red pressed pulp of oil-palm fruits) with onion, garlic, hot pepper, and traditional Gabonese seasonings. Glossy, rich, intensely savory. Served over baton de manioc or rice. Source: Wikipedia (Poulet Nyembwe); Visit Gabon.
View page →Gabonese cooking is the food of the equatorial Central African country, dense with rainforest and Bantu (Fang, Punu, Myènè) cultural traditions. The cuisine is built on cassava (boiled, mashed into baton, or fermented), red palm oil, palm-nut pulp (nyembwe), smoked river fish, and the unique safou (atanga) — the purple buttery 'African pear' eaten warm. The signature dish is poulet nyembwe: chicken simmered in palm-nut pulp with onion, garlic, hot pepper. Saka-saka is pounded cassava leaves slow-cooked with palm oil and smoked fish. Maboké are river fish wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Manioc baton is the everyday carbohydrate.
The Palate
Start Here
Chicken simmered in palm-nut pulp (the orange-red pressed fruit of oil palm) with onion, garlic, hot pepper. Glossy, rich, intensely savory.
Why start here · Gabon's national dish. The Bantu palm-nut tradition at its most-iconic.
Pounded cassava leaves slow-cooked with palm oil, smoked fish, onion, and hot pepper.
Why start here · The universal Central African cassava-leaves stew, parallel to Congolese pondu — the everyday Bantu home meal.
The purple-skinned 'African pear' warmed in hot water or near a fire until skin softens and the buttery interior is ready.
Why start here · The unique seasonal snack of Central Africa. Eaten with corn or sucked off the seed — Gabon's signature fruit.
The Pantry
See all 25 ingredients›
Grains & Staples
Dairy & Fats
Sauces & Condiments
On the Map
Where this cuisine is found
Regional Styles
Libreville and Coast
The capital on the Gulf of Guinea. Modern restaurants and the urban poulet nyembwe Sunday tradition.
Interior Forest (Lambaréné, Makokou)
The dense rainforest interior. The strongest Fang and Punu traditional cooking and saka-saka tradition.
Cassava Belt (Oyem, Tchibanga)
The cassava-cultivation regions. Baton de manioc, atanga safou, and the most-traditional preparations.
How They Cook
Techniques that define this cuisine
