Hello Everyone!
I hope you all are staying heathy and safe through this unprecedented time we are living in.
For this month’s blog post, I thought it would be both impactful and informative to give you the opportunity to experience a little bit of what daily life is like in Zimbabwe. As I have discussed, food security is an increasing risk in Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, things are only getting worse as the government has imposed one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. Their medical infrastructure simply can’t handle a large outbreak. Also jobs remain almost non existent. The most freighting aspect of all is that food is quickly becoming incredibly scarce and prices have risen.
In order to give you a good idea and a deeper perspective on Zimbabwe, I decided to cook a traditional Zimbabwean meal with the help of my dad. If anyone is interested in preparing this meal I will include the recipe I used with photos and an explanation below. Before I get into that, I am going to explain what a traditional meal consists of and how it differs depending on the situation of each family.
A full traditional meal consists of sadza, kale, and beef. The addition of beef is expensive, so most families will have this very rarely (potentially just once or twice a year). A more common dinner is just kale with sadza, and most of the population will eat just sadza.
Sadza:
This is a dish that is made of ground cornmeal and water. While the nutritional value is low, this is the main food source for most Zimbabweans. The good news is that this can be cooked in large quantities for pennies per day. Because it is substantial, it alleviates the feeling of hunger in people’s stomachs. Recipes for sadza vary but here is a link to a helpful youtube video that shows technique and approximate quantities (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r8ffWDNomUD). Cornmeal in Zimbabwe is called mielie-meal, but you can substitute white cornmeal. I used a brand called P.A.N. which can be found in Mexican markets.
Kale:
In Zimbabwe, kale is the most common leafy green vegetable. Many locals will grow this in their yards so they can have some nutritious food, but the current drought has killed many people’s crops. In order to prepare this dish, I did a simple sauté. I started with 1/2 cup of chopped yellow onion and a tablespoon of cooking oil. I then added a large bunch of kale (stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped). Finally, I added two small tomatoes (seeded and chopped) plus salt to taste. Total cooking time is about 10 minutes.
Beef:
As I mentioned previously, beef is a rare treat in Zimbabwe because it is so expensive. To prepare this, we found a less fancy cut of meat that had a decent amount of fat for flavor. We used very thinly cut chuck steak. This was seasoned generously with salt and grilled until well done on a barbecue. Zimbabweans call this form of cooking a “brai” (barbecue). The meat is then chopped into bite sized pieces and served.
A final aspect of making this meal authentic is using your hands rather than utensils to eat. You start by taking a piece of sadza, rolling it in your palm, and flattening it on your fingertips to make a small disk. Then, using your thumb and fingertips, you scoop the kale and/or beef onto the sadza. You may find this different or even a little awkward compared to what we are used to, but it really helps make the experience a memorable one.
I highly encourage you all to step out of your comfort zone and experience something new by making this meal. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or if you would like a more detailed recipe.
Thank you for your continued support. Please keep the girls and everyone else in Zimbabwe in your thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Emily