What Are Cassava Leaves? Sierra Leone's National Dish Explained
Cassava leaves are the national dish of Sierra Leone, finely pounded greens simmered with palm oil, groundnut, crayfish, meat and fish. Here is what it is and how it is made.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
Cassava leaves are the national dish of Sierra Leone, a thick, rich stew made from the finely pounded leaves of the cassava plant simmered slowly with red palm oil, groundnut paste, onion and hot pepper. The pot is loaded with a generous mix of meat, fish and dried crayfish, which cook down into a deep-green sauce served over rice. Also called cassava leaf, cassava leaf stew or cassava leaf soup, it is comforting, filling and traditionally eaten on a Monday. In the UK the frozen or ground leaves and the other ingredients are sold by African food shops, which you can find near you on African Stores.
What to remember
- Cassava leaves are the national dish of Sierra Leone, a slow-simmered stew of finely pounded leaves.
- It is enriched with red palm oil, groundnut paste and dried crayfish, and loaded with meat and fish.
- It is thick and deep green, served over rice, and traditionally eaten on Mondays.
- It is also known as cassava leaf, cassava leaf stew or cassava leaf soup, with sawa-sawa a related regional name.
- It differs from the Central African version, pondu, which is cooked without the groundnut and crayfish.
Ask anyone from Freetown what they miss most from home and cassava leaves will be near the top of the list. It is the pot that fills a house with the deep, savoury smell of palm oil and crayfish on a slow afternoon, the plate that turns an ordinary Monday into something to look forward to. Rich, green and generous, it is the taste of family cooking passed down through generations.
There is a special pride in this dish. It is not a quick meal but a labour of love, the leaves pounded soft, the pot watched over for hours until everything melts into one deep, glossy sauce. For Sierra Leoneans in Britain, cooking a pot of cassava leaves is a way of gathering people around the table and carrying a piece of home across the sea, one steaming plate of rice at a time.
What Cassava Leaves Actually Are
Cassava leaves are the tender green leaves of the cassava plant, the same plant whose starchy root is eaten across West Africa and the Caribbean. In Sierra Leone the leaves are finely pounded or ground and then cooked into a thick, hearty stew that is regarded as the national dish. Where the cassava root gives fufu and other staples, the leaves become this deep-green sauce, rich and savoury, ladled generously over white rice.
The dish is built for flavour and substance. The pounded leaves are simmered slowly with red palm oil, onion and hot pepper such as scotch bonnet, then enriched with groundnut, which is peanut, paste and dried crayfish for a deep, smoky savour. Meat, fish and sometimes dried fish all go into the same pot, so a single bowl carries several layers of flavour at once. It belongs to the family of Sierra Leonean leaf stews known as plasas, and it sits at the heart of Sierra Leonean food.
How Cassava Leaves Differs From Pondu
Cassava leaves are eaten in many parts of Africa, so it helps to be clear about which dish this is. The Sierra Leonean, West African version is the one enriched with groundnut paste and dried crayfish, giving it a nutty, deep-flavoured sauce quite unlike leaf stews elsewhere. That richness, close in spirit to a groundnut soup, is what marks it out as distinctly Sierra Leonean.
This is different from pondu, also called saka-saka, the Central African and Congolese preparation of cassava leaves, which is typically cooked without the groundnut and crayfish and has a lighter, greener character. Both start with the same leaf, but the seasoning and the finished flavour set them apart. In Sierra Leone the word sawa-sawa is also heard as a related regional name for the dish.
How Cassava Leaves Is Made and Served
Making cassava leaves begins with the leaves themselves, finely pounded or ground until soft, which is what gives the finished stew its smooth, thick texture. They are simmered slowly in red palm oil with onion and hot pepper, then groundnut paste and dried crayfish are stirred through for depth. A generous mix of meat and fish is added and the whole pot is cooked down low and slow until everything is tender and the sauce is glossy and deep green. It is served over plenty of white rice, and it can also be enjoyed with fufu.
This is a dish worth an allergen note. It contains groundnut, which is peanut, along with fish and dried crayfish, which is shellfish, and it is cooked in palm oil, so it is worth a word to anyone at the table with a nut, fish or shellfish allergy. Traditionally cassava leaves are eaten on a Monday in many Sierra Leonean homes, a comforting start to the week, though of course a good pot is welcome any day.
Where to Buy Cassava Leaves Ingredients in the UK
Cassava leaves are a home-cooked dish, and the ingredients are gathered from African food shops rather than a supermarket. The leaves themselves are usually sold frozen or already ground, ready to simmer, so there is no need to pound them from scratch. Alongside them you will find red palm oil, groundnut paste, dried crayfish, scotch bonnet and the meat and fish that go into the pot. You can find African food stores near you to see what is nearby.
Frequently asked questions
What are cassava leaves?
Cassava leaves are the national dish of Sierra Leone, a thick stew made from the finely pounded leaves of the cassava plant simmered slowly with red palm oil, groundnut paste, onion and hot pepper. The pot is loaded with meat, fish and dried crayfish, cooked down into a deep-green sauce served over rice. It is also called cassava leaf, cassava leaf stew or cassava leaf soup, and it is traditionally eaten on a Monday.
What do cassava leaves taste like?
Cassava leaves are deep, savoury and rich, with a nutty flavour from the groundnut paste and a smoky depth from the dried crayfish and palm oil. The finely pounded leaves give a smooth, thick texture, while the meat and fish add layers of savour. Served over white rice, it is hearty and comforting rather than light.
How are cassava leaves different from pondu?
Both start from the leaves of the cassava plant, but they are different dishes. The Sierra Leonean cassava leaves stew is enriched with groundnut paste and dried crayfish, giving a nutty, deep-flavoured sauce. Pondu, also called saka-saka, is the Central African and Congolese version, usually cooked without the groundnut and crayfish, so it is lighter and greener in character.
How are cassava leaves made?
The leaves are finely pounded or ground, then simmered slowly in red palm oil with onion and hot pepper. Groundnut paste and dried crayfish are stirred through for depth, and a generous mix of meat and fish is added before the pot is cooked down low and slow until thick and glossy. It is served over plenty of white rice, and it contains groundnut, fish and shellfish, so it is worth noting for anyone with those allergies.
Where can I buy cassava leaves in the UK?
Cassava leaves are cooked at home, so African food shops are the place to buy the ingredients. The leaves are usually sold frozen or already ground and ready to simmer, alongside red palm oil, groundnut paste, dried crayfish and scotch bonnet. African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you that stocks them.