by Contrary to popular belief, street food is safe to eat. Except not all street food vendors are created equal and you have to be discerning on which you choose. The general rule when eating street food is to eat where everyone eats. If lots of people are buying from somewhere, that means that the food is safe to eat.
1. Beignets and bissap
Beignets are small sugary fried balls of dough that taste delicious. They are really good and give a good boost of energy at anytime of the day. Beignets are best accompanied with some refreshing bissap (a sugary hibiscus drink). At the end of our lessons with our younger investigators, we would celebrate with a round of beignets and bissap for all!
2. Bissap
I wrote about bissap in my favorite foods I miss from Africa article. Bissap is a Congolese drink made from soaking dried hibiscus leaves and adding LOTS of sugar. It’s a very simple and refreshing drink. Just don’t get it on your white shirt or else you will have that stain forever.
3. Chocolate/Peanut butter sandwich
These chocolate/peanut butter sandwiches are ubiquitous in Congo. They are sold in every store. Ask the store for a baguette and then add chocolate sauce and peanut butter. It’s very good and gives a nice boost of energy at the end of the day or for lunch.
4. Avocado sandwich
You can find sold in certain quartiers in Brazzaville, or you can just make them yourself. You just buy an avocado which is like 20 cents, mash it in a bowl, put either salt or sugar on it, and then put it in a baguette.
5. Ice cream and popsicles
You can find “ice cream” men in almost every quartier. Some walk around with bikes and ice cream cones, then some walk around with popsicles in mini freezers. They have a horn that they will blow to attract kids. The ice cream and popsicles are so good. It is literally the best. I could literally eat it all day.
6. Sandwich saucisson
A really simple yet delicious lunch or snack is a sandwich saucisson. All it is is a baguette with butter and sausage and you can also add some eggs and hot sauce. It usually costs like 400 francs or 80 cents for a whole baguette.
7. Tangawiss
Tangawiss is a ginger drink that they sell everywhere. It is pretty good but some people don’t like it.
8. Bean/Spaghetti Sandwiches
You can find bean/spaghetti sandwiches everywhere, just make sure that you buy it from the right person. There was guy outside our apartment who would make the best sandwiches ever. They were fresh baguettes and mayonnaise with beans and spaghetti. Amazing.
9. Fruit smoothie
Most apartments have a blender. They are provided by the mission. You can make fruit smoothies because fruit is so cheap. We would go to Marché Totale after cyber and buy a pineapple, some oranges, some passion fruits and whatever things for like $5 and have the best fruit smoothie that you could ever have. Did I mention that pineapples in Africa are the best. Because they are, they are so juicy and delicious.
10. Bulukutu
Bulukutu isn’t a street food but it deserves an honorable mention here. It is a kind of herbal tea leaf that is amazing. You can buy enough leaves to last you a week for only 200 francs or 40 cents. You make it just by putting the leaves in hot water and letting them steep for 10 minutes then adding powered milk and sugar.
11. Fumbwa
Fumbwa isn’t a street food but its important to note here. Ask your Congolese companions if they know how to make Fumbwa. If they do make sure that they make it all the time. It is literally the best. The main ingredients are spinach and peanut butter, which you can find a lot in the markets in Congo.
