Plantain Country · Fried & Sold by the Piece
Makemba (Fried Ripe Plantain)
Photo: Rahul Tilak / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
In Lingala, 'makemba' simply means plantain; the fried street version is often paired with a handful of roasted peanuts.
Ripe plantains are sliced and deep-fried until the edges caramelize to a dark gold, then sold hot by the piece from roadside pans, often eaten with roasted peanuts, beans or grilled fish.
Why it's made this way: Équateur Province's dense banana and plantain plantations make fried plantain one of the cheapest, most abundant snacks in the region, sold everywhere from Mbandaka's market stalls to riverboat stops along the Congo River.
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Part of World of Street Food — 3443 dishes from 118 countries.
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Photo credits.