00:00In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a new generation of chefs is putting a gomor spin on traditional recipes.
00:08In this Kinshasa restaurant, customers cling cocktail glasses in hashed lunches on the tough floor of a building in the
00:16Congolese capital
00:17as they enjoy the good rhythm of rumba music.
00:24People often talk about the DRC for its music or they talk about DRC and war,
00:28but we forget that we have an enormous amount here that our own land can offer us.
00:33And it was important for me to show this beautiful image of Kinshasa, of Congo,
00:37to show on the plate that, well, it can be just as lovely as Michelin stand restaurant,
00:42whether in France, Belgium, or anywhere else in the world,
00:44and also to show that no matter what, people of any nationality can come and eat at a Zahir restaurant,
00:50and in one way or another, they will feel at home.
00:53Keeping fresh products in stock is a challenge for most of these restaurants.
00:57Only a fraction of the sprawling country's arable land is farmed,
01:00while poor roads make transportation difficult.
01:05Sometimes when you have an idea on a product you want to offer,
01:08you end up facing supply problems, issues with suppliers.
01:12We are not a country where the roads are in good conditions,
01:16where goods can arrive when you ask for them.
01:18So that's one of the main difficulties for us who own restaurants.
01:22Right from the outset, when supplies aren't very reliable, you are already stuck.
01:28Texera, a passionate foodie, spent a decade and a half in the DRC's former colonial ruler, Belgium,
01:34then decided to return home to put Congolese culinary heritage in the spotlight.
01:39We also decided on this. Why this idea?
01:42Mainly because we are used to thinking when we talk about Congolese food that it's always about buffets,
01:47something very rustic, and we wanted to make Congolese food look beautiful on a plate
01:51and show that it was possible to do that, to highlight the spices we have,
01:55the fish we have, the different vegetable we have, and the fruits as well.
01:59It was very important for us to show that we can compete with the big names
02:02because there is so much diversity in Congo.
02:05Despite the ongoing conflict in the east of the country,
02:08Congolese have not given up on their respective cultures,
02:11especially when it comes to diversifying their food and serving it to the guests.
