🍢 SNACK
Akabenzi (Rwandan Crispy Fried Pork)
Chunks of fatty pork simmered until tender, then fried dry in their own fat until crisp and browned, tossed with onion, green pepper and chili and finished with lime and coriander.
Rwandan · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 55 min
~652 cal · 69g protein · 11g carbs · 35g fat · 2g fiber · 4g sugars · 13g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Akabenzi is Rwanda's name for crispy fried pork, and it belongs to the neighbourhood bar. In Kigali and in towns across the country, small bars and grills cook it to order in the evening and at weekends, and it is eaten from a shared plate with toothpicks or fingers over a cold Primus or Mützig with friends.
The name is a joke that everyone in Rwanda knows. Pork is not an everyday meat in many Rwandan homes, and the story goes that the pig's snout, the most prized cut for the dish, looks like the Mercedes-Benz badge, so the humble pig became akabenzi, the little Benz, a treat for people who have made it.
The method is simple and suits fatty cuts such as ribs and belly. The pork is simmered in a little salted water until tender, then the water is left to boil away so the meat fries in its own fat until it is crisp outside and soft inside. Onion, green pepper and chili go in at the end, with a squeeze of lime and a scatter of coriander.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, nut- and egg-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 4
- 1 kg (2 lb) pork belly or pork ribs with some fat, cut into 3 cm chunks
- 500 ml (2 cups) water
- 1 1/2 tsp salt, adjust to taste
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 onions, thickly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1 fresh hot chili, sliced, or pili-pili, to taste
- 1 lime, halved
- 1 small handful fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
Instructions
- 1Put the pork in a wide, heavy pan with the water, salt, garlic and black pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until the pork is tender.
- 2Take off the lid, raise the heat and let the liquid boil away, stirring now and then. This takes about 10 minutes.
- 3Once the pan is dry the fat will start to render. Keep frying the pork in its own fat over medium-high heat for 10 to 15 minutes, turning often, until the chunks are browned and crisp on all sides.✎ Chef’s noteLean pork gives off little fat; if the pan looks dry and the meat starts to catch, add a spoonful of oil.
- 4Add the onions, green pepper and chili and fry for about 5 minutes more, until the onion is soft and just catching at the edges.
- 5Squeeze over the lime, scatter with coriander and serve hot, straight from the pan, with toothpicks.
Rwandan bar and street-food tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Kigali. The hills do the farming. Rwanda is cultivated intensively up steep slopes, so beans, sweet potato, cassava and bananas come off small plots and the everyday plate carries several starches at once. Brochettes over charcoal, usually goat, are the sociable evening exception to an otherwise mild kitchen.
🗺️
Rwanda. Brochettes are the national street food: goat or beef cubed and grilled over charcoal, ordered by the stick and eaten with grilled plantain, and the argument is about whether the fat should be left on. Beans and cooking bananas do the daily work underneath, and the hills that give the country its nickname also give it a temperate climate that grows both.
🌍
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 Rwanda
IsombePounded cassava leaves stewed with spinach, eggplant, and peanut into a soft, savory green.
Ibijumba n'IkivugutoThe classic Rwandan breakfast: warm boiled sweet potatoes served with ikivuguto, a tangy cultured fermented milk.
Rwandan BrochettesMarinated goat skewers grilled over charcoal and served with grilled plantain, Rwanda's favorite social food.
Browse all Rwanda recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Fried food is best eaten fresh while crisp. Re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven or air fryer; the microwave makes them soft.
Make it a Rwanda meal
Icyayi (Rwandan African Tea)Drink
Rwandan MandaziDessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Akabenzi (Rwandan Crispy Fried Pork)?
Chunks of fatty pork simmered until tender, then fried dry in their own fat until crisp and browned, tossed with onion, green pepper and chili and finished with lime and coriander.
Where does Akabenzi (Rwandan Crispy Fried Pork) come from?
Akabenzi (Rwandan Crispy Fried Pork) is a Rwandan dish from Kigali, Rwanda.
Can Akabenzi (Rwandan Crispy Fried Pork) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Akabenzi (Rwandan Crispy Fried Pork) 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 Akabenzi (Rwandan Crispy Fried Pork) 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 Akabenzi (Rwandan Crispy Fried Pork) take to make?
About 70 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 55 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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