Moambe

Palm butter or palm cream, frequently known as moambe, mwambe or nyembwe, is an ingredient made from the pericarp (not the seeds) of palm nuts, the fruit of the African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) tree. It is an important ingredient in stews and sauces in Africa.

Dishes made with the sauce often include peanuts, peanut sauce, or peanut butter. The meat usually used in the dishes is chicken but other meats, such as beef, fish, mutton, or any wild game meat, such as crocodile or venison, are used as well. Moambe chicken is considered a national dish of three African countries.

Regional variations
In order to make palm butter, palm nuts are boiled and then pounded. The pulp is mixed with water, sieved and boiled again. Canned palm soup base, also called sauce graine or noix de palme may be used instead

Angola
In Angola, the dish is called moamba de galinha.  It is considered a national dish. It is usually served with funge, a manioc purée. It is sometimes made with fish.Hamilton,Cherie. Cuisines of Portuguese Encounters New York: Hippocrene Books, 2001. p. 219

Democratic Republic of the Congo
In western regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, mwambi or mwambe () is the name given to the sauce of palm oil or peanuts.Travel: 192-Part Guide to the World Part 41 Congo (Kinshasa) Poulet à la Moambé, "chicken in a moambe sauce", is a considered the Congo's national dish.

Gabon
In Gabon, the sauce is usually called nyembwe, from the Myene word for palm oil."Oiling the Wheels of the Economy."  Gabon. Winter 2007. p. 19.  Retrieved 10 March 2009 The most important dish using nyembwe is nyembwe chicken (French: poulet [au] nyembwe or poulet [au] gnemboue) which is considered a national dish of Gabon.

Related pages
 Palm oil

References

Other websites
 Jessica B. Harris "Recipe for Mwambe Beef." The Africa Cookbook: Tastes of a Continent. Reprinted at The Global Gourmet website.  Retrieved 10 March 2009.
 Nyembwe Sauce Recipe at Celtnet Recipes website.  Retrieved 10 March 2009.
 Poulet Nyembwe (Nyembwe Chicken) Recipe at Celtnet Recipes website.  Retrieved 10 March 2009.

Category:Angolan food
Category:Democratic Republic of the Congo food
Category:Gabonese food
Category:Republic of the Congo food