What is "moambe"

n. An African sauce made from the pericarp of palm nuts.

Palm butter or palm cream, frequently known as moambe, mwambe or nyembwe, is an ingredient made from the pericarp (not the seeds) of palm nuts, the fruit of the African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) tree. It forms an an important ingredient in stews and sauces in African cuisine.

Dishes made with the sauce often include peanuts, peanut sauce, or peanut butter. The meat usually used in the dishes is chicken but other meats such as beef, fish, mutton, or any wild game meat such as crocodile or venison are used as well. Moambe or Nyembwe Chicken is considered a national dish of three African countries.

It is sometimes said that the name refers to the number of ingredients in the dish but it actually derives from the word for palm butter.