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.

See Examples For:

fufu

At a busy Beirut centre, migrant volunteers stirred pots of okra soup and shaped balls of the African staple fufu, keeping food coming for those caught between the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.

From Barron's ● May 25, 2026

Have you ever tried fufu or efo riro?

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2024

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

He paused to mold a lump of fufu with his fingers.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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