Nkongsamba
About the Creative City:
Steeped in a rich agricultural heritage, Nkongsamba is famous for its local production, such as coffee (grown in the region since the colonial era under German control in 1884, and then under French control in 1916) and Penja pepper (considered by many chefs to be one of the best peppercorns in the world), and has an outstanding gastronomic tradition. The Creative City and local associations capitalize on this cultural wealth by organizing events and festivals, such as DYOM, Ekala Mba Ni Nkem and the "Moungo Land" gastronomic days, which bring the people of Nkongsamba together around their local culinary heritage, while strengthening cooperation between public and social partners.
Moreover, Nkongsamba invests in the preservation and promotion of traditional restaurants, to mainstream and disseminate culinary traditions while encouraging the use of short food supply chains. The city plans to open a Coffee Museum to showcase the local tradition of coffee growing and raise awareness of the challenges of modern, sustainable agriculture.
In a bid to develop sustainable tourism around these initiatives and ensure their long-term viability, the city is working on setting up the "Moungo Taste Trail", a planned tourist route providing an immersive insight into Nkongsamba's extensive gastronomic heritage.
As a Creative City of Gastronomy, Nkongsamba is dedicated to:
Strengthening the development of the region's gastronomic sector, in recognition of its contribution to local sustainable development;
Safeguarding and promoting the city's long-standing agricultural and culinary heritage, notably by creating traditional restaurants to uphold the enduring legacy of local flavours and dishes;
Encouraging the development of centres for the mainstreaming of culinary practices to enable the preservation and transmission of local culinary knowledge; and
Supporting the sustainable development of the gastronomy and tourism sectors, in a manner that is respectful of all producers and gives precedence to local resources and the short food supply chain model.
