Elaeis guineensis - noix de palme oil palm - harvesting fruits from the cluster

Palm butter or palm cream, frequently known as moambe, mwambe or nyembwe, is an ingredient made from the

pericarp Fruits are the mature ovary or ovaries of one or more flowers. They are found in three main anatomical categories: aggregate fruits, multiple fruits, and simple fruits. Fruitlike structures may develop directly from the seed itself rather th ...

(not the seeds) of palm nuts, the fruit of the

African oil palm ''Elaeis guineensis'' is a species of palm commonly just called oil palm but also sometimes African oil palm or macaw-fat. The first Western person to describe it and bring back seeds was the French naturalist Michel Adanson. Jean-Marie Pelt, « ...

(''Elaeis guineensis'') tree. It forms an important ingredient in stews and sauces in

African cuisine African cuisine is an integral part of the continent's diverse cultures reflecting its long and complex history. The evolution of African cuisine is closely entwined with the lives of the native people, influenced by their religious practices, ...

. Dishes made with the sauce often include

peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large ...

s, peanut sauce, or

peanut butter Peanut butter is a food Paste (food), paste or Spread (food), spread made from Grinding (abrasive cutting), ground, dry roasting, dry-roasted peanuts. It commonly contains additional ingredients that modify the taste or texture, such as salt, ...

. The meat usually used in the dishes is

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

but other meats, such as beef, fish, mutton, or any wild game meat, such as crocodile or venison, are used as well.

Moambe chicken Moambe chicken ( or simply , ) is a umami, savory Chicken (food), chicken dish popular in Central Africa and considered the national dish of Angola, Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, and Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Democr ...

is considered a

national dish A national dish is a culinary Dish (food), dish that is strongly associated with a particular country. A dish can be considered a national dish for a variety of reasons: * It is a staple food, made from a selection of locally available foodstuffs ...

of three African countries.

Regional variations

Moambe - noix de palme sauce with chicken

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 substituted.

Angola

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

, the dish is called ''

moamba de galinha Moambe chicken ( or simply , ) is a savory chicken dish popular in Central Africa and considered the national dish of Angola, the Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The dish itself is made by combining chicken, spi ...

'' and is considered a national dish as well. It is usually served with

funge or (Angola) or (Congo - DRC and the Congo Republic) is a traditional African swallow made of cassava flour whisked into boiling water. It can also be made with sorghum, maize, or millet. It can be served with textured vegetable, fish, or meat ...

, a

manioc ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

purée, and can be made with fish on occasions.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

In western regions of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

, ''mwambi'' or ''mwambe'' () is the name given to the sauce of palm oil or peanuts.

Poulet à la Moambé Moambe chicken ( or simply , ) is a savory chicken dish popular in Central Africa and considered the national dish of Angola, the Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The dish itself is made by combining chicken, spi ...

, "chicken in a ''moambe'' sauce", is also considered the Congo's national dish.

Gabon

Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...

, 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 Moambe chicken ( or simply , ) is a savory chicken dish popular in Central Africa and considered the national dish of Angola, the Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The dish itself is made by combining chicken, spi ...

(French: ''poulet unyembwe'' or ''poulet ugnemboue'') which is considered a national dish of Gabon.

References

External links