Cuisine of the Central African Republic

Central African cuisineincludes thecuisines, cooking traditions, practices, ingredients and foods of theCentral African Republic(CAR). Indigenousagriculturein the country includes millet, sorghum, banana,yam,okra, yellow onion, garlic, spinach, rice andpalm oil. Importedcropsof American origin include maize, manioc (cassava), peanuts, chili peppers,sweet potatoand tomato.Additional foods includeonions,garlic,chilesandpeanuts.
Meat can be scarce in the Central African Republic, althoughfishis used in a variety of dishes, and other sources ofproteinincludepeanutsandinsectssuch ascicadas,grasshoppers,cricketsandtermites.Common meats in Central African cuisine includechickenandgoat.Wild gameis also hunted, especially in rural areas and during the grass-burning dry season.Staplefoods include starches, such asmillet,rice,sesameandsorghum. A variety ofvegetablesandsaucesare also consumed.
Roadside stalls sell foods such as baked goods andmakara(a type of fried bread), sandwiches, barbecued meat and snacks.In the forests and in markets ofBanguiwhere forest items are sold, caterpillars and thekokoleaf are eaten.Restaurants are mostly forexpatriates.Wildtubers, leaves, andmushroomsare used.Palm oilis widely used in various dishes.
The capital city of Bangui has western foods and hotel restaurants.The legal drinking age is 18. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol.The PK5 area is known for its smaller restaurants serving reasonably priced traditional dishes.
Banguiis the capital of the Central African Republic, and the stapledietof the people there includescassava,rice,squash,pumpkinsandplantains(served with asauce) andgrilled meat.Okraorgombois a popular vegetable.Peanutsandpeanut butterare widely used.Gameis popular, as are thefish-based dishes such asmaboké.Manioc flouris used for preparingfufu.
There are three types ofrestaurantsin Bangui. Some focus on foreign cuisine, such as Relais des Chasses, La Tentation and L'Escale, which are oriented towards French food, and Ali Baba and Beyrouth, which serveLebanese cuisine. There are a large number of African restaurants, such as the Madame M'boka, a favorite of the locals. A number ofbarsandstreet foodstalls complement Bangui's culinary scene.
Alcoholic beveragesserved are locallybrewedbeer,palm wineandbanana wine.Non-alcoholic beveragesthat are drunk includeginger beer.Village ecologique Boali en RCA inBoaliis known for its local dishes.
CAR's potentialagriculturaloutput can feed the entire population; however, fourcoupshave occurred during the last decade which has significantly reduced agriculture and food production.These political and economic crises have caused significant food shortages due to the burning of agricultural fields, food storage areas and villages by armed groups.
France once colonized what is now the country of Central African Republic as partFrench Equatorial Africa, and French influences are present in the nation's cuisine, including French bread and wine. During the 19th century Arab slave traders brought Middle Eastern influences.Earlier in its history it was then part of empires likeKanem-BornuandDafourbased aroundLake Chad, and its cuisine is similar to that of surrounding countries.Today the population is mostly Christian with Muslims in a majority in the north.