Food of Cameroon
Cameroon's cooking mixes Central and West African flavors, reflecting forests, coast and savanna. Peanuts, plantain, cassava, bitter leaves and fish are everywhere, with spicy sauces and grilled meat. Cooks in Douala, Yaounde and the highlands each add their own twist to shared platters.
- Main dishes (10)
- Breakfast (2)
- Street food (4)
- Soups (1)
- Salads (1)
- Desserts and sweets (2)
- Drinks (3)
- Fruits and produce (5)
Staples
- plantain
- cassava
- maize
- peanuts
- fish
- taro
- rice
Signature flavors
- njansang
- peanuts
- ginger
- garlic
- chili
- country onion
- basil
Main dishes
Bitter leaf and peanut stew with meat or shrimp.
Key ingredients: bitter leaves, peanuts, shrimp, beefFull guide →Chicken sauteed with plantain, carrots and peppers.
Key ingredients: chicken, plantain, carrotShredded eru leaves cooked with waterleaf, palm oil and meat.
Key ingredients: eru, waterleaf, palm oilYellow soup of palm oil and limestone over pounded cocoyam.
Key ingredients: cocoyam, palm oilPlantain and goat stew with peppery spices.
Key ingredients: goat, plantain, spicesA traditional dish of Cameroon made with fish, mbongo spice, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: fish, mbongo spiceSteamed black-eyed pea pudding in banana leaves.
Key ingredients: black-eyed peas, palm oil
Cameroonian version of the tomato rice.
Key ingredients: rice, tomatoFull guide →A traditional dish of Cameroon made with cassava, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: cassavaCorn leaves and cassava cooked with palm oil.
Key ingredients: cassava leaves, cornBreakfast
A traditional breakfast dish of Cameroon made with flour, beans, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: flour, beansA traditional breakfast dish of Cameroon made with maize, sugar, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: maize, sugarStreet food
Fried dough balls served at markets.
Key ingredients: flour, sugarFull guide →
A traditional street snack of Cameroon made with beef, spices, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: beef, spicesFull guide →A traditional street snack of Cameroon made with fish, pepper, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: fish, pepperA traditional street snack of Cameroon made with plantain, pepper, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: plantain, pepperSoups
A traditional soup of Cameroon made with fish, spices, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: fish, spicesFull guide →Salads
A traditional salad of Cameroon made with tomato, onion, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: tomato, onionDesserts and sweets
A traditional sweet treat of Cameroon made with flour, sugar, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: flour, sugarA traditional sweet treat of Cameroon made with banana, sugar, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: banana, sugarDrinks
A traditional drink of Cameroon made with hibiscus, ginger, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: hibiscus, gingerA traditional drink of Cameroon made with ginger, sugar, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: ginger, sugarA traditional drink of Cameroon made with ginger, enjoyed at home and from local vendors.
Key ingredients: gingerFruits and produce
Plantain is a well-loved fruit or crop in Cameroon, eaten fresh or used in juices, snacks and home cooking.
Key ingredients: plantain
Mango is a well-loved fruit or crop in Cameroon, eaten fresh or used in juices, snacks and home cooking.
Key ingredients: mangoFull guide →
Sweet fruit from the western highlands.
Key ingredients: pineappleFull guide →
Avocado is a well-loved fruit or crop in Cameroon, eaten fresh or used in juices, snacks and home cooking.
Key ingredients: avocadoFull guide →
Purple fruit roasted and eaten with corn.
Key ingredients: safouDish guides from Cameroon
More cuisines of Middle Africa
- Angola
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Congo
- DR Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Gabon
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- South Sudan
Descriptions written by Intercontinental Chef. Dishes are listed as commonly eaten today; many are shared across neighbouring countries.
- Ndolè à la viande, morue et crevettes: Coco lago, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Jollof Rice with Stew: Noahalorwu, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Nigerian-puff-puff-recipe cropped: Afrolems ; cropped by Off-shell, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- SuyavarietiesTX: WhisperToMe, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Assorted meat pepper soup at Lagos Island: bob walker, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Mega racimos de guineos: J & E, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Mangos - single and halved: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- കൈതച്ചക്ക: Suniltg at Malayalam Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Persea americana fruit 2: B.navez, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Safoutier: Unknown, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
