Top 20 Most Popular Foods in Zimbabwe
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Loading... - Verah Akoth
- 07 Feb 2022
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As a land-locked country, most of Zimbabwe’s top dishes are based on local agricultural products. Since climatic conditions differ across the country’s regions, so do the agricultural products and locally sourced ingredients. Therefore, many different dishes and recipe variations can be found across the country’s ten major provinces.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular foods in Zimbabwe, though note that some may be more popular in certain regions than others.
1. Madora/ Macimbi/ Mopane Worms
The mopane is a worm considered a delicacy in Zimbabwe and other African countries. It is found in mopane trees that grow in the Matabeleland region and parts of Midlands.
It is a green or black and whitish-stained worm with spikes on its body. The worm is squeezed clean of all its internal fluid so that only a yellowish fleshy part remains. Boiling them or simply salting and drying them out in the sun are some of the ways that mopane worms can be prepared for the pot.
The actual preparation takes only 20 minutes in which the worms are boiled, drained of water, and then left to simmer in a bit of oil with tomato, onion, and a mixture of spices. They go down quite well with sadza, a porridge made of ground maize.
2. Sadza/ Pap/ Hard Corn-Meal
This is the richly scrumptious product of Zimbabwe’s staple crop, maize.
First, corn is ground into a powdery cornmeal. Then sadza is made from boiling water and mixing it with a paste of cornmeal, letting it simmer for a while before finally adding more of the meal to make it thicker. The end result is a hot steaming mountain that can be accompanied with beef or chicken stew and a side of any leafy vegetable. It can also be combined with mopane worms. The result is utter satisfaction when washed down with a glass of ice cold water.
A variation of sadza can be made with millet or rapoko meal. The final result is a dark brownish pap, or porridge, which can be moulded and eaten with tripe, roasted pork, or with any of the stews popular in Zimbabwe such as beef or chicken.
3. Derere/ Okra
The name itself is some kind of onomatopoeia in the Shona language. Derere is a special meal made from okra that is highly recommended in medical circles. Both rich in protein and acting as an appetizer, it is a great meal for those who are not feeling well.
It can come in leafy form or cut up into tiny rings from the okra pod. When cooked, okra will be very appealing to the eye and richly delicious to the palate.
4. Mutakura/ Grains Mixture
Ever wondered how it would be to combine two fine wines in one bottle? Can you imagine the explosiveness in your mouth? That is how this combination of a meal goes down. Mutakura is made out of a mixture of grains from maize, groundnuts, and cow-peas, and occasionally even nuts. The ingredients are boiled and seasoned. Mutakura makes an awesome meal to give to visitors as a complete dish with just a glass of water to polish it all off.
5. Mupunga Une Dovi (Peanut Butter Rice)
Rice mixed with peanut butter is an age-old treat among most ethnic groups in Zimbabwe. Even better is when the rice comes directly from the field without much processing and still has all of its natural flavors. Rice with peanut butter is accompanied by a beef or chicken stew, a salad, or just as at tea time. It must be made compact but moist and well seasoned. Read More…
