Central Africa · Soup
Yabanda (Smoked Fish in Roasted Sesame Sauce)
A velvety Central African soup of crushed toasted sesame paste and smoked river fish enveloped in tender cassava greens.
The story
Yabanda is a revered culinary pillar among the Gbaya and Banda peoples of central and western Central African Republic, traditionally prepared during autumn harvest gatherings and communal wedding celebrations. The dish is defined by dry-toasting locally harvested white sesame seeds over gentle charcoal embers until they turn a light biscuit shade before grinding them into an oily, highly fragrant butter. Technically, this freshly milled sesame paste acts as both a rich natural thickening agent and an earthy savory emulsion that softens the intense smokiness of river captain fish.
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