Making fufu is a skill that takes practice. Cassava roots are peeled, dried, ground into flour and then stirred into boiling water for a long time, until the mixture becomes smooth and stretchy and comes away from the sides of the pot. It takes strong arms and patience! In many Congolese families, making good fufu is a skill passed down from grandparents to grandchildren.
Fufu is traditionally eaten with the hands. You tear off a small piece, press a dent into it with your thumb to make a scoop, and use it to pick up sauce from a shared bowl. Popular sauces to eat with fufu include pondu (made from cassava leaves), moambé (made from palm nuts) and various fish or meat stews.
Cassava, the plant fufu comes from, is an incredible crop because it can grow in poor soil that many other plants cannot tolerate. It stores very well both underground and once processed, which makes it an important and reliable food source. The DRC is one of the world's biggest producers of cassava.
Sharing fufu from a communal bowl is also a social tradition. Eating together — sharing from the same pot, sitting close — is a valued part of mealtimes in Congolese families. Guests are always offered fufu as a sign of welcome and hospitality.