What is Moambe?
[[File:Elaeis_guineensis_fruits_on_tree.jpg|thumb|Oil palm fruit]] [[File:Elaeis guineensis - noix de palme oil palm - harvesting fruits from the cluster.jpg|thumb|Harvesting palm nuts for ''moambe'']] '''Palm butter''' or '''palm cream''', frequently known as '''moambe''', '''mwambe''' or '''nyembwe''', is an ingredient made from the [[pericarp]] (not the seeds) of [[Palm tree|palm nuts]], the fruit of the [[African oil palm]] (''Elaeis guineensis'') tree. It is an important [[ingredient]] in [[stew]]s and [[sauce]]s in Africa. Dishes made with the sauce often include [[peanut]]s, peanut sauce, or [[peanut butter]]. The meat usually used in the dishes is [[chicken]] but other meats, such as beef, fish, mutton, or any wild game meat, such as crocodile or venison, are used as well. [[Moambe chicken]] is considered a [[national dish]] of three African countries. ==Regional variations== [[File:Moambe - noix de palme sauce with chicken.jpg|thumb|Dish of ''[[poulet moambe]]'']] In order to make palm butter, palm nuts are boiled and then pounded. The pulp is mixed with water, [[sieve]]d and boiled again. Canned palm soup base, also called ''sauce graine'' or ''noix de palme'' may be used instead<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-07-18 |title=Palm Butter Soups |url=https://www.congocookbook.com/soup-and-stew-recipes/palm-butter-soup/ |access-date=2022-06-28 |website=The Congo Cookbook |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202104938/https://www.congocookbook.com/soup-and-stew-recipes/palm-butter-soup/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> ===Angola=== In [[Angola]], the dish is called ''[[moamba de galinha]].'' It is considered a [[National dishes|national dish]]. It is usually served with [[funge]], a [[manioc]] purée. It is sometimes made with fish.<ref>Hamilton,Cherie. ''Cuisines of Portuguese Encounters'' New York: Hippocrene Books, 2001. p. 219</ref> ===Democratic Republic of the Congo=== In western regions of the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], ''mwambi'' or ''mwambe'' ({{la