Cameroon has one of the most varied and flavorful cuisines in Africa, which makes sense for a country that spans so many climatic zones. Southern cooking is built on forest ingredients -- plantains, cassava, cocoyam, palm oil, and a dizzying variety of leafy greens. Northern cooking is drier and simpler, centered on millet, sorghum, and grilled meat. The western highlands contribute rich, starchy dishes that fuel the cool-weather farming communities. Everywhere, the food is boldly seasoned and designed to fill you up.
Ndol is the national dish and rightly so. A thick stew of bitter leaves (similar to spinach) cooked in a peanut and palm oil base with crayfish, dried shrimp, and usually beef or fish. It is served over plantains or rice and when it is done well, it is one of the great dishes of West African cooking. You will find it everywhere, from roadside stalls to family kitchens.
Eru is another leaf-based dish, this one from the southwest. Shredded eru leaves are cooked with waterleaf in palm oil, loaded with smoked fish, cow skin (called "kanda"), and crayfish. It is rich, slippery, and deeply savory, traditionally eaten with garri (fermented cassava) or fufu corn.
Achu soup comes from the western highlands and is one of those dishes that looks strange and tastes extraordinary. Pounded cocoyam is formed into a smooth ball and served in a bright yellow soup made from palm oil, limestone paste ("kanwa"), and spices. The flavor is earthy and complex. You will find it in Bamenda and the surrounding grassfields.
Grilled fish is the star along the coast, especially in Kribi and Limbe. Whole fish -- often bar or captain fish -- grilled over charcoal and served with a fiery pepper sauce, fried plantains, and bobolo (fermented cassava sticks wrapped in leaves). A plate of grilled fish at a beachside shack in Kribi is one of Cameroon's great eating experiences.
Pepper soup is the universal comfort food and hangover cure. A thin, intensely spicy broth made with goat, chicken, or fish, seasoned with a combination of local spices including njangsa, country onion, and plenty of chili. It is especially popular in the evenings at small roadside spots across the country.
Cameroon also produces excellent beer. Brasseries du Cameroun dominates with brands like 33 Export and Castel, but the real find is palm wine, tapped fresh from raffia palms in the south and west. In the grassfields, "matango" (the local palm wine) is a social institution. It tastes mildly sweet and yeasty when fresh, and it ferments fast -- by evening it has a real kick.