fufu

American

[foo-foo] / ˈfuˌfu /

Or fu-fu,

noun

a doughlike West African dish of boiled and ground plantain, yam, or cassava, made into balls to go with soups or stews.

Etymology

Origin of fufu

First recorded in 1740–50; from a West African language; compare Twi fufuu, Ewe fufu, Yoruba fùfú, Cuban Spanish fufú

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Back in St Lucia, Dr Ogbo says his attempts to bring egusi, fufu and jollof to local people are a small but worthy contribution to the strengthening of relations between Africa and the Caribbean.

From BBC • Aug. 17, 2025

At its center, a substantial orb of fufu sits, a pale gold plantain mash formed into a plump dumpling.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 14, 2024

You must pull out pieces, as you might with West African fufu, and dunk them into condensed milk, the chewiness of the bun just as sweet as the sugar contained within its folds.

From Washington Post • Apr. 10, 2023

Hair braiding salons popped up, as did supermarkets selling varieties of fufu, bottles of Vimto, a soft drink popular in West Africa, and canned eggplant.

From New York Times • Jan. 12, 2022

“You are welcome to our feast. Today we have killed a goat to celebrate your coming. Soon your bellies will be full with our fufu pili-pili.”

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023