Gabonese Cuisine

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Overview of Gabonese Cuisine History
The Gabonese Republic or Gabon is a nation on the west coast of Africa. It borders on Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo and the Gulf of Guinea. Due to the French influences and its location on the crossroads between the north, west, and centre of the continent, the cuisine of Gabonese is one of the most varied in Africa. The French introduced bread and Italian pasta to the cuisine of Gabon, while the English introduced European desserts. The most eaten plates are pulped cucumbers with fuelled de manioc, peanuts, and fish-type stew, Peace Corps food which are rice, Chicken, pasta, and tomato sauce, manioc batons, and manioc tubers. The main source of protein for most inhabitants is fish, while bush meat is also often consumed. The most popular bush meat is the giant crocodile. Because Gabon is situated in west central side of Africa is blessed with an incredibly productive soil, a large variety of vegetables and fruits, both domestic and imported species, are grown here.

Cuisines of Gabon


The fundamental of Gabon cuisine ingredients are plantains and cassava. Fufu-like starchy foods which are usually made from fermented cassava roots which are served with grilled meat and sauces. The mainly traditional meats are those that are hunted in the forests. A diversity of local ingredients are used while preparing other plates like spinach stew, cooked with tomato, peppers, chilies, onions, and Peanut butter. cassava plants are also eaten as cooked greens. Groundnut stew is also cooked, containing Chicken, okra, ginger, and other spices. Another favorite is Bambara, porridge of rice, Peanut butter and Sugar. Beef and Chicken are preferred meat dishes, but game meat preparations containing crocodile, monkey, antelope and warthog, are also served rarely. Stew or "wat" dishes are a mainstay of Gabon cuisine. They can be meat, grain or vegetable based, and are regularly highly spiced.

Preparation Methods for Gabonese Cooking
The diversity of vegetables and cereals found in Gabon is also noticed in the delicious dishes belonging to their cuisine While there are no specific or unique preparation methods for Gabonese cooking, we should point out that attention to detail is important in the Gabonese cuisine. Gabonia cuisine uses elements from various cooking traditions borrowed from their neighbors and developed from their own traditional dishes, like British or French. Using the right amount of spices for example is essential – either for spicing up the taste or for coloring the dish. Each traditional dish has a special cooking method, which is more or less general in all of Gabon regions. Meat is one of the main elements of most Gabon dishes and cured and smoked hams are often parts of delicious dishes. The visual attractiveness of the dish is also important, and a balance between colors and proportion differentiates from a region to another. But in Gabon are also a thriving trade in such exotic bush meat species as chimpanzee and gorilla.

Special Equipment for Gabonese Cooking
Here are a few other items that will come handy while cooking Gabonese food: juicers, kitchen knives, kitchen slickers, and kitchen thermometers, measuring cups and measuring spoons, miscellaneous utensils, mixing bowls and skimmers and strainers. In Gabon cuisine are a large variety cooking equipments from cake pans, can openers, colanders, egg rings, poachers and holders, food dishers and portioners, food pans and food containers to other kitchen utensils, such as food scales, food scoops and fryer baskets and accessories. The Gabon cuisine requests various food preparation equipment set in order to produce the most refined Gabonese dishes. You should consider insulated food carriers if you are transporting the food and a full set of kitchen linens and uniforms if you wish to look like a pro. Necessary utensils like serving spoons, spatulas, forks, turners, scrapers and tongs should as well be part of your cooking "munitions store".

Gabonese Food Traditions and Festivals
Gabon is an African country situated on west side of this continent and has many holidays and festivals. During the festivals in the biggest cities from Gabon you can serve traditional foods like gari, flour made from cassava and prepared into porridge, and other special dishes include nyembwe, Chicken cooked with pine nuts, stews with meat and fufu. Independence Day, in on August 17, Constitution Day, and February 19, Renovation Day, March 12, which is the Anniversary of the foundation of the Parti démocratique gabonais. Other important festivals which are different from a region to another are New Year's Day, Easter Monday, Id al-Fitr, Labor Day which is on May first, Whit Monday, Id al-Adha, Mouloud, All Saints' Day, and Christmas.

People in Gabonese Food

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Possibly as Orthodox Christian Gabonese traditionally eats vegetarian food two times a week; the cuisine has developed a large variety of complex vegetarian dishes. In Gabon the cooking and preparing of the food is frequently done by the women. Inhabitants have to systematize the daily meals according to their financial possibilities and according to the accessibility of the ingredients. There are many chefs who creatively use the essential ingredients and cooking process for traditional Gabon dishes and make innovative and tasty food variations. Gabon chefs are passionate about their traditional dishes and they enjoy presenting them to foreigners who has never tasted them before. Whether they are cooking dishes that go back in time for centuries or brand new, modern dishes, Gabon chefs take pride in what they do, and this is readily noticeable in the unforgettable taste of their cooking.