Honey Congo style

I have been looking at a recipe book my father-in-law brought back from west Africa when he was there during the war; he was captain of a river class frigate – e had been in the merchant navy before the war and when hostilities broke out he was put in command of this ship sent far away from his native Newhaven.

He found this ‘Congo Cookery Book’ which  he brought home for his wife, my mother in law, and now I have it. There is a chapter on honey with recipes including honey cheese, honey salad dressing and honey vinegar.

Local honey can be obtained in all parts of the Belgian Congo. In the Coquilhatville region it is known to the locals as ‘ao. In the upper reaches it is called Njóji, and in the Lower Congo Wiki or Bwiki. Local people boil the wild honey to reduce it to a thicker consistency. Bottled and tightly corked it will keep foe a year without any special care or the use of an ice box.

The recipes are interesting… maybe I should try some!