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Lake Kivu Catch · Nightly Fry

Sambaza (Fried Lake Kivu Sardines)

Sambaza (Fried Lake Kivu Sardines) — street food from Goma, DR Congo
Photo: MONUSCO Photos / Abel Kavanagh / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Fishermen head out onto Lake Kivu around 3pm and don't return until sunrise, netting these finger-length sardines by lamplight through the night.

Tiny Limnothrissa miodon sardines, netted overnight on Lake Kivu, are deep-fried whole until crisp, then served with a squeeze of lime and pili-pili chili sauce as a snack or light meal at Goma's lakeside eateries and market stalls.

Why it's made this way: Sambaza fishing has become one of the region's most important sources of food and income, keeping an affordable protein flowing into Goma's markets even through years of repeated conflict and displacement around Lake Kivu.
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Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries. Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below. Photo credits.