Palms & Piri Piri: Exploring the vibrant food of Katembe, Mozambique
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- 23 Aug 2022
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For an affordable taste of cozinha tipica – typical Mozambican food – head from the capital city of Maputo over the bay to Katembe.
For an affordable taste of cozinha tipica – typical Mozambican food – head from the capital city of Maputo over the bay to Katembe, a laid-back sprawl of villages with assorted barracas (street kiosks) and a handful of restaurants and hotels.
Until a few years back, the only way to drive to Katembe was to take your car on board a treacherous, cantankerous rustbucket of a ferryboat called Bagamoyo which took more than an hour to make the 1.5 km crossing. Now it’s a 10-minute drive across Africa’s longest suspension bridge and you’re in the land of palm trees, seafood, grilled chicken and piri piri, the signature spice of Mozambique. And yes, that’s how they spell it.
The name comes from the Swahili for pepper-pepper, and it’s got lemon, garlic, vinegar, paprika and the vital African bird’s-eye chilli, an African cultivar of the Capsicum chinense chilli. You’ll find piri piri everywhere – in seafood sauces, steak bastes, starter relishes and on the side. Everyone makes it, everyone has a secret recipe. It fires up the senses, they say. It’s good for your health, heart and sex life. Read more...
