To make fufu, cassava (a starchy root vegetable) is peeled, fermented in water for several days, then pounded into a smooth, slightly tangy dough. The pounding is traditionally done with a large wooden mortar and pestle, and the rhythmic pounding sound is a familiar part of life in many Cameroonian villages and households. When you eat fufu, you tear off a small piece, roll it into a ball, make a small dent with your thumb and use it to scoop up sauce or stew.
Jama-jama (also written 'jama jama') refers to huckleberry leaves — a dark leafy green that grows easily in the highlands and gardens of western Cameroon. The leaves are washed, chopped and cooked quickly with oil, onions, garlic, peppers and often ground crayfish. The result is a deeply savoury, slightly smoky side dish that pairs beautifully with fufu's mild, slightly sour flavour.
Eating fufu is a social experience. Families and friends often eat from the same large bowl, sharing the stew and taking turns to dip in. There is a skill to rolling fufu correctly — too loose and it falls apart, too stiff and it is hard to swallow. In Cameroon, children learn to eat fufu from a very young age, watching and copying the adults around them.
Cassava is one of the most important food crops in Africa because it grows in poor soils, survives drought, and provides lots of energy. In Cameroon, it appears in many forms beyond fufu — as a flour, as boiled chunks, or as gari (dried cassava flakes). Understanding fufu means understanding a plant that feeds millions of people across the continent.