Weekend, as everyone knows, is the time you can spend with your family, you can do many things, meet with your friends, and catch up, because from Monday to Friday – you have to go to work. In Congo it’s a good opportunity to meet with and invite your family (it depends, from your Mum’s or Dad’s side), you also have to cook something. It’s hardest when many people come because there are 9 of us plus my Mum and Dad, that’s 11. Also, 5-7 people from my uncle’s side, and my auntie, from my Mum’s or Dad’s side. That’s why you have to build a big house in Congo if you can.
I would rather concentrate now on what you cook at the weekend. This is a tradition and we also have a choice. The feat is to spend less and fill the stomach. Thank God, there are always ways to do so.


1. Saka-Saka and Madesu (cassava leaves and beans), you need rice for that but you cook it separately.
Saka-saka is a wonder of nature, which we, the Congolese people can be very proud of, because this plant gives us fruit (cassava) and vegetables – cassava leaves which you cook separately, but you can eat it together – it’s amazing, and the branch goes back into the ground to be able to pick fruit and vegetables again).

This dish consists of:
a) Palm oil that you make from palm fruit (from palm leaves you can make a sweeper, a tent or a mattress), you can also make white wine from palm oil.
b) Fish – there is no shortage of it because we have seas and lakes.
c) Rice – the main ingredient of this dish.
d) Beans – it may be white, golden, brown, red, etc.
This dish cooks for a long time so you need to be patient, but then you forget how long it has taken. It’s like Polish “bigos” – you cook it for so long, but when you eat it you don’t remember it has cooked for so long.

You can see the dish here:
www.certiferme.com/recette/la-preparation-de-la-recette-saka-saka-feuilles-de-manioc-congo-brazza-16031.html#cadre_preparation


2. Madesu (beans) and loso (rice)
a) Smoked fish
b) Pork hocks (le pattes de porc or pies de chochoł)
c) Dry salt fish (piosson sale)

congoforums.net/cuisine_55/madesu_haricots-623

You can also serve a drink:
- natural palm wine
- corn beer
- cold ginger juice

Serving – lots of rice, saka-saka and madesu or madesu, which is cassava leaves with beans or just beans. You can also cook saka-saka without beans, then you can add fried fish or peanut butter. Now you can buy these ingredients in Poland as well and organise a meeting, invite family or friends.


Wvarzwzeky - Wez Kombo - Bouetoumoussa


Translated by: Karolina Ginalska