Poulet à la moambe served with rice (left) and saka saka (right) | |
Type | Stew |
---|---|
Region or state | Central Africa |
Main ingredients | Chicken |
Ingredients generally used | Tomatoes, garlic, chili powder/peppers, lemon, red palm oil, squash or pumpkin, stock, okra |
Moambe chicken (French: poulet à la moambe or simply poulet moambe, Portuguese: moamba de galinha) is a savory chicken dish popular in Central Africa and considered the national dish of Angola. The dish itself is made by combining chicken, spices and palm butter to create a stew-like consistency. A number of local or regional variations exist across the Congo and Central Africa; the dish is also known outside the continent.
Poulet moambe (French for "chicken in palm butter sauce")[1] is prepared by cooking chicken in moambe (palm butter) and spinach,[2] then seasoned with spices like peri-peri or red pepper. It is typically served with sweet potatoes, brown onions, hard-boiled eggs and a sauce made from crushed palm nuts.[3][4] Moambe chicken can also be accompanied by rice or manioc (cassava) paste.[5][6] The chicken can be substituted with duck or fish.[4][7]
Moambe chicken is regarded as the national dish of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[8] It is also considered the national dish of Gabon where it is known as poulet nyembwe, and in Angola where it is known as moamba de galinha,[5] although the Angolan dish is "purely Brazilian" in origin.[9] It is a common household dish in Belgium.[10] Angolan moamba chicken can be found in Portugal.[11][12]