Jour du Pondu
The cassava leaf stew that is the daily bread of Congo. Call it pondu in Lingala areas and saka-saka in Kikongo areas, but never, ever call it the wrong name in the wrong neighborhood. Every Congolese mother has her own method: pounded fresh, boiled slow, with palm oil, with smoked fish, with makayabu. The pot simmers for hours and the smell tells you exactly where you are.