One thing I love about kwacoco bible is that it is a one pot meal. There is goodness in every bite, and the ethnic taste and flavors of the meal is unrivaled.
Kwacoco Bible is a steamed cooked meal made with taro paste, palm oil, dried fish/meats, and some local spices. It is a traditional dish from Cameroon in West Africa. More precisely, it is the local dish of the “Bakweri” people of the South West Region of Cameroon. Growing up in the South West Region before meant you couldn’t escape eating kwacoc bible.
It is common to see women hawk kwacoco bible in the streets and at bus stations in the cities in the South West Region. Teenage children also go around student hostels with the cry “hot kwacoco” and people call them and buy. That’s how popular and enjoyable this meal is.
Furthermore, it is wrapped in plantain leaves, which makes it very convenient to hawk. One wrapped hawked kwacoco bible was normally sold for 100 frs CFA ($0.17) back then. Most of us used to buy at least two servings for a good dinner treat.
Ingredients
To cook kwacoco bible, you will need the following ingredients:
- cocoyam (taro)
- smoked fish or dry fish. I used smoked turkey in this recipe because I did not have any smoked fish or dry fish at home, and it worked out just fine.
- crayfish
- palm oil
- plantain leaves
- chili pepper
- salt
How to make Kwacoco Bible
First we peel the taro, wash them and grate them using a grater. Alternatively, if you have a good food processor, you can chop the taro into smaller pieces, and blend. This is a life saver trust me as the most difficult and time consuming part of this meal is grating the taro.
Then put your taro paste in a mixing bowl and add in all the ingredients: salt, maggi cubes, crayfish, smoked or fish and/or turkey, pepper (ground pepper), and palm oil. Mix everything well and set aside.
Next prepare the plantain leaves for wrapping by warming them briefly over your heater stove. Swab the leaves over the stove like you are scanning grocery items at the stores. This makes the leaves not break when you use them do wrap.
After warming the leaves, rinse them over a running tap of water to clean them and then set them aside. Then bring out a big pot and use some of the cleaned leaves to cover the bottom of the pot. You can now proceed to wrapping.
To wrap kwacoco bible, place the leaves on a tray, use a cooking spoon to scoop a spoon and a half of the mixture and place vertically on the leaf. Then wrap the leaves to enclose the mixture and fold over the two open ends of the leaf to secure the kwacoco.
Place the kwacoco bible in the bottom, and continue the process until all the kwacoco bible is all wrapped. Then use some of the leaves and cover the top of the pot, add in about some water and set the pot on the stove to cook for about one hour.
Check the pot every 10 – 15minutes to add in a little more water and ensure the pot is not dry or getting burnt. This is a steam cooking process, the reason water has to be added in small quantities and that too at little intervals.
Once cooked, turn off the stove and allow the pot to cool and serve.
Kwacoco Bible is a one pot ethnic meal that is yummy and very satisfying. It is a great Cameroonian dish I encourage you to try. You will love it.
Kwacoco Bible
Equipment
- 1 IMUSA USA Caldero with Glass Lid and Woodlook Handles/Knob, 9-Quart. Black Stone, Wood look.
Ingredients
- 5 pound cocoyams (taro)
- 1 pound smoked turkey or smoked/dry fish
- 2 cups crayfish
- 1 cup palm oil
- 1½ tablespoon salt
- 5 cubes maggi seasoning
- 2 small yellow chili pepper
Instructions
- Peel the taro, wash them and grate them using a grater or food processor. If you are using a food processor, then you can chop the taro into smaller pieces, before blending.
- Put taro paste in a mixing bowl and add in all the ingredients: salt, maggi cubes, crayfish, smoked or fish and/or turkey, pepper (ground pepper), and palm oil. Mix everything well and set aside.
- Warm the plantain leaves for wrapping by briefly swapping them over your heated stove. This makes the leaves not break when you use them do wrap.
- Rinse the leaves over a tap of running water and then set them aside. Then bring out a big pot and use some of the leaves to cover the bottom of the pot.
- Place the leaves on a tray, use a cooking spoon and scoop a spoon and a half of the kwacoco bible mixture and place vertically on the leaf. Then wrap the leaves to enclose the mixture and fold over the two open ends of the leaf to further secure the kwacoco mixture.
- Place the kwacoco bible in the pot with the folded ends facing down, and continue the process until all the kwacoco bible is all wrapped. Then use some of the leaves and cover the top of the pot, add in about 2 cups of water and set the pot on the stove to cook for about one hour.
- Check the pot every 10 – 15minutes to add in a little more water (about a cup or two each time) to ensure that the pot is not dry or getting burnt. This is a steam cooking process, the reason water has to be added in small quantities and that too at little intervals.
- Once cooked, turn off the stove and allow the pot to cool and serve.
Notes
- If you do not have plantain leaves, you can use banana leaves or aluminum foil to wrap kwacoco bible.
- Also, put in very little water so the blended paste is not so soft as a very soft paste makes wrapping difficult.
One thing I love about kwacoco bible is its rich cultural significance and the way it brings people together. The combination of taro paste, palm oil, and local spices creates a unique flavor that’s hard to resist. It’s fascinating how this dish is not just a meal but a part of daily life in the South West Region of Cameroon. The tradition of hawking it in the streets and at bus stations adds to its charm and accessibility. How has the preparation and consumption of kwacoco bible evolved over the years? German news in Russian (новости Германии)— quirky, bold, and hypnotically captivating. Like a telegram from a parallel Europe. Care to take a peek?