Belgium today is home to more than 350,000 people of sub-Saharan African descent. Yet in the "world food" aisle of Delhaize, Carrefour or Colruyt, you'll typically find three Moroccan spices, some couscous, and — if you're lucky — coconut milk. Here are the 7 essential ingredients no Belgian supermarket carries, what to do with them, and how to get them without driving all the way to Brussels.

Why Belgian supermarkets don't stock these products

It's not a demand problem — the demand is real. It's a combination of three things:

• Import logistics: most of these products come from West or Central Africa via Rotterdam/Antwerp, sometimes through short circuits that don't interest the big chains' purchasing departments.
• Slow turnover per SKU: supermarkets want products that move within four weeks. Néré, okazi and fumbwa aren't weekly purchases.
• Unfamiliar assortment: buyers don't know sub-Saharan African cuisine — so they don't know what to source.

Hence the value of a specialised online African grocery like Nkoh Shop, which can carry hundreds of medium-rotation SKUs.

1. Fumbwa (dried Congolese leaves)

Leaves of Gnetum africanum, dried and finely chopped. This is the base of Congolese fumbwa sauce, simmered with ground peanuts, smoked fish and cured meat. No Belgian supermarket carries it. Shelf life: 12 months in a sealed bag.

How to use: soak for 30 minutes in lukewarm water, drain, add to a tomato-onion-peanut base, simmer for 40 minutes.

2. Okazi (Cameroonian leaves)

A botanical cousin of fumbwa, more popular in Cameroon (where it's also called eru) than in Congo. Same Gnetum leaves, but a different preparation: it's combined with watermelon leaves (waterleaf), meat and stockfish to make South-West Cameroon's eru sauce. Delicious, and impossible to find outside specialised shops.

3. Néré (soumbala, dawadawa, iru)

Fermented néré seeds (Parkia biglobosa) with a powerful smell and deep umami flavour — close to miso, but earthier. Essential in Malian okra sauces, West African soups, and traditional Ivorian cooking. You'll never find it in a supermarket because the smell puts off buyers who aren't used to it.

We stock it in 200 g jars — use one teaspoon per pot, no more, or it will overwhelm everything else.

4. Whole smoked fish

Capitaine, machoiron, catfish, tilapia — wood-smoked in West Africa, exported whole. This is the aromatic signature of West African cooking: it gives sauces their deep base. Crumble it before adding it halfway through cooking, or leave it whole in the broth.

The big chains sell Norwegian smoked salmon and herring. Not capitaine. We stock it year-round.

5. Pure (unsweetened) peanut paste

"But Delhaize sells peanut butter," people often say. No, that's not the same thing. Western peanut butter usually contains sugar, palm oil and stabilisers. To make a mafé or a Cameroonian peanut sauce, you need 100% pure peanut paste with nothing added.

Trusted brands: Dakatine (Senegal), Mamie Coco (Cameroon), Nina (Ivory Coast). All available on our site.

6. Senegalese broken rice

The rice for thiéboudienne. Grains broken into small pieces during milling — quick cooking time and a "sticky-yet-separate" texture that absorbs sauce beautifully. Nothing to do with basmati, Thai jasmine, or Carrefour's long-grain rice. Once you've tasted thieb with broken rice, you don't go back.

We stock it in 5 kg bags — that's what families use, because it goes fast when you serve it properly.

7. Red palm oil (dendê)

Unrefined palm oil, orange-red, with a powerful flavour — not the neutral white kind in industrial biscuits. It's what colours and flavours Congolese moambé, several Nigerian dishes, and many West African sauces. Use sparingly: the flavour is intense.

Environmental note: we work with red palm oil from small producers (RSPO or local equivalent), not from large deforesting monocultures.

How to order all of these online

Everything above is in stock at Nkoh Shop's African grocery section. Some concrete figures to set the scale:

• 1,600+ SKUs in the catalogue
• 24-48 h delivery anywhere in Belgium
• Free shipping from €50
• Free 30-day returns if a product doesn't fit

The reference brands (Maggi, Jumbo, Adja, Tem-Tem, Nina, Mamie Coco, Dakatine) are available in family sizes and small formats for trying. Browse our brands →

What about fresh produce?

Good news: we also cover the fresh products you can't find in Belgian supermarkets:

• Fresh cassava, plantain, yam, taro
• African vegetables: long aubergine, fresh okra, African chillies, fresh ginger
• Dried/smoked fish when in stock

Fresh arrivals come in every Tuesday. Orders placed by Monday 6 PM are delivered Wednesday or Thursday.

FAQ — Buying African in Belgium

Are there other online African grocers in Belgium?

A few, yes — mostly in Brussels. Nkoh Shop is the only one offering a 1,600+ SKU catalogue with 24-48 h delivery anywhere in Belgium, including West Flanders and rural Wallonia.

Do you sell halal products?

Yes — nearly all our dry products (spices, starches, canned goods, snacks) are halal-friendly. For the rare meat products we stock (mainly smoked fish), we indicate halal compliance on the product page.

How long does delivery take in Flanders/Wallonia?

Brussels and surrounding provinces: 24 h. West Flanders, Liège, Luxembourg: 48 h. Times are the same for villages and cities.

Can I order for an event (wedding, baptism, party)?

Yes — we regularly work with families organising events for 50 to 200 people. Get in touch a week ahead via the contact form so we can prepare the special order (large formats, bundled items).

Do you accept Bancontact / PayPal?

Bancontact, PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer — all handled by Stripe, secure payment. No hidden fees.

Summary

Seven ingredients, seven signatures of sub-Saharan African cooking, seven products that no Belgian supermarket carries. If you cook African food regularly, they deserve a permanent place in your pantry.

We've made it easy for you: everything is in our online catalogue, delivered within 24-48 h. And if there's a product you're missing that we don't carry yet, let us know — we systematically try to source new references.

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