🥔 SIDE
Kwacoco Bible (Cameroonian Cocoyam Parcels)
Finely grated cocoyam mixed with red palm oil, smoked fish, crayfish, greens and hot pepper, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed into firm, savory parcels.
Cameroonian (Bakweri) · medium · serves 6
prep 45 min · cook 75 min
~556 cal · 15g protein · 65g carbs · 28g fat · 7g fiber · 1g sugars · 13g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Kwacoco is a dish of the Bakweri people of Buea and the slopes of Mount Cameroon: cocoyam grated to a paste, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Plain kwacoco is eaten with banga, a palm-nut soup, and smoked fish. When the cocoyam is mixed with red , smoked fish, crayfish, greens and pepper before it is wrapped, it becomes kwacoco bible, a meal in one parcel.
Nobody fully agrees on the name. One account says bible refers to everything being cooked together in one pot, and the dish is also called Endeley bread, after the Bakweri royal family, one of whom is said to have carried it abroad as bread. As the parcels steam, the cocoyam starch sets and binds everything into a firm loaf that can be sliced, and the leaves lend it their own fragrance.
It is eaten warm, on its own or beside a soup or sauce, and it travels well in its leaves.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
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
US
Metric
Serves 6
- 1.5 kg (3 lb) cocoyams (makabo), peeledHard to find? 1.5 kg (3 lb) taro (eddo or dasheen) or malanga - makabo is malanga (tannia); taro binds a little softer
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) red , gently warmed until liquid
- 1 cup smoked fish, skinned, boned and flaked
- 1/2 cup ground dried crayfish
- 2 cups spinach or cocoyam leaves, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 to 2 , minced
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 cube, crushed
- to taste salt
- about 12 pieces banana or leaves, plus extra to line the potHard to find? about 12 squares foil - it holds the shape but the parcels lose the leafy aroma
Instructions
- 1Wearing gloves, grate the peeled cocoyams on the finest side of a grater, or blend them in short bursts, into a smooth, thick paste.✎ Chef’s noteRaw cocoyam contains calcium oxalate, which makes bare hands itch. Gloves, or a little oil rubbed on your hands, prevent it.
- 2Stir in the warm palm oil until the paste is evenly orange, then mix in the smoked fish, crayfish, greens, onion, Scotch bonnet, black pepper, stock cube and salt to taste.
- 3Pass the banana leaves briefly over a flame or dip them in hot water until they soften and turn glossy. Put about 3/4 cup of the mixture in the centre of a leaf, fold the sides over and then the ends, to make a neat rectangular parcel, and tie or wrap in a second leaf.
- 4Line a large pot with leaf scraps, pack the parcels in, add water to come about a third of the way up and cover tightly. Steam over medium heat for at least 1 hour, checking every 15 minutes and topping up with boiling water so the pot never runs dry.✎ Chef’s noteSome Buea cooks steam kwacoco bible for much longer, up to 3 hours. It is ready when a parcel opened in the middle is firm and set right through, with no raw, sticky paste.
- 5Rest the parcels for a few minutes, then unwrap and serve warm, whole or sliced.
Bakweri tradition, Buea and the Mount Cameroon area.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Southwest (Buea). The Bakweri are the first people of the Buea area, and their signature dish is kwacoco: cocoyam grated to a paste, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed, eaten with banga, a palm-nut soup, and smoked fish. Mixed with red palm oil, smoked fish, crayfish and greens before wrapping, it becomes kwacoco bible, a whole meal in one parcel.
🗺️
Cameroon. Cameroon is called 'Africa in miniature,' and its food is just as varied, ndolé (bitterleaf and peanut stew), grilled fish, and fufu-style staples from plantain to cassava. Palm oil, groundnut, and fiery pepper define the plate.
🌍
Africa. The structure repeats across most of the continent: one starch and one sauce. A grain or root is cooked stiff, torn or rolled by hand, and used to carry a stew of leaves, groundnut, okra or fish, usually from a shared bowl and with the right hand. UNESCO listings have followed that logic, inscribing couscous in 2020 as a shared Maghreb tradition and Ivorian attieke in 2024.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Cameroon
NdoléCameroon’s national dish: bitterleaf greens simmered with ground peanuts, beef, and shrimp into a deep, satisfying stew.
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.
Browse all Cameroon recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan, Steamer, Blender.
Storing it: Keeps 2 to 3 days refrigerated. Resteam or warm through gently to serve.
Make it a Cameroon meal
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Cameroonian Banana CakeDessert
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Frequently asked questions
What is Kwacoco Bible (Cameroonian Cocoyam Parcels)?
Finely grated cocoyam mixed with red palm oil, smoked fish, crayfish, greens and hot pepper, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed into firm, savory parcels.
Where does Kwacoco Bible (Cameroonian Cocoyam Parcels) come from?
Kwacoco Bible (Cameroonian Cocoyam Parcels) is a Cameroonian (Bakweri) dish from Southwest (Buea), Cameroon.
Can Kwacoco Bible (Cameroonian Cocoyam Parcels) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Kwacoco Bible (Cameroonian Cocoyam Parcels) 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 Kwacoco Bible (Cameroonian Cocoyam Parcels) 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 Kwacoco Bible (Cameroonian Cocoyam Parcels) take to make?
About 120 minutes total (45 minutes prep, 75 minutes cooking), serving 6.
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