East Africa · Side
Isombe (Stewed pounded cassava leaves with peanut butter)
Tender pounded cassava leaves simmered slowly with natural peanut butter, red palm oil, and aromatic alliums into a silky, savory stew.
The story
Isombe is an indispensable daily vegetable staple across the central highland plateau of Burundi, omnipresent at both humble midday farm repasts and grand family assemblies. Fresh tender young cassava shoots are crushed in large wooden mortars (isekuru) to a fine paste before undergoing prolonged boiling to volatilize naturally occurring cyanogenic glucosides. The inclusion of unrefined red palm oil and stone-ground peanut paste emulsifies into a deep, earthy velvet sauce that balances the natural bitterness of the greens.
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