Tag: southern africa

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(78) Zimbabwe – “Mama’s” Stewed Chicken

Matobo Foothills. Source: Global Geography

Welcome back to Africa, we are visiting Zimbabwe today. Unlike Liberia, Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in southern African surrounded by Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, and Botswana. Zimbabwe is one of the countries that borders the spectacular Victoria Falls which is one of the most popular attractions here. A lesser known attraction is the high concentration of rock paintings from the Stone Age; greater than 1,000 across the country. This country is also the destination for safaris and exploring its mountainous/plateau terrain. Tobacco, gold, ivory, textiles, cotton, and ferro alloys are major exports and source of income.

Zimbabwe cuisine consists of maize and rice for grains, farmed and game meats, and local fruit and vegetables. Some specialties of the country include maize beer (whawha), mopane worms, dovi (peanut butter stew with meat and vegetables), and sadza (maize meal portage eaten with meat or stews). Although controversial popular game consumed here includes ostrich, crocodile, and boar to name a few. Today I prepared “Mama’s Chicken” or stewed chicken with herbs, ginger, spices and vegetables. Do Mama proud and try this dish!

This week night-friendly dish was easy to follow and make. I was unable to obtain Maggie seasoning and instead substituted the seasonings that make up the Maggi cubes and added a chicken bouillon cube. This like the previous dish was not as “saucy” as I would have liked it and suggest adding tomato paste as you go to get the desired consistency. I’m a little too OCD when cooking and would like the recipe’s picture to match my finished concoction.

Zimbabwe you brought us a beautiful blend of savory flavors and very tender chicken. I personally thought it could of used more vegetables to balance out the chicken but overall really loved what I was experiencing on my taste buds! We really loved this dish and rated it 8.625/10 (to be precise).

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(60) Botswana – Seswaa with Cabbage and Carrot Slaw

Hey guys welcome to #60.. Botswana of Southern Africa! This landlocked country can be found bordering Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The country is mostly a desert climate, however it does have deltas and grasslands home to several species of wildlife. It is considered the most densely-populated elephant country in the world and can be found when visiting Chobe National Park. There are various ways to see these elephants in action- safari by jeep, boat, canoe, and by foot. Botswana is also known for its diamond production and is the biggest regarding their value.

A Botswana Safari. Source: Andbeyond.com

Botswana cuisine is like surrounding countries of Southern Africa and contain various meats, grains, nuts, fruit, some vegetables, and tubers. The national dish of Botswana, seswaa, is a boiled or slow-cooked beef that is simply seasoned with salt. Once it is done cooking its pounded with a pestle until its broken into small, thin pieces. Today’s rendition includes a traditional cabbage and vegetable slaw, the recipe I used can be found here.

The meal was easy to make, I am definitely used to the boiling beef method by now. While that was boiling away it gave me plenty of time to prep the vegetables and cook the slaw! I was pleased to see there was a little more seasoning going on with the slaw.

To be honest I didn’t have high hopes for this dish and it didn’t have any elements that excited me. I understand this is traditional Botswanan cuisine, but I prefer my spices and flavor in my food. That being said it was a pretty good meal with a gravy that definitely gave the beef more flavor. The cabbage and carrot slaw was well seasoned. It was better than we had anticipated giving it a rating of 6.25/10.

Next week we visit Vietnam to try some classic dishes and a bonus dessert. Stay tuned my fellow foodies! 😋