Africa → Cameroon → Littoral (Douala)
🥤 DRINK

Folere (Cameroonian Hibiscus Drink)

Deep red hibiscus boiled with pineapple peel, ginger and a little spice, cooled, strained twice and sweetened, the chilled drink street sellers cry through Cameroonian markets.
Cameroonian · easy · serves 10
prep 15 min · cook 20 min · plus 4 h hands-off time
~128 cal · 0g protein · 33g carbs · 0g fat · 2g fiber · 30g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Glasses and a bottle of deep ruby-red hibiscus drink over ice, with pineapple and ginger
AI-generated illustration
Folere is Cameroon's name for the hibiscus drink known as bissap in Senegal and zobo in Nigeria. It is made from the dried red calyces of the roselle hibiscus, and on the streets of Cameroon it is sold ice-cold by hawkers at markets and bus stops, calling "Folere! Folere!".
The Cameroonian way is to boil the hibiscus with the peel of a pineapple, which every home has on hand, and with fresh ginger, sometimes with cinnamon, cloves or a sprig of mint, then leave it to as it cools. It is strained twice to get it perfectly clear, sweetened, and chilled.
It is tart, fruity and warming at once, a drink for hot afternoons and a fixture of holidays, and Cameroonian cooks serve it with chin chin.
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Make it yours

✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.

Ingredients

Serves 10
  • 2 cups dried hibiscus (roselle) calyces
  • 3 litres water
  • 1 small pineapple, peel and core, plus a cup of the flesh in chunks
  • 5 cm piece fresh ginger, sliced
  • 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
  • 5 cloves (optional)
  • 1 sprig fresh mint (optional)
  • 1 cup sugar, or to taste

Instructions

  • 1
    Rinse the hibiscus in a sieve to wash off any sand or grit.
  • 2
    Put the pineapple peel, core and chunks, the ginger, cinnamon and cloves into a large pot with the water. Bring to a rapid boil and boil for 10 minutes.
  • 3
    Add the hibiscus and the mint and boil for 10 minutes more, until the liquid is a deep red.
    ✎ Chef’s note
    Do not boil the hibiscus much longer than this: the longer it boils, the more sour it gets and the more sugar it needs.
  • 4
    Take the pot off the heat, cover and let it cool completely, at least 2 hours, or overnight for a deeper colour and flavour.
  • 5
    Strain twice through a fine sieve, or once through a cloth, pressing on the solids. Stir in the sugar until it dissolves.
  • 6
    Bottle it and chill for at least 2 hours. Serve cold over ice.
Cameroonian street and home tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination

📍
Littoral (Douala). Littoral is Cameroon's port region around Douala, where ndole, bitterleaf simmered with ground peanuts and fish or beef, is the dish that tastes like home. Plantain, cassava sticks, and grilled mackerel from the Atlantic fill out the everyday table.
🗺️
Cameroon. The other pole of Cameroonian cooking is achu, from the northwest: pounded cocoyam eaten with a bright yellow soup of palm oil emulsified with limestone water and spiced with country onion and bush pepper, taken with the fingers from a shared bowl. The country's food changes as sharply as its landscape does from coast to Sahel.
🌍
Africa. Africa's fifty-four nations hold cuisines as different as Morocco's slow-cooked tagines and South Africa's open-fire braai, yet shared threads run through them: ancient grains like millet, sorghum, and teff; stews thickened with groundnut, okra, or palm; and fiery condiments from Tunisian harissa to Ethiopian berbere. Staple starches, fufu, injera, ugali, couscous, anchor communal meals often eaten by hand from a shared dish, where hospitality is a point of honor.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.

More from Cameroon

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Puff-Puff and BeansSweet fried dough balls served with a savory stewed bean pot, a filling Cameroonian breakfast.
Poulet DGFried chicken and sweet plantain simmered with peppers and vegetables in a rich tomato sauce, a Cameroonian celebration favorite.
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Good to know

You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Keeps 2 to 3 days refrigerated. Resteam or warm through gently to serve.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Folere (Cameroonian Hibiscus Drink)?

Deep red hibiscus boiled with pineapple peel, ginger and a little spice, cooled, strained twice and sweetened, the chilled drink street sellers cry through Cameroonian markets.

Where does Folere (Cameroonian Hibiscus Drink) come from?

Folere (Cameroonian Hibiscus Drink) is a Cameroonian dish from Littoral (Douala), Cameroon.

Can Folere (Cameroonian Hibiscus Drink) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

This Folere (Cameroonian Hibiscus Drink) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.

Is Folere (Cameroonian Hibiscus Drink) safe for people with food allergies?

Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.

How long does Folere (Cameroonian Hibiscus Drink) take to make?

About 4 h 35 min in all: 15 minutes prep and 20 minutes cooking, plus 4 h of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 10.

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