Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe a landlocked country in Southern Africa is also a fairly new country.  They gained independence in 1980 from the UK.   Being a fairly new country and also a poor country its cuisine is not as varied as some other countries.   The average GDP is $500 USD per capita.  

From all the research I did trying to find an exotic side to the cuisine of Zimbabwe I really could not. Their food is simple and to the point of nourishment for basic survival.  Their use of spices seems to be minimal and Sadza a corn meal is a staple eaten daily with most meals.  Other staples in their diet include Mopane worms, corn, peanuts and spider leaves.

The Menu

Sadza
A cornmeal dough basically and then formed into balls or ovals as desired. These are quite bland by themselves and are accompanied by a main dish.


Zimbabwean Chicken Stew
This dish was unique in a way that they boiled the chicken first till the water ran dry then fried it in the same pan or pot.   I searched for many authentic Zimbabwean recipes and I found one thing in common is that the dishes generally only use salt and rarely any spice.   I am not sure if this is attributed to my search skills online or if this is the case of original recipes.  After frying the chicken I removed the chicken to rest while I sautéed the garlic and ginger. A then added the onion to caramelize slightly then right at the end added the tomato and green peppers.  I put in the cream, peanut butter and finally added the chicken back in.   There is a certain kick or umami that most cuisines in the world have.  It's either through the spice blend or combination of ingredients or even the method of cooking.   I was not able to find this in traditional Zimbabwean cooking in the recipes I looked at.  However there is something to be said about local ingredients also,  where their chicken, tomato, onions or even peanuts might have a different flavour then what we have available here.   Fine dry aged beef vrs supermarket beef type of thing.  That is why I was surprised at how well it actually worked when we actually ate it.  I was skeptical but proven wrong.   The Sadza was quite filling an absorbed the flavours of the Chicken Stew gravy.

Chikenduza

This was our dessert and has the consistency of a dense coffee bread.  This is a popular item in local bakeries in Zimbabwe.  What I found a bit different is that they used yeast as a riser which is not typical in desserts that I have baked before.

 A simple Icing sugar glaze for the topping.

Next week we are off to Antigua and Barbuda a place we have visited before.